Question: How do you get a disease from a pet that has good hygiene

Marisol Collins answered on 8 Nov 2016:

Hi Logan, this is an excellent question! I think the answer depends on what you mean by ‘good hygiene’. Most people will keep their pets nice and clean by bathing them, keeping their bedding, litter and food bowls nice and clean too, and this is great, but we must remember that pets can still carry diseases! It’s important to have a healthy pet too, so making sure they are vaccinated, wormed and flea-treated helps to stop some of the diseases and parasites that can spread from our pets to us. However, no matter how clean and healthy your pet is, they will still have lots of bacteria in their mouth, their fur and bottom (which they lick to keep clean!), so it’s better not to let them lick your face and to wash your hands after petting them. This is how we can help to avoid getting diseases from them!