{"id":968,"date":"2023-07-30T08:56:14","date_gmt":"2023-07-30T08:56:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/healthyairtech.com\/?p=968"},"modified":"2023-07-30T12:16:34","modified_gmt":"2023-07-30T12:16:34","slug":"is-your-pet-making-you-unwell","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/healthyairtech.com\/news\/is-your-pet-making-you-unwell\/","title":{"rendered":"Is your pet making you unwell?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Is your pet making you unwell? According to the Pet Food Manufacturers’ Association (PFMA)<\/a>, as of 2023, there are approximately 51 million pets in households in the UK. This means that over 59% of households in the UK have at least one pet.<\/p>\n

The most popular pets in the UK are dogs and cats, with an estimated 13 million dogs and 12 million cats living in homes.<\/p>\n

However, the environmental problems brought by pets to the indoor environment have become a problem that many people are either oblivious to or cannot solve.<\/p>\n

How do pets impact the indoor air quality?<\/h2>\n

Keeping a pet can be a pleasure for the owner, but it can also cause trouble or discomfort to oneself or others.<\/p>\n

Pets can impact the air quality through their dander, fur, saliva, waste, and natural smell. They can raise the humidity level, which can create a breeding ground for mould and mildew, spread dust mites and release volatile organic compounds (VOCs).<\/p>\n

All of these can cause irritation to the respiratory system, trigger allergic reactions, and cause other health problems. According to medical literature, more than 200 infectious diseases transmitted by pets or domestic animals are known, but many people do not know enough about them. These possible disease risks are mainly airborne.<\/p>\n

In less common incidences, pets can cause \u2018zoonosis\u2019, the spread of Lyme disease, salmonella, and toxoplasmosis (a parasite found in cat litter and raw meat that can cause miscarriage in pregnant women).<\/p>\n

Of course, this is not our furry friends\u2019 fault, but we must be aware when we take on a pet, of the possible problems they can cause to our health. For example, many people are not aware they are allergic to fur until they live with a pet.<\/p>\n

How do owners try to manage these problems to stop them becoming unwell?<\/h2>\n