Can I get my dog sick?
This is a question that we often get from sitter and owners who work with Rover. Help the community out by answering them in our forum!
4 Answers
Nope don't worry. Your dog can't get you sick and you can't get your dog sick
Dogs and humans do not share the same communicable diseases, so don't worry, you can't get Rover sick!
I work in the veterinary field. I've been a Vet Tech for 5 years and yes, there are a few zoonotic diseases (meaning they can be transmitted from pet to human or human to pet). If you are curious, it would be smart to look up "zoonotic disease" in Google to have an idea, but a few examples are: Leptospirosis, Scabies, Ringworm, etc. A common cold or upper respiratory type disease is not something you would need to be worried about transmitting.
Most illnesses like colds are species specific, meaning you cannot give to your dog and your dog cannot give to you - or a cat. However, remember that a lot of times colds in humans are gotten because of a sudden change in temperature or environment, and this is the same for dogs. So both you and your dog could have a cold because of this!
However, you CAN carry in viruses or parasites from the outside in to your dogs environment which can cause them to get sick. This is why it is so important to have your pets fully vaccinated and on flea/tick/heartworm preventative!
No you cannot give your pets a virus that you may have.
Your dog can not catch any sickness that you have. However, your actions around your dog can get it sick. If you aren't careful with the places you take it chemicals that it comes in contact with, and much more, your dog can get sick