dog saliva leads to life threatening infection

dog saliva leads to life threatening infection

This cute puppy can transmit serious diseases through their saliva. (Photo credit: www.petian.net)

A woman from Atlanta who has battled cancer twice is now fighting for her life. the dog saliva leads to life threatening infections and the woman is now in a drug induced coma.

Fox news reported that the 32 year old woman, Hannah Rinehart, was declared cancer free seven year ago.

She had undergone 2 bone marrow transplants which left her with a suppressed immune system.  Due to her immune system not functioning optimally, she is much susceptible to infections.

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Hanna Reinhart’s husband believes that  she may have become infected from the puppy.

The woman’s infections is so severe that while she is in the medically induced coma, her hands and feet have been amputated.

A common misnomer is that a dogs mouth is “cleaner than a humans” and most people do not worry about contracting a serious illness from their pet.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC),

Some people are more likely than others to get diseases from dogs. A person’s age and health status may affect his or her immune system, increasing the chances of getting sick.

Certain groups of people are more susceptible to contracting a disease from dogs including, infants, children younger than 5 years old, organ transplant patients, people with HIV/AIDS, and people being treated for cancer.

Those that have undergone a bone marrow transplant are listed on the CDC site as being in a high risk group. It is suspected that the puppy’s dog saliva leads to life threatening infection for the Atlanta woman who is still in a medically induced coma.

It is not likely that you will catch a disease from simply touching our dog however it is a good idea to follow the CDC recommendations.  The recommendation include thoroughly washing your hands with running water and soap after contact with dogs, their saliva or their feces.

There are so many benefits to pet ownership and many people are simply  not aware that “fido” can transmit serious diseases to humans.

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