With the arrival of spring, gardens and parks burst back into life and many of us are starting to plan holidays – yet few realise this season also brings a potential rise in hidden dangers for pets.
March marks National Pet Vaccination Month, and the latest data is stark. A study commissioned by MyPet.com, founded by global animal health provider MSD Animal Health, found that 99% of UK vets have seen a pet die from a preventable infectious disease – with 7 in 10 saying it’s happened multiple times in their careers.
This Morning’s resident vet, Dr Scott Miller, has developed this spring checklist to help pet owners guard against invisible threats.
Invisible risks: From shoes to shared water bowls
Worryingly, misconceptions among pet owners are widespread. Only 1% of pet owners realise pets can catch diseases from more than two metres away, and nearly one in five (18%) still think infection only happens through direct contact.
These beliefs obscure the invisible risks from germs brought indoors on shoes and clothes, shared water bowls in cafés, and stays in kennels and catteries.
With nearly 3 in 4 cats (72%) and around 2 in 5 dogs (42%) in the UK not vaccinated, it’s so important that owners speak to their vets, and book their pets in for vaccination.
Home: Where comfort can conceal risk
Your home feels safe, but dangerous germs can hitch a ride indoors on shoes, hands, paws, and even clothing. This can expose even indoor cats to disease-causing germs, such as feline panleukopenia virus (also known as feline infectious enteritis).
Leads and harnesses often pick up germs from publics spaces. While muddy paws and outdoor gear can carry canine parvovirus, which survives in soil for up to a year.
Water bowls can harbour bacteria like Bordetella, a common cause of contagious cough (often called Kennel cough) in dogs, and toys can carry viruses long after playtime. Shared beds and grooming tools can spread disease through saliva and fur contact.
Garden: Sunshine with sneaky risks
Even enclosed gardens aren’t immune. Soil can harbour germs for months, and standing water – like ponds or puddles – can become sources for bacterial infection, like leptospirosis bacteria that can even cause humans to get sick.
Visitors and pets brushing against gates can transfer infected debris; just one gram of canine parvovirus infected faeces can infect over 10 million dogs!
Park: The social hotspot for germs
Spring walks and café catch-ups mean more mixing of our canine companions – and more risk. Shared water bowls in parks and cafés are an infection source, yet only 1 In 4 (25%) of pet owners recognise this danger.
In fact, many infectious diseases can spread through the air, the environment or contaminated surfaces long after another animal has gone. Anywhere pets have been, the risk is real!
Pet friendly holidays or pet staycation: Safe travels start with vaccination
Doggy daycare may feel like safe havens for dogs, but they’re also prime environments for germ transmission. With multiple dogs sharing spaces, toys, and water bowls, diseases such as parvovirus and contagious cough can spread quickly – often without dog-to-dog contact.
Pets staying in catteries or boarding kennels can pick up infections from simply sharing the same air space as other animals – especially illnesses like canine contagious cough and cat ‘flu.
Taking your pet on holiday? Lovely! Just keep in mind that ‘pet-friendly’ means other animals have visited before – and they may leave behind more than pawprints. Even healthy-looking pets can carry and shed viruses, so before booking a stay or a playdate, it’s so important to check that your pet’s boosters are up to date.
Vaccination is the most effective way to protect pets to ensure that socialising this spring stays fun and safe.
Don’t wait. Vaccinate. For more information, visit: https://uk.mypet.com/vaccinate.
