never kiss a parrot
PetsBeware of pets that can become health pests!
Because if you give him an unwanted kiss, you might get psittacosis. Than? That’s another way of spelling ‘fatal attraction’… And while you’re at it, you might as well watch out for (Ouch!) kitty claws, (Scratch, scratch!) jumping fleas, and (Eeeagh! ) hairy – scary caterpillars…
If you’re suddenly plagued by a high fever, chills, and a terrible headache, you’ll probably think you have malaria. But even pneumonia. So could your doctor. Then you could start a host of antimalarial drugs, including those for resistant malaria. You won’t get better, so he’ll switch to strong antibiotics. Again, don’t go. They will then both hit each other’s foreheads in frustration. But eventually, if your doctor is perceptive enough, he will ask you if you have a bird. You will answer yes. Suddenly, his face will light up with a ‘Eureka’ expression. He will have realized that you suffer from psittacosis.
Come again, you say, Psittacosis. It is a disease that birds transmit to man. When parrots and parakeets are the culprit, excuse me, bear, ornithosis, is the word that is used. Other birds that transmit this disease are pigeons and poultry (although it is quite rare to get the disease from chickens). Apart from the symptoms already mentioned, you may have a harsh, dry, intermittent cough and occasionally bring up a little sputum and even blood. There is widespread body pain, and the muscles of the back and neck may become stiff and painful, so doctors may mistake the condition for meningitis. Some patients feel tired, listless and depressed and also complain of insomnia. With such a wide range of possible symptoms, it’s easy to see how doctors can be fooled. Especially when you consider that there could be even more complications of this disease, including pleurisy with effusion or water in the lungs, inflammation of the heart muscles, or membrane myocarditis or pericarditis. The disease could even prove fatal. In fact, kissing parrots, not washing your hands after handling birds (and their feeding bowls) before sitting down to lunch, and staying in close proximity to them could make you a victim of psittacosis a week or two after contact, that is how long the incubation period is. Occasionally, however, you may get a mild flu-like illness that may go away on its own.
But why take risks? The disease can be diagnosed by radiography; this shows a picture similar to pneumonia. There is also protein in the urine. But the confirmation test is a blood culture that reveals the causative bacteria. Otherwise, the overall picture of the disease can be confusing, as psittacosis could be confused with tuberculosis and infectious mononucleosis, as well as the other conditions listed above. Tetracycline is the best drug for this disease.
BEWARE OF THE NAILS OF THE PUSSY!
You’ve probably heard of an ailment called cat scratch disease, but is there really such a thing? Yes, there is, as rare as it is. All you need is a cat, razor-sharp claws, some provocation, and OUCH! He has nailed you! What happens next? A small pimple-like swelling may appear at the site of the scratch approximately three to ten days later. Two weeks after this, the lymph nodes in the neck (or armpits or groin) become swollen and sore. Very often, this is all that happens. But in some patients there may also be a high fever, headache, nausea and exhaustion. Only five percent develop a body rash that resembles measles.
A skin test confirms the diagnosis. A biopsy of the swollen gland may also be performed for additional confirmation.
This disease cannot be transmitted from one person to another, so it is not necessary to isolate the person who suffers from it. Usually, no treatment is needed, apart from administering medicine for fever. The result is excellent. The swollen tassels disappear spontaneously in two to six months. The subsequent immunity to this disease lasts a lifetime. Overall, this is a very rare disease, so there’s no need to throw your poor feline away.
BEWARE OF THOSE JUMPING FLEAS
One can get a skin irritation from fleas on dogs, cats and rats. Many people show no response to a flea bite, but in those who are sensitive, the flea saliva causes a small, raised, reddish swelling. There is intense itching, so they scratch the affected area over and over again, introducing infection into the skin, which ulcerates or develops pustules. This condition is known as flea dermatitis. One can control fleas by keeping the house and all pets scrupulously clean (you too!), regularly deworming pets and their bedding with powders, or wearing flea collars. Dermatitis is treated with soothing creams and anti-allergy pills.
STAY AWAY FROM MR. CATERPILLAR!
Caterpillars seem to show up in the most unexpected places, like the chair you’re about to sit on or your sweater hanging on the clothesline. Before you can say ‘furry horror’, one has grazed you. And he left his prickly bristles embedded deep in your skin. You feel a terrible burning pain in the area. Redness and hives (hives) develop. And the more you scratch, the deeper you push the hairs. some enterprising victims employ dough, which is rolled back and forth over the area. Let me tell you an even better method, a safe one: using adhesive plaster. Simply fix a strip to the skin where the hairs are embedded, press, lift one end and pull hard – voila, all the bristles come out and the itch soon goes away.
If left alone, the swelling usually goes away within 24 hours, but some people develop a severe allergy that may need to be treated with intravenous calcium gluconate. In less severe cases, allergy pills and soothing creams help after the hair has been pulled out.