Many centuries ago, a man tamed an animal, and it became a home. Now it is rare to find a house in which there is no pet - cats, dogs, fish, parrots, rodents, and sometimes even more exotic individuals - have become practically members of the family. Are pets and pregnancy compatible? Pets brighten up our everyday life, delight with their antics, there is an opinion that animals are even able to treat their owners. It is difficult to assess the issue of treatment, but it is quite possible to contract a disease from pets. This issue is especially important to study when the baby is expected in the family.

Pets and Pregnancy

Toxoplasmosis

One of the greatest concerns of gynecologists-obstetricians is the presence of a pregnant woman in contact with cats, namely the risk of contracting toxoplasmosis. This is a very serious disease that has almost no effect on an adult, but can be fatal for an unborn baby. The bad news is that almost all cats get this disease. The good news is that if a cat or a cat has been living in your house for a long time, then immunity to this disease has probably already developed. But to take a kitten during pregnancy is not worth it. It is also worth excluding contacts with cats from friends and acquaintances and, of course, on the street. Any care for cats in a house where there is a future mother should be carried out by the husband or one of the relatives. You also need to remember that after playing with a cat, it is imperative to wash your hands with soap and water very well, and it is absolutely worth excluding kisses with your pet.

Other Common Diseases

Rabies

Another disease that is quite possible to get from a pet is rabies. Signs of an already sick animal are increased aggressiveness, including on the owners, refusal of water, fear of light. But such signs appear in the last stages of the disease. Unfortunately, rabies in animals is not treated - it dies. You can become infected by getting a bite from an animal. At the same time, as a preventive measure, the victim is given a vaccine according to a certain scheme. Therefore, all pets should be vaccinated annually against this disease.

Helminthiases (or in other words, helminthic diseases)

There are several types of helminthic diseases - geohelminths, biohelminths and contagious. They differ in the way they enter the human body. But no matter what type is found, there is little pleasant for a person who has this disease. Parasitizing in the human body, worms cause metabolic disorders, which leads to multiple diseases, such as anemia, allergies of various types, skin rashes, all kinds of muscle pain, etc. In pregnant women, helminthiases can cause abortion, premature birth. Basic hygiene and thorough hand washing will help protect you.

allergies

The scourge of modern society is allergies of all kinds. Very often, during pregnancy, allergic reactions occur to those products or substances to which no reactions were previously observed. The situation is similar with animals - reactions to wool, bird fluff or droppings and even fish food are very frequent. In such situations, the best solution would be to exclude contact with the allergen for the period of gestation, as a rule, after the birth of the child, allergies disappear. Extinguishing reactions with antihistamines is extremely dangerous and is categorically not recommended by doctors.

Fleas, ticks

There is also a chance of contracting skin diseases from pets - lichen can get from a cat, and an encephalitic tick can easily “come” from a forest or park on a dog. The solution to this issue will be the treatment of the pet with a special powder or solution before the walk.

Pets and pregnancy are of course compatible. but you need to remember that before planning a baby , you need to conduct a complete examination of your pets. These are the most common diseases that an expectant mother can get by contacting animals. In order to minimize the possibility of infection, you must follow several rules: carefully observe hygiene, wash your hands more often, entrust the care of your pet to relatives and not contact with unfamiliar animals.