OK, you know I’m going to send this guy to you-know-where on this issue. I really don’t think I’ve ever heard an opinion uttered by a high-ranking veterinary official which relied less on science than on good old-fashioned fear-mongering.
Dr. Fred Landeg thinks we humans shouldn’t bed down with pets or let them in the kitchen(!)—just in case they carry diseases. He cites the Hendra virus from bats and SARS which came from wild felines.
Last time I checked, I wasn’t sharing a bed (or a meal, for that matter) with either.
Transmission of diseases like Avian Influenza, more likely to jump species into our canine and feline companions, has never been reported. Even MRSA is still only rarely cited as transmissible, and far more likely to come from your human bedfellow(s). (Check out Christie Keith's excellent article on MRSA and MRSI for more info.)
Sure, I caution my immune-compromised clients (chemo patients, transplant recipients and HIV-positive individuals, for example) to consider sleeping alone because transmission of the simplest diseases has certainly been known to occur in these extreme cases.
But the rest of us? Puh-lease.
The science is way lacking on Dr. Landeg’s admonitions. The only real science he cites? A study out of Liverpool reporting that 14% of dogs sleep on their owners’ beds and another, commissioned by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, reporting on the potential health risks from daily interaction with dogs.
Somehow, I still fail to see the connection between transmissible disease and the sharing of sheets.
And how about the other studies? He largely overlooks the plethora of excellent studies on the positive effects of enjoying a close, potentially bed-sharing connection with pets: reduced blood pressure, increased lifespans after heart attacks, reduced allergies and asthma in children who cohabitate with pets from an early age…
But it’s true. Even if several concurring studies pointed to increased rates of certain diseases, I probably wouldn’t quit sleeping next to my dogs. When you live alone in Miami, there’s nothing that keeps you safer than a warm-bodied, snuggling alarm system. I can’t imagine any disease risk that beats the rewards of a dog in bed.
As a man of science, Dr. Landeg would so well to keep his opinions to himself and do the job he was hired to do. Intruding into our households without the science to back up his ostensible protection of our public health is not the role of a top veterinary official.
Just keep out of MY bedroom, Dr. Landeg!
Add Comment26 Comments
Liverpool! That's where I'm from!
Great article-hear hear.
Sian May 30th, 2008 08:53:00 AM
Maybe sleeping with wild chickens and pigs is not the best way to go. But I would venture that my little dog is 10x more clean than even me. And the thought of not hopping into bed at night, and see her climb the little steps to join us would break my heart.
That guy is a nut. And he doesn't know what he's talking about. And clearly he doesn't know the meaning of a good cuddle. Kindof sad really.
Creature of Habit May 30th, 2008 08:59:00 AM
I wish the fella in my bed wasn't covered in fur with a wagging tail, but I'll take what I can get! I love Love LOVE bedding down with my pups.
Shasta May 30th, 2008 09:05:00 AM
Are you kidding me?? I'd rather have my corgis ears in bed with me as my personal alarm system. Nothing gets past that radar. I've had a pet in my bed for 20 years and I still fail to have any problems from it. After a long night at work coming home to cuddle with a pet is the best stress relieve medicine has to offer.
ashleigh May 30th, 2008 09:30:00 AM
The divine Miss K. generally prefers NOT to be under the covers with humans.
An exception was during a thunderstorm (extremely rare in this climate) when
she wanted to be next to me, kneading my right arm, and covered except for
her little head.
Being petite at seven pounds, she prefers a fleece pillowcase on the corner of the
foot of the bed. If a human is napping under a light blanket or afghan on
top of a bed or couch, she will sometimes nap under the cover.
This UK vet-czar is a germ freak... Other research shows that we have certain
modern disease BECAUSE we are too clean.
Miss Kitty's Mom May 30th, 2008 12:00:00 PM
I had a ferret who thought that *I* was not clean enough to sleep with--she'd wash my face, particularly my apparently filthy eyebrows, before settling down at night!
regina May 30th, 2008 12:05:00 PM
I woke up this morning trapped between two snuggly kitties. One burrowing under my hair at the nape of my neck with his purr motor going 100 mph and one sleeping in the crook of my arm with her paw touching my cheek.
I think the only health risk is a bit of stiffness from not being able to roll over, and ya know what, I wouldn't have it any other way.
2CatMom May 30th, 2008 01:47:00 PM
When this story broke, Fred had only just got the top job - I think he felt the need to make a name for himself... unfortunately for us mere mortals DEFRA, the UK government department responsible for all things agricultural, is about as far removed from reality as it's possible to get.
I quite liked this comment from someone on the original Times story:
"I don't get this. If this bloke is the Chief Vet not the Chief Medical Officer shouldn't he be warning pets about the risks of catching things from sleeping too near humans?"
JC May 30th, 2008 03:54:00 PM
JC: Great quote. And thanks for the insight.
Dr. Patty Khuly May 30th, 2008 04:16:00 PM
That's funny...he must be really worried about all you vet clinic staff members considering you spend all day "hugging" various creatures and stuff. I got a small spot of ringworm once (and boy was I relieved to find it's the one worm that isn't a worm! ;)), but that's it. I'm a lot more worried about what I might pick up from humans!
Sarah May 30th, 2008 04:22:00 PM
Goodness, I couldn't imagine not sleeping with my furry buddies. The cat sleeps on the pillow right next to me every night! The dog prefers to be under the bed, but he is always welcome up top if he changes his mind. Neither one has made me sick...
Cindy May 30th, 2008 04:30:00 PM
No. Just...no. I love sleeping with my babies. At any given point during the night, I have at least 5 of my nine cats in my bed, plus my 100 pound rottie. I wouldn't have it any other way.
robyn w May 30th, 2008 04:49:00 PM
I'm always hearing the "quality of life" thing from vets. What about OUR quality of life?
It involves sleeping with our pets! Ahhh, furries. So nice to snuggle with!
Stefani May 30th, 2008 05:04:00 PM
Hmmmm.....2 Labs at 80+ lb. each, and anywhere from one to three cats weighing in at between 9-15 lb. apiece. And all together, they still snore less than my husband. I'm much more concerned about what I may pick up from the humans in the ER where I work than I've ever been about catching anything from my animals.
Shellie May 30th, 2008 05:19:00 PM
Anyone who's caught a disease from his/her pets, raise your hand.
(sound of crickets chirping)
Now, anyone who's caught a disease from his/her pets specifically from sleeping bed with them (as opposed to petting them, snuggling with them on the sofa, bathing them, brushing their teeth, treating their wounds, hugging them, feeding them, and on and on) raise your hand.
(deafening cricket sounds)
There are obviously some hysterical people out there. When the risk is THAT low, it's unreasonable to rearrange one's entire life around it. (Having done so many years of dog bite research, I can't help but relate such small risks to the likes of being killed by a 'pit bull'. With human fatalities attributed to less than 0.00002% of the estimated U.S. 'pit bull' population - leaving 99.99998% of 'pit bulls' innocent of the accusation they're "killers" - there are many more things in daily life which are infinitely more likely to cause one's death. Dogs, much less 'pit bulls', will never compare as hazards with men, parents, friends, relatives, automobiles, sports, swimming pools, and even marbles, balloons, and five gallon buckets, according to one researcher.)
Risk assessment is an important life lesson. Alas, it looks like there will always be hysterics in all fields. I don't normally quote the group 'Public Enemy' but seriously, "...don't believe the hype."
Marjorie May 30th, 2008 05:40:00 PM
The only thing I have caught so far from sharing my bed with 3 labs and 1 cat is lack of room for my husband on occasion. He sometimes gives up trying to find a spot for himself and goes to the spare room. <g> He doesn't want to disturb them... My kind of man!
Elizabeth - from Nova Scotia May 30th, 2008 05:57:00 PM
"Anyone who's caught a disease from his/her pets, raise your hand."
Well, I did get toxo from my cats, about fifteen years ago.
And about thirty years ago, my dog got scabies, and we had an idiot vet at the time (and this was the episode that finally made the lightbulb go on for us) who kept telling us it was an allergy. Treatment of the "allergy" had no beneficial effect, and the dog was clearly getting worse and worse, and he kept telling us the same thing--so we started talking to everyone we knew even slightly that had a pet, and got a recommendation for a GOOD vet.
By that time, the entire family had scabies.:( The good vet treated the dog, told us what to tell our family doctor to get treated appropriately, and then, since he was too far for us to conveniently use on a regular basis, gave us a a referral to a good vet not much further away from us than the stupid vet.
This experience didn't make even my mother, who theoretically didn't like dogs, and had firm rules about not letting the dog on the furniture, to recoil in horror from the thought of touching the dog, or allowing her in the kitchen (where, like the rest of us, she ate her meals.)
And that would be two incidents in the course of over forty years of pet ownership. Not going to make me banish my dog or my two cats from the bedroom, or even the bed, or from the kitchen--where I still serve my pets their meals. (Where does he want us to feed our animals? The dining room? The living room? Obviously not the bedroom...)
Lis May 30th, 2008 07:44:00 PM
here's some food for thought....exposure to pets decreases the likelihood of allergies later on in life. My son slept with his cat in his bed for the entire 2 years he was on chemo. In fact, the oncologists feel that the cats stimulated his immune system to help fight off the cancer (and it was a serious cancer)
we sleep with all our pets, we don't have asthma, allergies, and no one gets any kind of serious illness. I personally haven't been ill from something contagious in years.
this guys a quack...obviously his dog prefers to sleep elsewhere.
LorriM May 30th, 2008 08:22:00 PM
LorriM---than you for sharing and I'm grateful your son benefitted so greatly from his beloved cat!! And hooray for the oncologists to confirm the unconventional thought.
Barbara A. Albright/New Hampshire May 30th, 2008 10:55:00 PM
Of course, the animal that a human is by far and away most likely to catch a disease from is the human animal! Grubby little kids are a particular health hazard - real little germ bombs!
I have birds and I'm sure they are MUCH more at risk of catching something from US than we are from them (they have been tested (antibody and DNA) as being free of psittacosis BTW.) Our normal, healthy mouth flora could be pathogenic for a bird. We are very careful with hygiene with them but more for their sake than ours.
With the dogs we take sensible steps to reduce dog/human human/dog germ transmission but nothing over the top for goodness sake.
The animals that are thought to harbor the SARS virus were civets, also known as civet-cats. The are not felines but another type of carnivore that happens to have an outwardly feline appearance.
Alison May 30th, 2008 11:02:00 PM
SARS is a corona virus. there are many corona viruses including one that causes FIP in cats. One of the main differences is that we don't eat our cats...
the more we antiviral/antibacterial our lives, the more likely we are to suffer from disease. In the long term, you have more to fear from antibacterial soap and improper antibiotic use then you do from your house pet. But there are still idiots out there trying to convince people that everything is zoonotic.
trust me, if a real pandemic ever did occur, it will be the clean people who die first. Not the one's who's immune systems are well exposed, but most people don't understand.
go tell you kids to play in the mud, and sleep with their pets. trust me, they'll be healthier in the long run
LorriM May 30th, 2008 11:29:00 PM
What a knob. Where did all these killjoys come from, who seem to have appeared within the past 20 years or so, ie,since right after the Wall came down and fear-mongers had to look farther afield for material? Oh heck, my acid-tongued friend HL Mencken said it best:
“The whole aim of practical politics is to keep the populace alarmed (and hence clamorous to be led to safety) by menacing it with an endless series of hobgoblins, all of them imaginary.”
-H. L. Mencken, b.1880-d.1956
I figure something's going to get me, eventually. It certainly won't be anything I might possibly catch from other animals.
Gee, the next thing you know, this guy will be spouting nonsense about 'pit bulls'.
What a knob. I should probably have left it at that.
Caveat May 31st, 2008 12:18:00 AM
If my poor kitties were now banished from the California king-sized "pillow" they consider their evening slumber palace, I don't think that I would be able to sleep! How does that bode for my immune system and resistance to disease! (LOL)
In 30+ years of sleeping with my pets, I have yet to become sick from one of them - inhaled/swallowed some hair in my time, that's about it, maybe I've been lucky.
I have, however, been afflicted by ringworm (picked up twice at work) and salmonellosis/cryptosporidium (while a vet student working in the food animal barns). I don't even want to think about what I might have picked up while working in pathology (you vets know exactly what I'm talking about!!)
meowdoc May 31st, 2008 07:14:00 AM
This sounds like a CYA move...I also know OB's that tell pregnant women that they must on no uncertain terms get rid of their cats, even if there is another person to clean the litterbox - some of them are germaphobes, maybe some them just hate cats, but a good lot of them are probably so tired/afraid of being sued that they recommend extreme measures, "just in case".
Frankly, we stand a much greater risk of catching any number of horrible diseases from shaking hands with a member of our own species than we do from sleeping with our pets. Wash your hands, wash your food, and relax.
Beth May 31st, 2008 02:50:00 PM
well, this is from the top vet in the UK, which is, after all, a place that only recently decided the utterly INSANE six-months rabies quarantine could be altered, in a way that would protect both people and pets.
Before that ... hey, why let science get in the way of a good case of hysteria?
Gina Spadafori May 31st, 2008 03:04:00 PM
<<hey, why let science get in the way of a good case of hysteria?>>
Well said....why apply common sense when you can panic and over react.
and people wonder why 90% of shelter pets are killed??
some people are always going to be sheep and not think for themselves.
LorriM May 31st, 2008 05:34:00 PM
Add Commment