What Do They Know, Anyway?

I read an article today that said this: Sleeping alongside your pets can make you sick. To quote a bit from the article, "More than 60% of American households have a pet, and depending on the survey, 14% to 62% let their dogs and cats sleep with them. That can be dangerous, says Bruno Chomel, a professor at the University of California-Davis school of veterinary medicine. "There are private places in the household, and I think our pets should not go beyond next to the bed," Chomel says. "Having a stuffed animal in your bed is fine, not a real one." Chomel and co-author Ben Sun, chief veterinarian with the California Department of Public Health, did an extensive search of medical journals and turned up a hair-raising list of possible pathogens. There's plague (yes, bubonic plague, i.e. the Black Death); chagas disease, which can cause life-threatening heart and digestive system disorders; and cat-scratch disease, which can also come from being licked by infected cats."

The article goes on to say that having your dog lick you is also very questionable.

I am not sure, however, that this man has ever met my dog. Max is allowed in more places in the house than my dad is. He has a spot on all of our couches. He knows exactly how to curl up to fit in any spot. He knows he can sleep in any room, in any bed. And he does. He even has the nerve to get pissed when we are at the beach, and we don't let him on the couch there. His face screams, WTF MOM!?

I think I can say with full confidence that while Max has caused me many problems by sleeping in my bed, none of them have been illness. His wake up calls at 4:30 am are rough and so is his snoring and seizing. Not sickness. 

 

The article ends by saying: "In general, he says, "the benefits of having a pet, whether or not you sleep with it, far outweigh the negatives, which are quite uncommon."" With Max curled up next to me, I'd have to say that the benefits really squash the negatives.