Keeping healthy and safe with pets and other animals

Some pets (Opens in new tab) may be more suitable if you have allergies or asthma, as certain animals such as cats and dogs can trigger allergic reactions. Animal allergens (substances that can bring on an allergic reaction) are found in:

• fur
• dander (flakes of skin)
• saliva
• urine
• faeces (poo)

Allergen levels can vary between individual animals, even those labelled as hypoallergenic. If you're considering getting a cat or dog, it can help to spend time around the animal first to see if you react.

If you have a health condition that means your immune system is weak, avoid reptiles, birds and rodents. They can carry harmful germs such as salmonella that can make you sick.

Here are some tips to reduce pet allergens in your home:

• Keep pets away from bedrooms and soft furniture.
• Clean your home often, especially carpets and couches.
• Use air purifiers or special filters such as high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filters.
• Give pets regular baths and brush them to remove extra hair and dander.
• Wash your hands after touching your pet.

Pets can spread germs that make people sick. Illnesses can include the following:

• Ringworm: a skin fungus causing itchy, round rashes.
• Roundworm: a parasite that can cause stomach pain and other serious health issues.
• Cat scratch disease: bacteria from a cat scratch can cause swollen glands and fever.
• Hydatid disease: a serious illness from tapeworm eggs that grow inside your body.

Some people are at a higher risk of getting ill from pets and animals, including:

• young children and babies
• pregnant women
• immunocompromised people
• older people

If you are immunocompromised or older than 65 years, protect yourself from getting sick by:

• avoiding direct contact with animals and their bedding and enclosures
• avoiding high-risk animals, such as reptiles, amphibians, poultry, chicks, sick animals, and young cattle, sheep and goats
• washing your hands with soap and water after being around animals

Follow these tips to avoid getting sick from your pet:

• Don't kiss your pet or allow your pet to lick your face.
• Don't pet animals if you have an open wound or cut.
• Always wash your hands after touching your pet, their food, or cleaning their waste.
• Keep your pets healthy by visiting the vet and arranging vaccinations.
• Clean pet areas and safely throw away pet waste.

Tips to keep children safe around pets:

• Teach your children to handle pets gently and avoid rough play with animals.
• Teach your children to wash their hands after playing or caring for pets.
• Always watch young children closely around pets.
• Help children understand signs that an animal is unhappy or scared, to avoid bites or scratches.

If an animal bites or scratches you, here's how to care for the wound:

• Wash the wound gently with soap and running water for about 5 minutes.
• Pat dry with a clean cloth.
• Cover the wound with a clean dressing.
• If your wound is bleeding a lot, apply pressure to the wound.

When visiting petting zoos and farms, it is important to follow these good hygiene practices:

• Do not eat or drink in animal enclosures.
• Do not take bottles, baby bottles or spill proof cups into enclosures.
• Avoid kissing or being licked by animals.
• Do not touch animal poo.
• Wash your hands with soap and water after touching animals or their surroundings, even if you don't touch the animals directly.
• Help children wash their hands properly.

• NSW Health has information on staying safe with pets and animals (Opens in new tab) and how to be careful around wildlife (Opens in new tab).
• We Are Family (Opens in new tab) has guides for child and pet relationships, including safety tips for children and animals, preparing for your baby's arrival and information on how animal illnesses spread.
• SA Health provides further information on animal bites and scratches (Opens in new tab).
• The Royal Children's Hospital has a fact sheet on first-aid treatment for all wounds (Opens in new tab).

Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander peoples

Animal Management in Rural and Remote Indigenous Communities (AMRRIC) has information on staying safe around dogs when working in rural and remote Indigenous communities (Opens in new tab).

You can call the healthdirect helpline on 1800 022 222 (known as NURSE-ON-CALL in Victoria). A registered nurse is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.