Hygiene Habit Review Time & How to be Safe Around Animals

With the weather getting warmer (at least here in America’s Midwest), more people will be spending more time outside.
This might be a good time to review good hygiene habits.

Here are some great places to start.

• Nail hygiene is important for gardeners and anyone planning to get down and dirty with Mother Nature.
  The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has some nail hygiene advice including
• Avoid cutting cuticles, as they act as barriers to prevent infection.
• Never rip or bite a hangnail. Instead, clip it with a clean, sanitized nail trimmer.
• Going swimming in a neighborhood or other area pool? Take steps to prevent the spread of germs and illnesses
• Don’t swim when you have diarrhea. You can spread germs in the water and make other people sick.
• Don’t swallow the pool water. Avoid getting water in your mouth.
• Practice good hygiene. Shower with soap before swimming and wash your hands after using the toilet or changing diapers. Germs on your body end up in the water.
• Keep your body as clean as possible. The CDC has a great interactive human body diagram with links to preventative advice.
  Click here for additional tips on facial cleanliness.
• Planning on being around animals at the zoo, at a farm, or at someone’s house or campsite?
  Check out Proper Hygiene Around Animals with parenting tips (many useful for adults also!) that discourage these activities around animals
• Eating or drinking
• The use of strollers, toys, pacifiers, baby bottles, or spill-proof cups
• Hand-to-mouth behaviors, such as thumb-sucking and nail-biting
• Sitting or playing on the ground
• Feeding the animals, unless the contact is controlled with barriers
• Any contact with animals if an individual has open wounds
• Contact with any animal waste

Related Resources

Compendium of Measures to Prevent Disease Associated with Animals in Public Settings, 2011 (National Association of State Public Health Veterinarians, Inc. (NASPHV))

While not aimed to the general public, it does include some good tips, as

Animal Areas

• Do not allow food and beverages in animal areas.
• Do not allow toys, pacifiers, spill-proof cups, baby bottles, strollers or similar items in animal areas.
• Prohibit smoking and other tobacco product use in animal areas.
• Supervise children closely to discourage hand-to-mouth activities (e.g., nail-biting and thumb-sucking), contact with manure, and contact with soiled bedding. Children should not be allowed to sit or play on the ground in animal areas. If hands become soiled, supervise hand washing immediately.
• Ensure that regular animal feed and water are not accessible to the public.
• Allow the public to feed animals only if contact with animals is controlled (e.g., with barriers).
• Do not provide animal feed in containers that can be eaten by humans (e.g., ice cream cones) to decrease the risk for children eating food that has come into contact with animals.

Natural Unseen Hazards Blog – news about natural unseen hazards that may place outdoor enthusiasts at risk

Related articles

• A Guide to Good Personal Hygiene (everydayhealth.com)
• Swimmer’s Ear Responsible for Nearly a Half Billion in Health Care Costs (cdc.com)
• 5 men’s hygiene facts you won’t believe (holykaw.alltop.com)

Your Pet’s Health: Toxic and Non-Toxic Plants

Thinking about buying a plant, but wondering how it will affect your animal companion or pet?

A listing of over 400 common plants (not all!) may be found here.

The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) has created this list for informational purposes only. If an animal is sick or if it may have poisoned itself, it is strongly advised that you contact your local veterinarian or their 24-hour emergency poison hotline directly at 1-888-426-4435.

A few related sites from the Internet Public Library Pets Section (IPL) and searching the IPL with the word “pets”

Pet Care (ASPCA) – Focuses on behavior, nutrition, poison control, veterinary medicine and the human-animal bond; dog, cat, horse, and small pets

Care for Animals(American Veterinary Medical Association) – Covers information related to keeping pets healthy , including advice on vet selection, pet selection, pet loss, disaster preparedness; Pet Care section includes food recalls and first aid; links for educators, those interested in health awareness events, and more

HealthyPet.com(American Animal Hospital Association) Extensive information on most aspects of pet care (as behavior, health, parasites, health insurance). Links for kids and just for fun activities. Animal hospital directory, book recommendations, “Find A Pet”, “Ask-A-Vet”, and more.

Healthy Pets, Healthy People(US Centers for Disease Control) Disease information (caused by germs) and prevention tools.