Diseases in Exotic Pets

sukoshi_mom

Since many of the forum members have pets other than dogs and cats, I thought I would post this article on diseases in "exotic pets". I have also posted it on the Shiba side.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/12/17/exotic-pets-wildlife-trade-infectious-disease_n_1155624.html

Sangmort

Without getting into the politics of it, all I'll say is be careful of what you read online. There has been a large movement to ban exotics in the pet trade from groups like PETA & HSUS. [ who want to ban pets in general, & are simply starting with the "Easiest" target ] They sensationalize any tiny bit of info they can get their hands on to try & scare people into thinking there's some sort of huge problem.

Just like certain dog breeds are under attack in the dog world [ Pitbulls, Rotties, Dobies, Mollasers, Great Danes, Akita, Huskies, Malamutes, etc. ] the same is for birds & reptiles in the pet trade.

Personally, I have over 40 snakes [ we will start breeding this season or next ] 15 various lizards [ from Monitors to Geckos to Skinks to Iguana ] in addition to 6 birds. In the reptile-end, I have had some imports who were, just as healthy, if not more, then their captive-born counterparts. True, some imports may carry something like internal parasites, but these only effect other reptiles & are cured with a dose of panacur. [ just like with dogs ] Like all things, wash your hands after handling & there are no problems.

Have been raising & keeping a reptile or bird most of my life, as thousands of others have out there, & have yet to see any adverse effects. [ other then my back on cleaning day! lol ] ~

sukoshi_mom

This article addresses potential public health implications. As one who has spent 30 or so years in medical/public health planning (among other areas), I thought I would share it with the Forum members.

FYI, here is a Florida "One Health Newsletter" link:
http://www.doh.state.fl.us/Environment/medicine/One_Health/OneHealth.html

Calia

Funny thing is is that dogs can carry the same "germs" as any other animal. Even those dogs that eat nothing but kibble carry at least a little salmonella in their mouths, not to mention the chance of catching parasites such as giardia and worms. Not to mention the risk of catching serious diseases such as rabies and tetanus from dogs that aren't vaccinated.

There's only a risk of getting sick from another animal if that animal is not taken care of properly. Not picking up a dogs poop in the backyard, not cleaning the cats litterbox, not maintaining a clean environment for a hamster or snake can all lead to catching something. It's all up to the keeper to maintain their animals in order to prevent such germs from forming in the first place.

Saya

Thanks for the warning.

I only owned two corn snakes used to have three, but my first corn died three years ago he was my favorite. He was very nice never tried to bite me or anyone made great snake to take to school for my educational stuff.

I think people should be careful with imports sure that's why people quarantine them in case they got mites or something.

I've taken care of ferrets before and he was fairly clean and pottied in the litter box for him I was baby sitting for a friend it was a fun adventure. hehe

I know there was an issue with this with prairie dogs which was scary the prairie dogs got the disease or whatever from one of the monkeys from the importer and the common thing the owners had in common their prairie dogs came from the same person..

I always wash my hands after handling my snakes and wild snakes, newts, turtles etc. I always keep their tanks clean coarse my snakes came from a snake breeder in Louisiana when I still lived there they're about 13 or 15 years old I think need to check their birthdate..

I'm so surprised on how high corn snakes go for up here ones in Louisiana went for bit less unless it was a nice coloration, but even common colors are higher compared down when I got Yoshi..

sukoshi_mom

From the article, regarding the path of disease transmission for the monkeypox outbreak:

"A frightening reminder of this reality came in April 2003, when about 800 rodents arrived in Texas to be sold as pets. The shipment from Ghana, West Africa, included representatives of nine different species including Gambian giant pouched rats, dormice and rope squirrels. Over the following few months, 93 people came down with monkeypox across six midwestern states and New Jersey. Fortunately, no one died. But the smallpox-like illness can cause a severe fever and rash and is especially dangerous for young children. Mortality rates from the disease are estimated around 10 percent in Africa.

An investigation eventually traced the probable source of the U.S. outbreak back to infected prairie dogs purchased from a single pet store: Phil's Pocket Pets of Villa Park, Ill. The store's prairie dogs had been housed close to imported Gambian rats. Scientists detected monkeypox in some of these Gambian rats, as well as in a few of the imported dormice and squirrels, leading them to believe at least one rodent in the shipment had caught monkeypox in the wild and brought it on board."

Note: If you are interested in daily reports on animal diseases worldwide, the ProMed email site is useful:

http://www.promedmail.org/

Saya

Thanks for the links that's the thing I was thinking of I saw it on some show, but it hasn't aired again on animal planet.

Sangmort

"Below, you can learn more about dog-related diseases.

Brucella canis Infection (brucellosis): A bacterial disease rarely associated with dogs.

Campylobacter Infection (campylobacteriosis): A bacterial disease associated with dogs, cats, and farm animals.

Cryptosporidium Infection (cryptosporidiosis): A parasitic disease associated with dogs, especially puppies, cats, and farm animals.

Dipylidium Infection (tapeworm): A parasitic disease associated with dogs, cats and fleas.

Giardia Infection (giardiasis): A parasitic disease associated with various animals, including dogs and their environment (including water).

Hookworm Infection: A parasitic disease associated with dogs and cats and their environment.

Leishmania Infection (leishmaniasis): A parasitic disease associated with dogs and sand flies outside the United States.

Leptospira Infection (leptospirosis): A bacterial disease associated with wild and domestic animals, including dogs.

Lyme Disease: A bacterial disease that can affect dogs and ticks.

Q Fever (Coxiella burnetii): A bacterial disease occasionally associated with dogs.

Rabies: A viral disease associated with various animals, including dogs.

Ringworm: A fungal disease associated with dogs.

Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever: A bacterial disease associated with dogs and ticks.

Roundworm: See Toxocara infection.

Salmonella Infection (salmonellosis): A bacterial disease associated with various animals including dogs.

Tapeworm (flea tapeworm): See Dipylidium Infection.

Toxocara Infection (toxocariasis, roundworm): A parasitic disease associated with dogs and cats and their environment.

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Learn more about selected cat-related diseases below.
Campylobacter Infection (campylobacteriosis): A bacterial disease associated with cats, dogs, and farm animals.

Cat Scratch Disease (Bartonella henselae): A bacterial disease associated with cat scratches and bites.

Coxiella burnetti Infection (Q fever): A bacterial disease occasionally associated with cats.

Cryptosporidium Infection (cryptosporidiosis): A parasitic disease associated with cats, dogs, and farm animals.

Dipylidium Infection (tapeworm): A parasitic disease associated with cats, dogs and fleas.

Hookworm Infection: A parasitic disease associated with cats, dogs and their environment.

Leptospira Infection (leptospirosis): A bacterial disease associated wild and domestic animals including cats.

Plague (Yersinia pestis) Infection: A rare bacterial disease associated with rodents and cats and fleas.

Q Fever (Coxiella burnetii): A bacterial disease occasionally associated with cats.

Rabies: A viral disease associated with various animals, including cats.

Ringworm: A fungal disease associated various animals, including with cats.

Roundworm: See Toxocara Infection.

Salmonella Infection (salmonellosis): A bacterial disease associated with various animals, including cats.

Tapeworm (flea tapeworm): See Dipylidium Infection.

Toxocara Infection (toxocariasis, roundworm): A parasitic disease associated with cats, dogs and their environment.

Toxoplasma Infection (toxoplasmosis): A parasitic disease associated with cats and their environment.

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Learn more about bird-related diseases, below.

Chlamydia psittaci Infection (psittacosis): A bacterial disease associated with pet birds, including parrots and parakeets. Recommendations and Reports MMWR.

Cryptococcus Infection (cryptococcosis): A fungal disease associated with wild-bird droppings, including those from pigeons.

Salmonella Infection (salmonellosis): A bacterial disease associated with many birds, especially chickens, baby chicks, and ducklings.

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Diseases from Reptiles
Salmonella Infection (salmonellosis): A bacterial disease associated with reptiles, including lizards, snakes, turtles, and tortoises."

http://www.cdc.gov/healthypets/browse_by_animal.htm ~

sukoshi_mom

@sangmort- Thanks for providing recap on some zoonotic diseases. I think responsible pet owners should be aware of the possibilities.

Several years ago one of my neighbors was kind enough to take in a cat that had been dumped in our neighborhood. (For some reason,our area attracts folks who like to dump animals.) Anyway, he and I had a brief conversation and it went something like this:

Me: "It looks as though you've taken in the dumped cat. Good for you."
My neighbor: "Yup, she seems to be a really nice cat. She's declawed so I don't know how she's going to do."
Me: " Have you taken her to the vet yet? She should probably at least get her rabies shot."
Neighbor: "Rabies shot???"
Me: "Yep, we live in a neighborhood with lots of wildlife. Like raccoons. So she should probably get a rabies shot. And talk to the vet about other vaccinations..."
Neighbor:" Good idea. I hadn't thought about that..."

So he took the cat to the vet and she lived for several years in the neighborhood.