Don't sleep with dogs, warns chief vet

Dogs should not be allowed to sleep in their owners’ beds or even in the same room in case they pass on diseases, the country’s chief vet has warned.

Fred Landeg, who is acting Chief Veterinary Officer, has urged people to be more vigilant about their household pets as they can transmit illnesses just as easy as farm animals.

Among diseases thought to be carried by dogs are common food poisoning bugs such as campylobacter and salmonella as well as exotic diseases.

Dr Landeg said: “When you look at new and emerging diseases many are zootic and passable from animals to man. We can think recently of Sars, which came from animals and another disease, the Hendra virus, from bats. As a veterinary surgeon I would never advise people to keep dogs in their bedroom.”

Dr Landeg’s comments follow a report commissioned by DEFRA published last week that found many owners were unaware that their pets could carry dangerous diseases such as MRSA.

The survey of 260 households in a semi-rural town in the South Wirral, Merseyside found that almost 20 per cent of dogs slept in the bedroom and 14 per cent on a person’s bed.