Are you one of the millions of Americans that own a pet? Families across the country own dogs, cats, hamsters, gerbils, birds and more. Pets have been beloved members of families for years and they will continue to be for years to come as well. Among other things pets provide people with companionship, love, and partners for outdoor activities. While pets are amazing to have around there are some drawbacks to having indoor pets. When your pets live indoors they can have accidents on your floor. If pet urine does not get cleaned up there are some dangers that you should be aware of.
 

Effects of Breathing Ammonia in Cat & Dog Urine

Since cats and dogs are the most common type of pets we will focus on cat and dog urine. First we want you to make sure that when you are cleaning up cat and dog urine you wear gloves. All animal waste carries bacteria and can cause illness. Wearing a pair of gloves will help you from becoming exposed to any bacteria that is in the urine or feces. Dog and cat urine has a distinct ammonia smell. When there is a large quantity of ammonia in the air your lungs can begin to burn. The burning can burn your throat, respiratory tract, and nose. You can become lightheaded and even faint. If you have prolonged exposure to ammonia you can get permanent eye damage and skin burns. Children are more at risk for eye and skin problems than adults. Ammonia exposure can lead to tracheal burns, nasopharyngeal cancer, alveolar edema, bronchiolar edema, and airway damage-leading to respiratory distress or malfunction like bronchitis and pneumonia. You can also become short or breath or fatigued.
 

Campylobacter in Dogs

Pet urine and feces can carry Campylobacter jejuni. That is a germ that causes diarrhea, vomiting, and fever. The bacteria and organisms can get on your hands when you do not even know it. If your dog or cat poops then rubs his/her butt on your couch or chair somewhere you may accidentally touch that spot. Then once you touch that spot if you eat something the bacteria can get in your mouth. If you have animals Carpet Care 2000 recommends that you wash your hands before you eat.
With all of those amazing benefits, there are also a few words of caution for cat owners.
 

Toxoplasmosis in Cats

Cat feces and urine are known to cause two different illnesses – Escherichia coli bacterial infection and toxoplasmosis. Escherichia Coli bacterial infection, commonly known as E.coli, can affect your urinary tract and cause cramping and diarrhea. Typically if one family member is infected with E.Coli, another family member will be infected as well. E.Coli infections can be effectively treated with antibiotic treatment. Toxoplasmosis may cause flu-like symptoms of fever, body aches, and diarrhea. Fortunately healthy humans frequently don’t even know they have been affected by toxoplasmosis. Healthy immune systems will fight off the infection without us ever knowing that we are ill. If your body is unable to fight it off medication will be necessary and medical treatment should be sought. To prevent these illnesses cat owners should make sure that they safely handle the litter box, maintain a clean litter box at all times, and ensure that their carpets, rugs, and upholstery is frequently cleaned to remove cat feces and urine.
 

Carpet Cleaning & More in Tracy, Livermore, San Ramon, Dublin, Mountain House, Walnut Creek, Danville & the East Bay of California

If you would like to help keep the bacteria mentioned above out of your carpet and furniture give Carpet Care 2000 a call today. We can come out and clean your carpet and upholstery so that the bacteria from your cute dogs and cats do not make you sick. Contact us today!