Pets · 10 min
Pets around someone who is unwell
A few hygiene habits can let people who are pregnant, unwell or recovering keep the comfort of an animal close.
Animals can be a comfort when someone is ill, pregnant or recovering, and some conditions and treatments make infections more likely. A few simple hygiene habits can keep the comfort and lower the risk, so people do not have to choose.
The steps
Four small steps,in your own time.
Wash hands with soap and water after touching animals, their bedding, bowls or waste, and before eating or preparing food.
If someone is pregnant, has a weakened immune system or is having treatment such as chemotherapy, ask another person to clean litter boxes, cages and tanks, or wear gloves and wash hands well afterwards.
Keep animals off kitchen counters and out of the bed of someone who is very unwell, and wash pet bedding regularly.
Keep your animal's vaccinations, worming and flea treatment up to date, and ask your vet what matters most for your household.
The reason
Why it helps
Most infections passed from animals to people spread through hands, waste and close contact, so simple hygiene removes much of the risk. Keeping up with vet care protects the animal and the people around it. Asking a doctor or vet means the advice fits your situation.
A gentle variation
If someone cannot have an animal close for now, they can still watch them play, see them through a doorway, or have them sit nearby rather than on the bed.
WE · TRIBE
Try itwith someone.
If you look after someone who loves their animal, help them keep it in their day safely. Ask what matters most to them, a cat at the end of the bed or a dog by the chair, and find a way to keep it.
Try it today
Today, put soap and a towel by the place where you feed your animal, and wash your hands after each feed.
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