你的寵物正在危害你的健康嗎?

你的寵物正在危害你的健康嗎?

All pets aren't the same, and neither are the health hazards they might present to human owners. Snakes pose different risks than dogs, and even among canines, adult dogs pose different risks than puppies, points out Scott Weese, a professor and chief of infection control at the Ontario Veterinary College at the University of Guelph in Canada. Of course, pets also offer a slew of physical and mental-health benefits(and loyalty, love and happiness) to their owners. To keep you and your pets as healthy as possible, here are animal hazards to watch for and practical ways to prevent them.

并非所有的寵物都是一樣的，它們可能給人類主人帶來的健康危害也不一樣。加拿大圭爾夫大學(xué)安大略獸醫(yī)學(xué)院感染控制主任、教授斯科特•威斯指出，蛇與狗的風(fēng)險(xiǎn)不同，甚至在犬科動物中，成年狗與幼犬的風(fēng)險(xiǎn)也不同。當(dāng)然，寵物也會給它們的主人帶來身體和心理健康上的好處(以及忠誠、愛和幸福)。為了讓你和你的寵物盡可能的健康，這里有一些動物的危害和預(yù)防它們實(shí)用的方法。

Hand-to-mouth kids

吃手的孩子

All pet owners aren't the same, either, especially kids. "Dogs and cats are great pets for almost any age, if they're appropriately trained, well-groomed and the child is taught respect," says Dr. Larry Pickering, an adjunct professor of pediatrics at Emory University School of Medicine. Other pets are more age-appropriate for older kids, he says, including amphibians like frogs, or reptiles such as turtles or snakes. "Of course, young children like to handle and touch everything, and put their hands in their mouths," he says. Unfortunately, that can expose kids to salmonella or other organisms that pets carry.

所有的寵物主人也不一樣，尤其是孩子。埃默里大學(xué)醫(yī)學(xué)院兒科學(xué)副教授拉里·皮克林博士說:“狗和貓幾乎對任何年齡的人來說都是很棒的寵物，只要它們經(jīng)過適當(dāng)?shù)挠?xùn)練、精心打扮，而且孩子們被教導(dǎo)要尊重它們。”他說，其他寵物更適合年齡較大的孩子，包括青蛙之類的兩棲動物，或者烏龜或蛇之類的爬行動物。他說:“當(dāng)然，小孩子喜歡觸摸任何東西，把手放進(jìn)嘴里。”不幸的是，這可能會讓孩子們接觸到寵物攜帶的沙門氏菌或其他有機(jī)體。

Biting back

被動物咬

Small kids teasing big dogs, or even puppies or kittens, can result in animal bites. "Children oftentimes, particularly young children, are fairly rough, without intentionally meaning to hurt a dog or cat," Pickering says. In return, the animal might bite the child's hand or other parts of the body. It's wise to talk to both child- and animal-health experts before choosing a household pet, he emphasizes. "Pediatricians and veterinarians work together to advise parents about pets," he says. Parents can ask about age-related pets, potential dangers and appropriate training and handling.

小孩子戲弄大狗，甚至小狗小貓，都可能導(dǎo)致動物咬傷。皮克林說:“孩子們，尤其是年幼的孩子，常常很粗心大意，沒有故意傷害狗或貓的意思。”作為回報(bào)，動物可能會咬孩子的手或身體的其他部位。他強(qiáng)調(diào)，在選擇家庭寵物之前，最好先咨詢一下兒童和動物健康專家。他說:“兒科醫(yī)生和獸醫(yī)共同為父母提供有關(guān)寵物的建議。”家長可以詢問與年齡有關(guān)的寵物，潛在的危險(xiǎn)和適當(dāng)?shù)挠?xùn)練和處理方法。

Pets underfoot

絆腳的動物

Pets love to follow wherever owners go, but that's not always a good thing. Older adults who struggle with balance could potentially trip and fall when pets (or their toys) get in their way. In addition, strong German shepherds or large Labrador retrievers can make walking too precarious for people with fragile bones. It's important to think about matching pets and older owners to keep everyone safe and healthy.

寵物喜歡跟著主人走，但這并不總是一件好事。當(dāng)寵物(或他們的玩具)擋住他們的去路時(shí)，那些難以保持平衡的老年人可能會摔倒。此外，對于骨骼脆弱的人來說，強(qiáng)壯的德國牧羊犬或大型拉布拉多尋回犬會使行走變得太危險(xiǎn)。為了保證每個(gè)人的安全和健康，考慮讓寵物和年長的主人配對是很重要的。