What if you have a fresh surgical site?
Coming home from surgery might be when you most want your furry friend on your bed. It’s also when experts want you to put a little distance between your pet and whatever is healing.
Dr. Ashley Drews, an infectious disease specialist at Houston Methodist, has seen patients develop infections after a pet licked an incision or surgical drain. “That’s not a good idea,” she says. Keep the site covered and your pet away from it.
Do you need to worry about the litter box?
Yes. Cats can shed Toxoplasma gondii in their poop, and the parasite can travel from the box to your hands to your mouth.
Yet the litter box isn’t the only way to get toxoplasmosis. The parasite can also turn up in soil, unwashed produce, contaminated water, and undercooked meat—especially pork, lamb, and venison.
“I think people are aware of the cat litter thing,” says Jill Roberts, a molecular epidemiologist and professor at the University of South Florida College of Public Health. Meat gets less attention. Roberts is so wary of undercooked pork that she skips thick cuts, which she worries are harder to bring to a safe temperature. “All I can see is Toxoplasma,” she says. You don’t have to give up pork chops, but you should use a food thermometer: Whole cuts of pork should reach 145°F. Once they come off the heat, wait at least three minutes before cutting or eating them; the meat’s temperature holds steady or continues to rise during that time, helping destroy pathogens.
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