Dogs

[altamont]

We're fostering a dog. This is the first time we've had a dog living with us (indoor dog) and our house is relatively on the small side. What are the possibilities of dogs passing SVs onto humans? If he vomits, does that put us in danger?

[KaydeeJayde]

Nope, you're not in danger at all from a dog.

[Radian_Measure]

I'm an emet, and I've had dogs my whole life. Dogs do not get human norovirus, and so if a dog vomits, you're not going to get a norovirus. I've never, in almost 40 years of owning dogs, gotten a stomach problem from a dog.

Having said that, use some common sense. Dogs CAN get certain things, like giardia, from drinking out of backwoods streams or puddles. So if your dog does something like that, or if he eats a bunch of raw meat or something (dogs can get salmonella but it's unlikely because their stomach pH is much lower than ours), don't let him lick your face. But you'll be fine.

[NicManri]

Don't worry you can't catch anything from them before having my own dogs I couldn't deal with animals getting sick and certainly couldn't clean it, but now I can no problem.

[MaybeBaby]

Actually it has been proven dogs can catch human norovirus http://www.foodsafetynews.com/2012/0...s-study-shows/ but they would only catch it from eating human vomit or feces.. and pretty sure the dog hasn't been also they catch it from us, not vice verse.

[TheLastANZAC]

You'll be fine! We can't catch it from them.
Enjoy your new dog!
You MUST update us!

[Radian_Measure]

I don't think that study proved that dogs can catch human norovirus though. It proved that dogs can "carry" the virus; but so can anything else, like a doorknob.

[jkl81]

I can tell you that this will NOT keep me from loving dogs and having one when I get into the position to have one. Out of an abundance of caution, for their protection and ours, the thing that needs to happen is that we keep sick himans away from dogs to the greatest extent possible and not let them explore strange puddles when we're walking them. I think with those simple precautions we can basically treat dogs like they are still essentially no risk. Even if they carry some small risk, the return in terms of physical and mental health from having a dog is worth the risk in my opinion.