This Is MS Multiple Sclerosis Knowledge & Support Community

Hello,

I have read a few articles indicating that pets such as cats and dogs can contribute to the development of MS and possibly make symptoms worse. Has anyone else heard of this or had an experience like this with their pet?

Alicia

Alicia, If you are asking about whether people with pets tend to be at a greater risk for developing ms, I cannot say for sure. I do know that I was dx'd with ms after sharing my home for 6 yrs with 2 cats and 2 dogs.
[outdoors much of the time]

The yr I was dx'd with ms was a record yr for vector-borne illness, and 3 other adults in my neighborhood were alsomdx'd with ms.

[very suspicious to me] My neuro says lyme disease and co-infections are rare. I live in a wooded/semirural area in a highly endemic county in MN, and recall many a spring yanking deer ticks off my pets[and my kids for that matter]. Our house was crawling with them, even had my PCP pull one off my arm.

However, I did not get the erythema migrans or bull's eye rash, and tested neg for lyme, etc. **le sigh**

You know how, in your gut, you know something is wrong but you just can't prove it?

I thought so.

I am so glad to have found this site! [Thanks Natgas!:)]

Seems everything is suspect these days. I'm new enough that I still go over this daily, and often. It's nice when I can do or think about something that takes my mind off of it.

In the meantime, one thing I remember from my early years was a warning that cat feces could be dangerous to an unborn child. I was so concerned, I gave away two out of three cats when I was pregnant with my second child. I have since wondered if there is a connection.

I still have two I can't imagine having to give up; one big fat fluffy Norwegian forest cat, and a sweet little calico my daughter's boyfriend rescued from a dog. I can't help be suspicious on the one hand; on the other, I truly hope there's no connection.