Pets On Pillows

SLEEPBETTER.ORG BIG GERM ON CAMPUS PETS ON PILLOWS In January 2011, the Center for Disease control released a study on the prevalent practice of sleeping with man's best friend in their journal, Emerging Infectious Diseases. The study found that no matter how close you are to your pet, sleeping beside it might not be the best way to keep your bed clean and microbe-free. As we've already seen in our series on the beds of American college students, their beds need all the help they can get. COLLEGE BACK SleepBetter American households with a pet. Cat owners who sleep with their cat. Men who sleep with their pet. 60% 62% 16% American college students aged 18 to 24 who say they have a pet that sleeps on their bed." Dog owners who sleep with their dog. Women who sleep with their pet. 25% 25% American adults who say they have a pet that sleeps on their bed." 56% 35% WHERE IN YOoUR BED DOES YOUR PET SLEEP?* Wherever it wants. In the middle of the bed. At my feet. Under the sheets. On the pillows. 38% 20% 35% 4% 3% POTENTIAL HEALTH RISKS The American Veterinary Medical Association has yet to release a formal recommendation regarding humans sharing the bed with their pets, but there have been documented cases which act as red flags for those who do. BUBONIC PLAGUE LYME DISEASE Ticks subsist on the blood of other animals and can carry blood borne diseases like Lyme and Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever. MRSA BACTERIAL INFECTIONS PARASITES Owners can get bubonic plague from fleas. Dogs, unlike cats, can carry plague-infected fleas without showing any A drug-resistant strain of strep carried by some humans and some dogs in their noses. The mouths of cats and dogs are not as clean as is commonly thought. A pet's lick before bed- time can spread many bacteria. Dogs are common carriers of hookworms and roundworms. Some parasites, or their eggs, may be found in pets' fur. symptoms. Transmission of disease between pet and owner is rare, but younger and older individuals or the immunocompromised should be particularly careful. For others, let common sense be your guide. A healthy pet will likely mean a healthy family- or college student, as the case may be-and a disease free bed. * Statistical findings based on an Ipsos poll conducted May 26-June 1, 2011 of 1,001 enrolled college students aged 18-24 and in parallel 1,014 adults (18+) in the general population. Weighting was employed to reflect the respective populations according to census data. SOURCES: CDC, Ipsos Public Affairs