A 1cm live worm was removed from the boy’s eye. Pet parasites must be prevented!

Audit expert: Wu Lei

National licensed veterinarian

Some time ago, a piece of news about pet dogs became a hot topic. The news reported that a boy went to the hospital for treatment, and the doctor caught two milky white live worms about 1 cm long from his eyes. The doctor speculated that these should be conjunctival sucking nematodes, and the boy might have gotten sick by rubbing his eyes without washing his hands after close contact with cats and dogs.

There are many such examples on the Internet, and new cases appear almost every year. They are common but not well known. What is the conjunctival sucking nematode? What are its hazards and transmission routes? What problems will arise when free-range cats and dogs are raised? How to avoid parasite infection? Many friends do not think too much when raising cats and dogs, and some seemingly ordinary actions of pets can bury health risks for both people and pets.

Stray cats are likely to carry fleas and other parasites

Source丨Editor

What is the conjunctival sucking nematode? The conjunctival sucking nematode is a nematode that parasitizes the tear ducts, nictitating membranes or conjunctival sacs of birds and mammals. The adult nematode is slender, milky white and translucent. It usually parasitizes the eyes of dogs and cats. This nematode is transmitted through contact with flies, such as fruit flies. When fruit flies lick the eyes of cats and dogs, and then lick humans or other animals, it will cause parasitic infection.

Conjunctival sucking nematodes

Source: parasitesandvectors.biomedcentral.com

Most patients with conjunctival sucking nematodes are infected in one eye, and a few are infected in both eyes. In mild cases, there may be no obvious symptoms, or there may be itching and pain in the eyes, decreased vision, photophobia and tearing, etc. In severe cases, secondary corneal lesions may occur, leading to blindness.

Cats and dogs are everywhere in our daily lives. People can't help but pet them. However, this seemingly normal behavior of getting close to pets may bring health risks to both people and cats and dogs.

The hidden dangers of free-range cats and dogs

Some owners believe that it is the "nature" of cats and dogs to be active outdoors, so they don't tie their dogs' leashes when walking them, or let their cats roam freely. However, the risk of many people's pet-related diseases is brought home by free-range cats and dogs.

Source: pixabay

On the one hand, free-range cats and dogs are not good for the pets themselves. Cats and dogs are outdoors and may come into contact with viruses or parasites, or accidentally eat debris on the road, causing hygiene problems. There are many cases on the Internet where pets have died because they accidentally ingested rat poison and did not receive timely medical treatment.

Free-range cats and dogs are often attacked by wild animals and have accidents. Pets may also get hurt in fights with other cats and dogs, leading to a series of compensation issues between owners. At the same time, there are also reports of free-range cats and dogs running around on the street being hit by vehicles, or traffic accidents caused by people trying to avoid pets crossing the road.

Dog's paw bitten by a tick

Source: pixabay

On the other hand, free-range cats and dogs are also harmful to humans. Free-range, unvaccinated cats and dogs may bite passers-by and spread viruses and parasites. According to the incidence and mortality data of the national statutory infectious disease report, 4,694 people died of rabies in the country from 2013 to 2020. In 2019 and 2020, the number of deaths from rabies in my country was 276 and 188 respectively. According to incomplete statistics, 40 million people are bitten by dogs in my country every year, which means that about one in every 35 people may be bitten by a dog.

Dog with paralysis and stiffness due to rabies

Source: Wikipedia

In view of this series of potential dangers, my country's laws have also included regulations on keeping pets, determining the liability for damage caused by keeping animals, restricting the behavior of keeping pets, maintaining the safety of pets and humans, and avoiding affecting the normal lives of others. Pet owners should also pay attention to pet hygiene, trim their nails in time to avoid scratching humans, and go to the hospital for regular checkups and vaccinations to prevent pets and owners from being harmed by infectious diseases.

So, dear cat owners, for the sake of your pets' and your own health, you should close the windows when keeping cats and not let them roam freely; you should keep dogs on leashes and clean up their poop when you walk them.

How to protect against potential bacteria and parasites?

After getting close to nature or having close contact with pets outside, you must disinfect and deworm when you get home. In addition to disinfectant hand sanitizer, you can also use soap to wash your hands, which can effectively prevent bacteria and parasite eggs from infecting the eyes, mouth and other parts through the hands. Remember not to touch food or rub your eyes directly with hands that have touched animals! According to surveys, there are thousands of types of bacteria on hands, so it is very important to pay attention to hand hygiene.

Of course, in addition to being infected with bacteria from contact with nature and animals, we should also pay attention to preventing various potential parasites in our daily lives. Regular internal and external deworming for cats and dogs is also an effective preventive measure, which can not only keep your pets away from the harm of parasites, but also prevent your pets from bringing these parasites home. Especially for cats that often go out and dogs that play on the grass, we must make a deworming plan for them so that they can live with us in a healthy and harmonious way.

Taking your dog to the hospital for regular checkups is also a feasible way to prevent parasites.

Source: pixabay

Studies have shown that economic type, education level, drinking habits, hand-washing habits and toilet types are all important factors affecting parasitic infections. For example, economic type will affect the hygiene of the daily living environment, which is the direct environment of food. As the saying goes, "Misfortunes come from the mouth." A large number of parasites enter the body through food, so paying attention to food hygiene can avoid most parasitic diseases. In addition, the cooking method of food is also related to parasitic disease infection. For example, some people are keen on eating undercooked steaks, which is likely to lead to parasitic infections, so meat and seafood should be processed as much as possible until they are fully cooked before eating.

Undercooked meat may carry parasites and bacteria

Source: pixabay

We should also pay attention to developing good daily living habits, such as keeping our hands clean, washing hands frequently, paying attention to drinking water hygiene, and trying to boil it before drinking.

Learn more about parasitic infections, develop good living and hygiene habits, and avoid various possible parasitic infection-related diseases as much as possible. Having a healthy body is the prerequisite for everything else, and healthy pets can accompany healthy owners for a longer time.