Can You Contract This Affliction From Your Dog?

Recently we have noticed that our dog, a little King Charles Cavalier Spaniel, had some discharge in the corner of his eyes.  We were leaving for a long weekend, and decided to board our pup.  And, since he's boarded at the vet, we thought kill two birds with one stone and have him checked out.  Turns out, he did have canine conjunctivitis. Otherwise known as...pink eye.

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Now, this got me to thinking - can people contract pink eye from their dog?  Or just a pet or animal in general?

The answer that I found is - short answer - yes.  Humans CAN contract pink eye from their dog, but it's not that common.

Yes, you can get conjunctivitis from dogs, though it's not common, and the risk can be significantly reduced by maintaining good hygiene practices, such as handwashing after pet contact

Well, washing your hands after pet contact should just be a natural thing.  Especially if you have a pet that likes to lick.  My dog does that.  He will lick and lick and lick.  I thought that was a little strange to have him doing that as much as he does, but when it comes to Cavaliers, it's a way for them to relax.  It's driven by anxiety.  That's not great news.  He also will lick inanimate objects sometimes, too. Also anxiety driven.  Apparently I have a stressed out dog - on occasion.

SOME OTHER THINGS TO CONSIDER WHEN HANDLING ANIMALS/PETS

• The importance of hand hygiene in preventing disease transmission, as highlighted by 1
• The potential for zoonotic transmission of conjunctivitis from dogs to humans
• The need for prompt medical attention if symptoms of conjunctivitis develop after contact with an infected dog While zoonotic transmission of conjunctivitis is possible, maintaining good hygiene practices significantly reduces this risk, and most cases of conjunctivitis in humans come from other sources like allergies or human-to-human transmission, as suggested by the general principles outlined

Anyway - bottom line is that yes, you can contract pink eye from your dog, but it's rare. Just use some basic hygiene practices when handling, playing with your pet.