Washing the hands and face before eating should protect against diseases that might come from droppings. Keeping pets free of fleas and worms should help both the family and the pet stay healthy. Special precautions are advisable in locales with a high incidence of Lyme disease. A major one is to keep the pet's coat as free of ticks as possible. Rabies and pet bites Now rare but still worth being on guard against is the possibility of a dog having rabies .
Pets can contract rabies after having been bitten by an infected wild animal.
Even nonrabid pet bites can, on occasion, severely tear the skin and other tissue. Any bite that breaks the skin may become infected from bacteria in the pet's mouth. Bite wounds should therefore be thoroughly disinfected and treated, with stitches and bandaging as needed. Spider bites from pet tarantulas are not as poisonous as once thought, but these too can carry bacterial diseases.