Home » Dog Care Center By Patty Khuly, VMD It’s been reported that up to 79 percent of pet owners allow pets to share beds with their human family members. Despite the popularity of the practice, physician and veterinary groups have taken turns speaking out against human-pet bed sharing for a variety of reasons. Let's take a look why. In the case of some physician groups, the warnings are human health based. Confirmed transmission of MRSA skin infections and H1N1 influenza, for example, gives fodder to the speculation that humans who share the covers with their furred family members are more likely to become ill. While this is certainly more of a possibility with immunosuppressed humans (HIV-positive, transplant recipients, or chemotherapy patients, for example), the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention offer no explicit warnings on this issue beyond the standard warnings for these immunocompromised groups of people. In fact, when it comes to infectious disease transmission, physicians and veterinarians agree there is scant evidence that healthy, well cared for pets are detrimental to human health under these circumstances.
Indeed, human family members are much more likely to transmit diseases to each other during bed-sharing than our pets are. So it's OK to Sleep with My Pet? "Although uncommon with healthy pets," the CDC wrote in a 2011 report, "the risk of transmission of zoonotic agents [those transmitted from animal to human] by close contact between pets and their owners through bed sharing, kissing or licking is real and has been documented for life-threatening infections such as plague." Some veterinarians also believe that allowing dogs to sleep on human beds is a not a good thing, behaviorally speaking. Puppies that are more prone to issues with aggression may fully develop these behaviors when allowed to sleep with humans. Housebreaking may also be affected if beds take the place of crates, for example. That’s why bed-sharing should always be delayed until training is complete and social maturity is achieved, behaviorists suggest. Safety Tips for Sleeping with a Pet To reduce the health risks associated with bed sharing and other close contact with a pet, the CDC recommends that pets have regular veterinary care.
This should include keeping up to date with vaccinations, treating illnesses with medications, and using flea and tick preventives, since often fleas and ticks carry bacteria and diseases that can also be transmitted to people. You Might Also Like: Social Image: Misko via FlickrHow to Get Poop Out of Everything You've got baby or dog poop on your favorite couch, shirt, rug -- anything and everything. Here's your poop cleaning guide. This is one of those things you never expected to Google: "How to remove poop from ____[fill in the blank]___." That's because when you imagined having a baby or a pet in your life, you probably didn't envision the very real presence of bodily functions and their propensity to, um, stain things.But, as any parent can attest, diapers have a way of leaking and pets have a way of having accidents. So it's not far fetched to suppose that you may someday be confronted by the need to clean poop out of carpeting or off of your favorite work shirt.
And you need to know how to clean these things properly. (Hence the frantic Googling.)Getting rid of poop isn't fun, but it's not hard, either. (Unless the poop isn't hard ... then it's hard. Here's what to do:Start With the BasicsRemoving poop usually involves a two-step process:1. Sanitizing or disinfectingCleaning comes first because it's hard to disinfect something that hasn't been cleaned properly. This means getting rid of the bulk of the poop -- whatever you can scrape off or otherwise remove -- and washing the item or surface so that you can begin disinfecting (killing the germs).But, should you wash the item with warm water or cold water? If it's a fabric that could potentially be stained, initially wash with cold water to avoid setting the stain. Warm water can be used if you're not worried about a permanent stain.To quickly clean your basic fabric items (like a stained onesie that has those tell-tale yellow leaks streaking from the seams of the diaper area) follow these steps: Remove as much of the poop as you can (and work as quickly as possible; cleaning immediately can minimize the potential for staining) Rinse or soak with cold water (blotting helps) Wash in the washing machine using hot water
, an enzyme-based cleaner (if suitable for the fabric), and bleach or vinegar (if suitable for the fabric).But What If It's Not Just a Stained Onesie?Baby and pet poop can affect any manner of objects from upholstery and carpeting to bedding, silk items, wool sweaters, your baby's toys, your dog's bed and on and on and on...The precise methods of cleaning will depend on the object that's involved, so try these tricks for specific materials:CottonRemember that onesie you washed in cold water and then laundered? Maybe it's still stained. (In fact, it probably is. That's just part of life.) You have one of the world's best stain-removing tools at your disposal: the sun. Never underestimate the power of sunshine. While its disinfectant properties are not as effective as bleach or other disinfectant products, sunshine does have an amazing ability to effectively remove poop stains from clothing or bedding. (Bleach is an EPA-recognized disinfectant but must be properly diluted and used according to instructions.)
HandsYou've washed your hands repeatedly, but they STILL smell like poop. (It's okay, we've all been there.) Washing your hands with liquid dish soap may help, or trying wiping your hands with rubbing alochol swabs. PlasticFor baby toys and other plastic items, start with hot, soapy water and wash the affected item. Follow-up by sanitizing or disinfecting (the Environmental Protection Agency offers a helpful PDF that explains proper procedure for sanitizing and disinfecting children's toys). Rugs and CarpetingFor your basic baby-poop-on-the-carpet event, clean with a combination of liquid dish soap, warm water, and lots of blotting. Vinegar may prove helpful for stain-fighting. For a more complicated dog-poop-on-the-carpet event, a product called Nature's Miracle (an enzyme-based cleaner) may be effective at removing stains and odors. SilkThe process of cleaning silk is similar to that of cleaning cotton, except that you'll want to avoid enzyme-based cleaners. Sunshine is also recommended for stain removal on silk items.
UpholsteryCleaning upholstery can be similar to cleaning carpeting, although initially treating with cold water is preferable to warm water if you want to avoid setting stains. For machine-washable sofa covers, follow up by laundering. Nature's Miracle may also be effective in the case of pet poop on your furniture. WoolA cold-water soak is recommended for wool items, then follow up with a thorough washing (avoid enzyme-based cleaners for wool proudcts). Sunshine can be a good choice for removing stains from wool items.Keep These Items on HandPaper TowelsPerfect for cleaning and disinfecting -- paper towels are a lifesaver. Rubber GlovesEspecially helpful when cleaning dog poop. Plastic gloves eliminate the chance of getting poop on your hands, which is aways a plus! PatienceRemoving stains takes time, don't rush the process. A Garbage CanFor items that are too gross to save. Not recommended for the disposal of sofas. A Sense of HumorRemember, this will be funny someday!Bonus Cheat-Sheet of Poop-Cleaning TipsAvoid rubbing a stain on carpeting.