Zoonotic diseases are diseases that can be transmitted from family pets to humans. At greatest risk are small children due to their curiosity and less than desirable hygiene habits. Adults are just as prone to transmission, especially if adequate preventative health care for the pets isn't provided.

Diseases are spread to humans mainly by biting and scratching, but also by coming in contact with their feces. Always wash your hands after handling your pet, and avoid bringing your child to public areas where animals may have defecated. The most common zoonotic diseases are Rabies, Lyme disease, ringworm, and intestinal parasites such as hookworms and roundworms.

While Rabies and Lyme disease are the more serious, the intestinal parasites occur much more frequently. More than 1/3 of the nation's dogs are infected with intestinal parasites, and the Centers for Disease Control estimates between one and three million people are zoonotically infected each year in the U.S. alone.

Chief among the intestinal parasites are hookworms and roundworms. As many as 20% of children in the U.S. contract roundworms from their pets each year. Roundworms in humans are a result of ingesting animal feces, while hookworms are contracted through skin penetration. Hookworm larvae migrate within the skin causing localized irritation and infection.

Ringworm and Bartonellosis are more commonly transmitted by cats than dogs. Ringworm is not a worm at all, but a fungal infection of the skin that resembles round red rings on the skin. Bartonellosis or "Cat Scratch Fever" is a bacterial infection under the claws of the cat that can cause skin infections resulting from a scratch from the cat.

Cleanliness is the best prevention of most zoonotic diseases, both by you and your family and by your pets and their living conditions.