Let Sleeping Dogs Lie In Your Bed Can Kill You??????.

[Laurie, Fudge, and Vern]

I saw this article this morning when signing on to AOL and thought if might make for a good discussion. My dogs will continue to sleep in our bed, but I am questioning both of them right now to see who gave me the flu :)  What do you think?

http://www.aolnews.com/2011/01/20/letting-sleeping-dogs-lie-in-your...

[Linda, Webber and Seda]

I have a hunch that DK members keep their dogs free of fleas and parasites and if they roll in deer poop or dead stuff the dogs get a bath! It is probably not a good idea to have your animals licking your wounds. I don't see how I could give up doggie kisses, though.

[Donna K & Quincy]

I think I'll take the risk.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I doubt either one of them gave you the flu. As far as I know, there are no flu-type viruses that are zoonotic.

This article doesn't scare me, lol. For one thing, they gave examples of 5 people who got serious diseases from their dogs and cats (and also said the chances of this happening are far greater with cats). Five cases? Out of how many million dogs and cats????

And as far as salmonella goes, we have the Food Group. No salmonella worries here.

Fleas can kill people, and in the olden days, that happened a lot. But the Bubonic plague was caused mainly by fleas from rodents, not dogs. No flea worries here, either.

I'll continue sharing my bed with JD, and kissing him, too; it is worth the risk, lol.

[F, Calla & Luca]

Sorry, there are zoonotic flu viruses but I know of no dog to human cases. But remember, swine flu and bird flu. One of the great public health worries concerns new flu viruses, viruses mutate like crazy, transmitted from one species to another. That said I'm sure this virus did not come from the doodles. I would urge everyone to get flu shots every year! And I too share my bed and kisses with the doodles.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Good point. I was thinking about things like "Dog flu" and cold viruses. Glad to hear we still don't know of any dog to human cases.

[Laurie, Fudge, and Vern]

This is the first year EVER I got a flu shot and I never get the flu and have had it twice this year. Once was before the flu shot, but this time has been since the shot. Since I am diabetic, my doctor strongly encouraged the shot. Anyway, I knew I didn't have the Doodle flu. LOL

[Lorraine Bromley]

Happy people have an edge in fighting health issues. So if you doods on your bed make you happy they are likely helping you ward off sickness as well. Laughing is also treatment protocol for many illness's , I do believe the doods in bed make atleast one person laugh each time they are in/on the bed as well. Therefore having Doods down off the bed may be more dangerous in the spread of disease and it could be said we are negligent if we do NOT have doods on our beds!

[F, Calla & Luca]

That's true!! Calla usually makes me laugh since when I get up she takes over right where I sleep. When I get back I have to try to convince her to move or shove 60 pounds of dog over. Usually I just try to turn her over once or twice to get her out of the way.

[Laurie, Fudge, and Vern]

Well said!!

[Amy & Bernie]

I'd say most responsible pet owners already have the "what can be done?" section well covered. This article doesn't scare me either, Karen & Jack made an excellent point, if this was based on a few cases, compared to the millions of pet owners around the world, then I have much more important things to worry about!

[F, Calla & Luca]

Some of the cases in this article make one wonder. Why would anyone let a pet lick open wounds? But people with open wounds can get sepsis whether they are licked or not so maybe the pet wasn't guilty. I would worry about salmonella mostly in pets who eat raw food and then lick their owners. We should prevent fleas and ticks in our dogs. I would worry about pregnant women cleaning cat litter boxes due to toxoplasmosis. I really doubt licking intact skin leads to infection for the most part. If I washed every time a dog licked my leg for instance I'd more likely die of over washing than having dog saliva on me,I think.  Common sense is a great thing.

[Sue, Murphy and Bella ()*o*()]

The CDC reports that pets may lower blood pressure, reduce cholesterol and triglyceride levels, and decrease feelings of loneliness, while increasing opportunities for exercise, outdoor activities and socialization.

I think I would rather take the benefits as stated above and have the risk of flu, colds or sepsis which is most likely much more rare and much less debilitating than the above mentioned.

Oh well, we don't live in a sterile environment anyway and heck, what a way to go if it does get to be that bad. I want Murphy by my side. Period.