Is sharing a bed with pets really bad for your health?
Question by : Is sharing a bed with pets really bad for your health?
I just read a newspaper article that declares that people who allow cats or dogs to sleep on their beds are likely to get worms and other diseases. How true is this and do you share a bed with a pet?
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14 Responses to Is sharing a bed with pets really bad for your health?
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I heard you can get stuff like that including crabs (not nice)..I personally wouldnt have a pet sleep in my bed
Emma H
January 6, 2012 at 12:02 am
That’s what they say. My little Shih-Tzu slept with me, but he was an inside dog. He also wasn’t allowed under the covers; he would go under the bed spread if he was cold. He was a excellent snuggler.
OBXMAR
January 6, 2012 at 12:03 am
You read BULLSHI*!!!!!!!!!!!
Worms are spread through ingesting FECES….so don’t eat DOGSHI*!
& NO,my dogs are crated while I’m unconcious…to keep them,house & contents safe!
vehement
January 6, 2012 at 1:01 am
My cat sleeps on my bed. The media just like to put the fear into people. Did you know that just breathing can give you cancer? If the animal is clean and disease free then it’s fine. I wouldn’t let a stray cat sleep on my bed. The media assumes that we are all idiots that will believe anything we read which I suppose is right in many cases.
Leo.Jade
January 6, 2012 at 1:41 am
I read that same article. However, they did not say that people sharing their beds with pets were “likely” to catch an illness or parasite from them- they said it was “possible”. The rate of diseases passed from pets to humans is very, very low, and while not allowing them on the bed might reduce those (already quite small) chances a bit, if you still have a lot of physical contact with your pet during the day, you’re still getting almost as much exposure to anything like that your pet may have.
Germophobia seems to be a growing fear that’s not all that well founded. Sure, there’s bacteria and viruses out there, and basic hygiene is important. But let’s not blow things out of proportion. If your pet is clean and healthy (wormed regularly, flea-free, etc), risk in letting it share your bed is miniscule. My cat sleeps on my bed every night, and my dogs both sleep on the bed occasionally (they fidget and wake me up, so it’s a once-in-a-while treat for them).
oregano13
January 6, 2012 at 2:19 am
if ur animal is heathy is ok but ur animal is not heathy i wont recommended
Joana
January 6, 2012 at 3:12 am
I’m immune-suppressed. For people who don’t understand what that is, I have a transplanted organ. It means I take drugs to kill my immune system so that I don’t reject the organ. As a result, I can’t fight off germs or bacteria. I catch every little cold that comes along. It becomes a big cold. Any illness that can be spread, I can catch. Eating out is a nightmare, in case someone hasn’t washed their hands or a dish is dirty or something is even slightly contaminated. I will get sick without fail.
I sleep with two cats and a dog. I’m fine. People are far more dangerous to me with their unwashed hands, no flu shots, and not covering their mouths when they cough or sneeze.
My animals are regularly vetted and dewormed if they require it.
Kathleen
January 6, 2012 at 4:04 am
According to a recent study, 10% of pets try to have sex with you and with other pets while you are asleep. This is how you and pets get worms.
Erik
January 6, 2012 at 4:32 am
It doesnt matter if you share youre pet with your bed if youre going to catch anything. If your dog has no conditions/disorders you’re not going to catch any from him! If he does have a condition such as fleas or worms you may get it regarding if you share youre bed. Its like living with someon who has a cold, you dont have to sleep with them to catch it. As long as your pet is clean and insect free you will be too!
Emma
January 6, 2012 at 5:20 am
It’s Nothing Like That , The one who has written that article won’t understand that love and Relation bondings ..! My Two pits and a rott always sleep with me In my bed …! But still i’m healthy , and nothing’s wrong with me LoL…! 🙂 🙂 So don’t worry ….
Pitbull
January 6, 2012 at 5:31 am
As dogs and humans are both mammals it is fully possible for diseases to be transferred from one to the other. Additionally a mammal can “carry” a disease element (ie germ or virus) even if they do not have or never develop symptoms. Diseases are most often transferred when there is a contact between damaged skin (ie cuts, blisters,etc) or mucus membranes The greater the the dog and human contact, (especially when the human is not in a conscious state to deter the dog from licking etc) the greater the possibility. This does not mean that all, or most pet owners who’s pets sleep with them will get ill. But rather that the chances increase. Chances also increase by allowing the dog to lick your face or a cut on your leg when you are not in bed. With this knowledge we all need to balance what interactions we choice to have with our pets. There are also studies that report health benefits from interaction with animals – such as lowering blood pressure. Because we do not “like” what this study says does not make it untrue, does not make the ones that conducted the study “doomsayers”. It is all part of being an educated person and evaluating what “risks” we choice to live with to have a balance in our lives that best serves or emotional and physical heath.
Source(s):
I am an: Educated Human (MS), Pet Owner my whole life (my Keeshond sleeps on my bed on top of the covers – she would be uncomfortable under the covers and I wouldn’t want all if her fur in my sheets), dog trainer past 20+ years, and someone that read this and other studies.
keezy
January 6, 2012 at 5:44 am
Yes
T Faz
January 6, 2012 at 6:21 am
if your pets are clean,dewormed and disease free, you arent going to get sick from sleeping with them.my shih tzu sleeps in her crate but the door isnt locked. i have a stray here right now that has made himself at home while waiting to see if we can find the owner, right now he sleeps on a pillow beside my bed. i dont like hair in my bed. but otherwise theres no danger as long as your pets are healthy. people have done it for generations with no problem.
arial39
January 6, 2012 at 6:22 am
My two shih tzus sleep on their blankets placed on top of the duvet. They are healthy and happy, bathed regularly, flea treated regularly with the best quality flea treatment and after 12 years of having my pets sleep along side of me I have no health issues. My two previous little dogs used to sleep in the bedroom with me, but both in their own baskets, after we were burgled and they became nervous of being left alone through the night. I just carried on the routine with the new dogs and neither dogs nor me have come to any harm. Call me barking mad if you wish but I really dont care.
new nanna
January 6, 2012 at 6:34 am