What do people think of this ..

How your beloved dog could give you a killer disease: Superbugs. Parasites.

"They are mankind’s loyal companions. But according to a new study, dogs could be a serious risk to our lives.

Last week, vets warned that many people are overlooking the potentially deadly diseases we could catch from our pets. They carry and spread salmonella, and can infect us with parasites, fungal infections, tapeworm, roundworm and superbugs."

Seems to have generated a lot of responses.

Sorry but the kids playgrounds and sandpits are more likely to be full of contaminants from wild animals like foxes and cats.

We had the same anti dog stuff re parasites back in the 80's, nothing new and nothing a normal level of hygiene and proper pet care will not address.

As for TB the biggest risk is from other people, and Cattle,  especially those from countries where the disease is still rife.

Well I should be dead by now then !!

Article is probably correct - but - I don't give a monkeys!

As far as I am concerned I will happily let my dogs on my bed, let them lick me etc I keep my dogs sufficiently cared for, clean, with required vaccinations, worm protection and flea protection and I wash my hands - I'm guessing that if an owner does that then there is as much chance of me getting run over by a bus than there is of my catching TB or other diseases from my dogs. Though I'm guessing the bus has a higher likelihood of killing me.

More pertinent.....a HUGE increase in immune problems in the last 2 decades...thought to be largely due to over cleaning and our bodies having fewer chances to build up immunity to every day organisms.

Well if we all read this article and panicked there would be no dogs/cats in homes! Every so often scaremongering articles like this pop up! Same really goes for foods not to eat when pregnant, don't swim in holiday hotel/gites pools or eat raw fish/meat etc!
Of course there are nasties around and in our pets however most owners worm/vaccinate/de flea pets, pick up poo! These articles only add more fodder for anti dogs/cat people and scare needlessly some already nervous people.
I shall still enjoy sharing a cuddle and lick from my dog.

I'm sure I've read that children growing up around dogs have fewer immune / allergy problems. As Toolz comments theres too much cleaning goes on in some houses, not hear though

Absolutely right Schnauday, it's been known for years.  I grew up with cats and a dog for a little while, and I played in the mud *gasp* and the only allergies I have are rats and mice, after keeping them as pets for years (and developing allergies to them that way is not uncommon).

I very rarely catch viruses etc - once in the last 4 years actually, and I had it considerably better than everyone else - and I never get food poisoning or anything like that despite not great standards of food care (e.g. if I make a pot of bolognese, it sits on the stove for a few days while I finish it).  My dogs lick my face, I am terrible at keeping on top of the housework and so on.  Bit of a scruff, really But still healthy on that front even though I really shouldn't be as I have some medical things which supposedly have a poor immune system as standard.

By contrast, my friend who is one of those hygiene obsessives (won't even have a tea towel), has more cleaning products than would be needed by the entire population of London and is absolutely horrified by my cooking habits catches things all the time and has had food poisoning on numerous occasions.

I do agree with the old saying "everyone should eat a peck of dirt before they die"
I played outside in the street, in the woods, made dens and mud pies! I've always had cats around me in childhood and both dogs and cats of my own.I always washed my chicken out and never ill after! In my nans pantry butter, ham left in open all eaten and not ill. I feel all these cleaning products pose more harm to the environment and to us than plain earth/germs by playing.
What about therapy pets? They are encouraged into care homes, nurseries, hospitals no one complains then about licking/touching!
We seem to have forgotten the art of just enjoying the natural outdoors!

How many nasty diseases do we catch from other humans? Maybe we should keep away from them just in case.

Editors have to sell newspapers, simple as that.
.

.... and manufacturers of cleaning products sell them by messing with peoples' heads and making them think they're inadequate if they don't use them. Whatever happened to good old fashioned common sense?

Thing is the animal most likely to cause us ill health is another human being. 

We should stop all this kissing for a start.

There are fewer zoonotic diseases than there are host specific ones.

What! Stop kissing it will never catch on! Biggest bug carrier is money! We all handle this every day.

> More pertinent.....a HUGE increase in immune problems in the last 2 decades...thought to be largely due to over cleaning and our bodies having fewer chances to build up immunity to every day organisms.

My SIL is OCD for cleaning and she has 1 year old twins. They are constantly sick with one of them having been hospitalised twice this year and once being put into a coma for several days as she just could not breath for herself. They are never allowed contact with any kind of germs and she refuses to allow them to visit any of her husbands family as they all have dogs.

One time I was at her house and her brother spilt half a glass of coke on her laminate floor, her Mother leapt up in horror, her sister ran to the bathroom and came back with bath towels and the three of them were on their hands and knees cleaning up this tiny spill. Still not satisfied she then got out the steam cleaner!

I feel really sorry for her girls, they were premature and needed care from the Neonatal Unit, she didn't want to breastfeed and they are not allowed contact with anything that isn't sterile. How she expects them to acquire an immune system I don't know.

My son was brought up with dogs,many dogs..... used our boxers as playmates, held onto them to learn to walk and shared his rusks with them.."One for you- one for me"
He never had a days illness in his life other than childhood illnesses caught from other children.
Now grown up he only ever gets ill from things he catches from his pupils

My boys are the same tooolz, at 2 and 4 they are never ill and they are surrounded with dogs and play in the garden in the dirt every day. They also visit their grand parents farm and go in the barn with the sheep to watch the lambing and help with bottle feeding. Fresh air and exercise makes my kids healthy.

> I very rarely catch viruses etc - once in the last 4 years actually, and I had it considerably better than everyone else - and I never get food poisoning or anything like that despite not great standards of food care (e.g. if I make a pot of bolognese, it sits on the stove for a few days while I finish it).  My dogs lick my face, I am terrible at keeping on top of the housework and so on.  Bit of a scruff, really

Oh how normal you sound. 

I've had 2 colds in 9 years (both whilst pregnant which apparently lowers your immune system to prevent your immune system attacking the foetus) and the only other bug I have had in the same amount of time was recurring UTIs due to being catheterised for 4 years. Not a bad record I don't think (considering all mine are raw fed too which naturally means I am definitely going to contract salmonella ;) )