Your dog or cat’s urine has a strong ammonia odor, which irritates the lungs. Your lungs could feel like they are burning if you pass a lot of urine. When inhaled in large amounts, ammonia immediately burns the nose, throat, and respiratory tract. A person may begin to feel dizzy and faint as they are exposed to higher concentrations of ammonia. Excessive exposure to ammonia causes eye and skin irritation. Pet feces get stuck in carpet, baseboards, furniture, and other places, posing health risks. Ammonia inhalation poses risks to anyone, but those with weakened immune systems, allergies, asthma, and other medical conditions, like migraines, are particularly vulnerable. Ammonia in low concentrations (50 ppm) also quickly irritates the skin and eyes. Long-term exposure to an ammonia concentration that is too high can result in skin burns, permanent eye damage, or even blindness.
Children are more vulnerable than adults to eye and skin problems brought on by ammonia inhalation because of their lower body weight. If pet urine bacteria and residue are not entirely removed from a carpet or rugs, the space might develop into a dangerous feeding ground.
You must work with a reputable carpet cleaning business that specializes in removing pet odors if you want to successfully remove all pet urine. The ability to remove all contaminants is greater with truck-mounted systems. Utilizing hot water extraction is the only reliable method for getting rid of all noxious odors from your home.
Keep in mind that our kids regularly roll around on the carpet and the furniture. So why wouldn’t you clean as thoroughly as you can to keep them secure?
Always keep in mind that while doing it yourself may be a quick fix, it is never truly the best option.
Make sure your family is protected at all times from the negative effects of breathing in pet urine. Any measures will do some good.
Parrot Fever (Psittacosis) From Pet Birds
Chlamydophila psittaci, a bacteria, may be present in your pet parrot, parakeet, or macaw and may spread to you. Despite the fact that the infected birds may not appear sick, people can contract this disease by inhaling dried secretions from the birds. You may experience symptoms such as a dry cough, a dry fever, chills, and muscle aches. You might be given an antibiotic like tetracycline or doxycycline by your physician.
Prevention Tips: “Be careful while cleaning bird cages so that you don’t stir up any debris,” Lopez says. If you are cleaning in an area that is not well-ventilated, you may want to wear a mask, says Rehm. Be sure the cage lining is cleaned each day, recommends the CDC, and wear gloves when you handle items contaminated with bird droppings.
The parasite Toxoplasma, which can be dangerous to an unborn child, can be spread to humans through the feces (poop) in an infected cat’s litterbox or contaminated soil. This parasite can lead to birth defects in the unborn child if a woman contracts it while she is pregnant. Although toxoplasmosis symptoms typically subside within a few weeks, the parasite can continue to live in the body. You might get better on your own or your doctor might recommend medications like pyrimethamine, sulfadiazine, and folinic acid.
Cleaning your cat’s litterbox on a daily basis and always washing your hands with soap and water afterward are some prevention tips. Additionally, wash your hands after working in the yard or with any type of soil. Avoid letting your cats use your yard as a litterbox and try to keep them inside since outdoor cats are typically more likely to be exposed to toxoplasma.
If your cat has fleas and is scratching at them, and then scratches you, breaking the skin, you can be infected by bacteria called Bartonella henselae. This illness can causes fever, enlarged lymph nodes, and a general feeling of unwellness — it’s definitely something you want to avoid. A severe case may require treatment from your doctor.
Prevention Advice: Lopez suggests immediately washing out any cat bites or scratches with soap and water. And he continues, “This is yet another justification for giving your cat a monthly flea medication.” ”.
Asymptomatic avian TB (Mycobacterium avium complex) can affect pet birds, but if it spreads through the air and infects a person, it can look like tuberculosis and attack the lungs, according to Nelson. Fortunately, it’s not very common. You’re unlikely to get it unless you are immunocompromised. The infection is challenging to treat and frequently antibiotic-resistant. According to Jason D’Amore, MD, research director for the department of emergency medicine at North Shore University Hospital in New York, “It’s a form of TB, but not the traditional form of TB that humans get.”
Prevention Advice: The most effective preventive action you can take is hand washing. Additionally, don’t buy unregistered birds, Nelson says. He claims that there is an illegal bird trade and that birds are being imported from Mexico and Central America, which could expose you to an infection risk.
Typically, this dreaded disease is found in infected wild animals like raccoons, skunks, bats, and foxes. Carried in saliva, rabies can be transmitted to your dog if he goes outside and gets into a tussle with an infected animal. If he’s bitten by the infected animal, he can get rabies. “And anyone who thinks their pet can’t get it is wrong,” Nelson says. If you are bitten by an animal and it’s unknown whether or not he’s had the rabies vaccine, you may need to get the series of rabies shots. Surviving rabies is rare once a person develops symptoms: flu-like illness, delirium, and hallucinations, according to the CDC.
Prevention Advice: Having your pet regularly immunized against rabies is the best way to avoid this illness, which is almost always fatal in humans.
Leptospira is a bacteria that can be discovered in the urine of infected canines, rodents, mice, and squirrels. Direct or indirect contact with contaminated urine can spread it to people. The bacteria can endure for weeks to months in soil or water. “You can get leptospirosis if your dog runs through the yard where there is urine that contains the bacteria, then comes in and cleans off his paws,” Nelson warns. People can develop kidney failure if the symptoms, which include fever, vomiting, chills, and a rash, are left untreated. He claims that it is curable, usually with the use of an antibiotic like penicillin or doxycycline.
Prevention Advice: Maintaining your pet’s vaccination schedule is important to prevent leptospirosis. It can be prevented by vaccinating your dog. Additionally, take measures to prevent rodents like rats and mice from entering your home and yard.
Commonly transmitted by rodents, lymphocytic choriomeningitis, or LCM, is a viral disease caused by lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus (LCMV). If you are exposed to urine, droppings, or nesting materials from infected rodents, you can get LCM and may have flu-like symptoms, according to the CDC. Severe cases may lead to encephalitis and mean a trip to the hospital. In pregnant women, infection can pass on to the fetus and has been linked to congenital defects and mental retardation. Hamsters can be infected with LCMV from wild mice in the pet store, at the breeder, or in the home environment.
Prevention Advice: To lower your risk, stay away from wild mice and take steps to get rid of mice in your home. Always wash your hands thoroughly after handling pet rodents like mice, hamsters, or guinea pigs.
It is advised that you eliminate dog odor as soon as you can, preferably with protective gloves and a strong enzyme-based cleaner. Start using dog diapers on dogs who frequently urinate inside for another solution. If you’re a parent, take extra precautions because kids are more sensitive to the aforementioned stressors. Dog diapers can be changed and thrown away without creating a mess.
When you first get a pet, dog urine often starts to pose a persistent threat. Dogs must be taken outside to relieve themselves, and it’s common for young or older dogs to lose control inside the home. However, dog urine stains can be quite dangerous to humans in addition to being unsightly and smelling bad.
The presence of ammonia in dog urine is one of its hazards. Even when inhaled in smaller amounts, ammonia is a substance that easily leads to respiratory issues. More of it can make your lungs and airways feel like they’re burning, and it can also lead to some very serious respiratory conditions. These could include alveolar edema, nasopharyngeal cancer, and even bronchitis and pneumonia.
Leptospirosis, a fairly common but very dangerous bacterial disease that is commonly contracted and spread by rats and dogs as well as many species of wild animals, is another risk connected to pet urine, and dog urine in particular. Humans exposed to the bacteria may initially experience symptoms similar to the flu, but more severe cases can also result in serious conditions like liver and kidney disease.
Ammonia
Ammonia levels in dog and cat urine, for that matter, can irritate the sinuses, lungs, and eyes.
Most healthy adults can endure the smell long enough to clean up a puddle.
Dog urine fumes, however, should not be inhaled by young children, the elderly, or anyone with COPD or asthma.
Exposure to ammonia may cause the onset of respiratory conditions such as asthma or other problems.
FAQ
Can you get sick from smelling dog urine?
Your dog or cat’s urine has a strong ammonia odor, which irritates the lungs. Your lungs could feel like they are burning if you pass a lot of urine. When inhaled in large amounts, ammonia immediately burns the nose, throat, and respiratory tract.
Can you catch anything from dog urine?
Leptospirosis-causing bacteria are spread by infected animals’ urine, which can enter water or soil and survive there for several weeks to months. Contact with this contaminated urine (or other body fluids, with the exception of saliva), water, or soil can result in infection in both humans and animals.
Is dog urine and feces harmful to humans?
Dog and cat poop can contain pathogens like bacteria and parasites that can make people ill. Pet waste can pollute waterways and harm the environment. To maintain the health of you, your family, and the environment, adopt responsible pet poop practices.
Can dried dog urine make you sick?
Additionally, if the carpet is not thoroughly cleaned right away after a pet defecates on it, the water in the urine evaporates, leaving behind even more concentrated ammonia. People with COPD, asthma, or emphysema may experience severe negative consequences from this, and it may even trigger allergies.