Respiratory infections not shared by dogs, humans
Editor’s note: Dr. Lee Pickett is on vacation. This column first appeared in 2019.
Q I have such a bad cold that I can’t go to school. Mom is afraid I’ll spread my cold to our puppy, Barkley, so she won’t let him sleep on my bed or cuddle with me on the couch. Can dogs really catch a person’s cold? I don’t want Barkley to get sick, but I miss snuggling with him.
A Your mom is right to be concerned about Barkley because he’s a puppy. Youngsters, whether canine or human, have poorly developed immune systems and are therefore more likely to catch whatever’s going around.
Still, dogs don’t catch colds from humans. The viruses that cause most upper respiratory infections, known as the common cold in humans, are adapted to a single species.
Hundreds of viruses cause colds in humans, but none have been detected in dogs. Moreover, human flu viruses are not transmissible to dogs.
After a bad cold, some people develop cold sores, also called fever blisters, caused by the Herpes simplex virus. This virus, too, is a human virus that is not contagious to dogs.
Show your letter and my answer to your mom, and ask her to reconsider. If she does, snuggle close to Barkley to stay warm, drink plenty of liquids and get lots of rest — and you’ll be back at school in no time.
Q My cat, Purrsephone, is scratching and has tiny black specks throughout her fur. What’s causing this, and what should I do about it? A
It sounds like Purrsephone has fleas. Those black specks that resemble finely ground pepper are flea feces, euphemistically called flea dirt. The flea dirt is actually Purrsephone’s blood, which the fleas drink, digest and excrete.
The easiest way to detect flea dirt is to comb a cat with a fine-toothed flea comb and examine the fur and debris tangled in the comb’s closely spaced tines.
To confirm that Purrsephone has flea dirt and not garden variety dirt, smear the black specks on a wet paper towel. Moisture dissolves digested blood, so flea dirt produces a redbrown streak. Garden dirt doesn’t.
Indoor cats become infested with fleas when humans bring them inside on our shoes and trouser legs or the family dog transports them indoors.
Fleas do far more damage than just make a cat scratch. Because they drink blood, fleas can cause anemia that can be fatal to a small pet. They also transmit pathogens, including tapeworms, to cats and bacteria that cause cat-scratch disease, plague and typhus in humans.
Although fleas are worst during summer and fall, it’s best to use a flea control product throughout the year to prevent an infestation.
Ask your veterinarian for a recommendation. Options include drops you apply to Purrsephone’s skin, oral products, a collar or an injection. Most flea products are effective for one to three months, though one collar lasts for eight months. Some products control only fleas, while others also fight ticks, lice, ear mites, heartworms and/or intestinal parasites.
If your flea infestation is severe, you’ll need to vacuum your home frequently and discard the bag each time. You may also have to spray an insecticide or treat your home with Fleabusters borate powder and your yard with Fleabusters beneficial nematodes.