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Some skin diseases can be transferred between animals and humans. It’s a good idea to be aware of these “zoonotic diseases,” so that you can recognize symptoms in both your family and your pet. With accurate and timely diagnosis followed by proper treatment, you can prevent spread of these diseases from your four-legged friends to your two-legged ones. The following is a list of the more common zoonotic diseases.

Ringworm
Commonly thought to be a worm, this disease is actually a fungal infection.

MRSA
(Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus) Staph bacteria that can prove resistant to some antibiotics. MRSA is spread through direct contact with an infected person or pet, or through direct skin contact with infected items.

Scabies
Microscopic mites that burrow into the upper layer of the skin, where they lay eggs, causing an intense itchiness and a pimple-like rash. Scabies mites are usually spread through direct contact with an infected animal or human.

Lyme Disease
Caused by a bite from a tick infected with the bacteria Borrelia burgdorferi. Ticks bite both animals and humans, so it’s important to do thorough tick checks after walks through long grass or forested areas.

Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever
The most severe tick-borne rickettsial illness in the U.S. for humans and pets, Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever is transmitted by ticks infected with the bacteria Rickettsia rickettsii.

Tapeworms
Tapeworms are transmitted to humans and pets by swallowing a flea that is infected with tapeworm larvae. After the flea is digested, the larvae develops into an adult tapeworm in the intestinal tract.

Roundworms
Roundworms are the most common parasite of concern to humans. Usually puppies contract them from their mother before birth or from the mother’s milk. Humans can become infected after swallowing roundworm eggs accidentally, after coming in contact with them in soil or on other surfaces that are contaminated with the eggs.