Skip to main content
Animal Health Hub, by Boehringer Ingelheim
Register
ahh_logo_web_162x57.png
alt text

There are many benefits of pet ownership.

They provide companionship and a range of positive emotional, physical and psychological benefits. However, it is important to take precautions to ensure that our pets don’t pose a risk to our health.
A zoonotic disease, or zoonosis, is a disease that can be transmitted from an animal to a human. Fortunately, using a product like NEXGARD SPECTRA, monthly helps minimise the risk.

There are many benefits of pet ownership.
Watch this short animated video that helps explain zoonotic disease to help understand why it is so important to protect your pet from parasites, and how that can help protect your whole family.

How to protect you and your family from diseases that can be transmitted from pets to people

The Australian Companion Animal Zoonoses Advisory Panel is a group of veterinary and human infectious disease experts. The panel has developed guidelines and recommendations to help reduce the risk of disease transmission from pets to people that are as relevant in New Zealand, as they are in Australia. 

Key recommendations from the guidelines to reduce the risk of disease transmission from pets to humans include:

  • monthly deworming
  • year-round control of external parasites
  • selecting the right pet for your situation
  • regular veterinary care and health checks
  • ensuring good hygiene practices, and
  • avoid feeding raw meat.

Scroll through more info on each of these below. 

Deworming

Monthly deworming

Intestinal worms can affect dogs and cats of all ages and some of these worms can also cause disease in humans.

Read on to find out more
parasites

Year-round control of external parasites

Some external parasites of dogs and cats can cause disease in people or transmit other organisms which cause disease.

Read on to find out more
Select the right pet

Select the right pet

To stay healthy and safe it is important to select the right pet for your circumstances and for the whole family to learn how to interact with the pet safely.

Read on to find out more
health checks

Regular veterinary care and health checks

Your vet can give you advice on the best strategies to reduce the risk of zoonotic disease transmission, including vaccination, parasite
control and diet.

Read on to find out more
Hygiene practices

Ensure good hygiene practices

Good hygiene practices are essential to reduce the risk of zoonotic disease transmission from pets to people, especially for higher risk groups: children, the elderly, pregnant women and people with weakened immune systems.

Read on to find out more
Food

Avoid feeding raw meat diets

Raw meat diets can be contaminated with zoonotic organisms. To reduce the risk of disease transmission, avoid feeding raw meat diets to dogs and cats.

Read on to find out more

Examples of zoonotic infections that can be transmitted from pets to humans include:

Bacterial Infections, such as:

  • Cat-scratch fever, flea-borne spotted fever, Campylobacter, Salmonella, leptospirosis

Parasitic Infections:

  • Intestinal worms (canine hookworm, roundworm and tapeworm), mites (sarcoptic mange, also known as scabies), protozoa (toxoplasmosis, Giardia, Cryptosporidium)

Fungal Infections:

  • Ringworm

Test your knowledge:

Click here and you'll be taken to a short survey where you can test your knowledge.

alt text

References:

  1. Companion Animals in New Zealand 2020, Companion Animals  NZ Publications. https://www.companionanimals.nz/s/Companion-Animals-in-NZ-2020-1.pdf.
  2. Fakhri, Y., et al (2018) Toxocara eggs in public places worldwide – A systematic review and meta-analysis. Environ Pollut, 242(Pt B), 1467-1475.
  3. Rostami, A., et al (2019) Seroprevalence estimates for toxocariasis in people worldwide: A systematic review and meta-analysis. PLoS Negl Trop Dis, 13(12), e0007809. 
  4. Walker, L.J., et al (2019) Prevalence of Campylobacter coli and Campylobacter jejuni in retail chicken, beef, lamb, and pork products in three Australian states. J Food Prot, 82(12), 2126-2134.

See product label for full claim details and usage instructions.