scientists explain why it is dangerous to sleep with pets we all know that a
dog is a man's best friend so why not let them sleep in bed with you these
furry little guys are all soft and cuddly like a pillow and with them by
your side you know that they'll protect you from burglars the idea of having a
dog sleep on its lonely little dog bed just sounds torturous to you so of
course you're going to let your pal snuggle up into the comfort of your own
king-sized mattress but is there a downside to letting your pet sleep in
your bed or even hugging your dog and is there a downside to hugging your pets
well you may just be surprised to find out it turns out that science states
that it might not be the best idea to sleep with your pets yep you heard me
right according to the veterinarian health expert dr. Jane Heller of Charles
Stewart University close contact with your pet can increase your chances of
sickness and infection interested in finding out why science says that it's
not the best idea to sleep or hug your pets well keep watching to find out
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videos number four bacterial dr. jane heller states that pets are not sterile
so there's always some chance of bacterial or parasitic transfer from
companion animals to humans and clearly those risks are greater if you're
sleeping in or generally closely sharing the same environment as your animals for
example you can actually get ear mites these are tiny little mites that are
usually found in animals like cats and dogs
but they can also be found in humans gross right they spread very quickly and
are found within the ear canal of their hosts
that's pretty disturbing to know but it's actually the truth there's always a
risk of bacteria transferring from animals to humans and as much as it
sucks to hear it is something you should take into consideration when you're
sleeping with your pet especially if your pet is outside a lot or is in
constant contact with wilderness or other animals just something to keep in
mind by the way scientists also state that people should never hug their pets
stick around till the end to find out number three
fleas and ticks other things like fleas and ticks can also attach themselves to
your bedding which will end up being a nuisance to clean even if you may not be
able to see them on your dog they could still be there in order to minimize the
risk of getting these things you should have your pets dewormed and vaccinated
in addition you should be giving your pets regular baths as well as checking
their ears for possible mites number two suffocation when people sleep with their
pets there's also a risk of accidentally rolling over on them particularly if
they're very small this can result in suffocation and potentially death
although these chances are very slim it's better to be safe than sorry right
number one interrupt sleep sleeping with a pet can also have a harmful effect on
your health if you are a light sleeper it can disturb your sleep possibly
causing increased stress throughout the day sleep is a huge part of our overall
bodily health and if our pets tend to move around a lot or dream it may affect
your sleeping patterns now that you know why scientists say it is dangerous to
sleep with pets here is why they also say that it's dangerous to hug your dog
or other animal if you own a dog or have owned a dog or
animals in the past you know how hard it is not to shower them with affection
now affection can be a ton of ear scratches or belly rubs for many of us
though showering our pet with affection usually means hugging them after all
they are just so adorable right but there have been a lot of arguments about
whether or not you should be hugging your dog apparently dogs and other
domestic animals don't really enjoy being hugged they just kind of deal with
it now since the general consensus is that you shouldn't hug your animals
there's been some pushback for example certain online publications have fired
back in their headlines with things like 25 dogs who clearly love hugs but it's
important to know all the facts dog and animal psychology turns out this all
started with a weekly column in Psychology Today called canine corner
run by dr. Stanley Coren who has a long history of dog psychology
in science that being said while corenz point of view on the matter should be
taken seriously he does note that his column is based solely on observation
and not a peer-reviewed study still simple behavior patterns provide an
answer to the question should you hug your dog the big answer seems to be
pointing to a big fat know anybody who's owned a dog or other fluffy cute furry
domestic animal knows what their distressed animal looks like however you
might notice they're showing those signs as you hug them the face animals make
when you hug them the reason why we say they don't like being hugged is because
of what they look like when we're hugging them dog cognition scientist dr.
Alexandra Horowitz told The Insider they pin their ears back they lick their lips
sort of like air licking or they yawn which is another stress behavior or they
move to get away or they show this kind of whale eye posture
you can see the whites of their eyes dogs will show behavior that shows they
are uncomfortable when you're hugging them says Horowitz Horowitz sums it up
quite easily by saying that dogs simply deal with being hugged when it comes to
other animals like cats they will exhibit similar behavior and if you've
ever owned a cat you probably already know what a cat does when it doesn't
want to be picked up or hugged they can get pretty violent children and animals
there is a danger in consistently hugging your pet though and that danger
is the easily impressionable minds of children if you're a person who hugs
your pet any child in your family may believe they can hug it too this is
dangerous because plenty of pets have a lower threshold of patience for children
even if a child in your home hugs your pet without problems the same may not
happen with another animal all in all this is mostly common sense and you
don't need to be a trained scientist in dog cognition to teach children the
limitations of dealing with dogs or any animals still holding back on hugs in
general may be the solution lastly dr. Horowitz explains that though we think
we're spreading love to our pets via hugs it's probable that they do not
quite see it that way so while we're not saying to stop hugging or sleeping with
your pets it's always a good idea to keep certain things in mind when taking
care of a pet pets become members of our family and make up a huge part of a
person's life so if you're worried about your pets health or safety take some of
these things in the video into consideration of course you can always
speak to a professional like a vet if you ever need some advice or helpful
information about how to improve your pets life and ensure that they are
living a happy and healthy life so do you hug your dog or sleep with
your pets often why or why do you not think that it's dangerous to do so let
us know in the comments section below enjoyed this video hit the like button
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