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“Dogs oftentimes won’t show any signs but cats definitely do,” Levitzke added, pointing to differences in the immune systems of dogs and anatomical variances in their lymphatics. Other symptoms include fever, lethargy and decreased appetite.īecause these symptoms “can be vague” and can be associated with other ailments, Levitzke said it is important to take your pet to the vet immediately to get checked out if it displaying any signs. When a furry family member becomes infected, they will develop “some really painful swollen lymph nodes” that can “abscess and release pus,” Levitzke explained. “One other way a cat can get it, potentially because they’re such eager hunters, especially for small rodents, they can ingest a rodent that’s infected by the bacteria and get it that way,” Levitzke told The Post. Flea bites are the main way the disease is transmitted but cat owners should be particularly vigilant because their prognosis is far worse. Most household pets - including dogs, cats and rabbits - are at risk of contracting the bubonic plague. What pets are most at risk for bubonic plague and what are the symptoms? “When the local health organizations get wind of that possibility, that is a big deal,” he stressed. If an infected pet develops a wound with pus and the bodily secretion gets into an open wound on the owner’s body, the human can contract bubonic plague, Levitzke said.įurther, animals with pneumonic plague - when the plague moves to the lungs - can infect their owner if the owner inhales aerosolized droplets from the animal’s cough, Levitzke said. It is possible for an infected household pet to pass along the plague to their owners. Can you contract bubonic plague from a pet? Pets can also become infected if they are bitten or scratched by infected rodents, the vet warned. Levitzke said it isn’t common to discover an infected rodent, but because fleas are so prevalent, the potential for spread can be “dangerous.” “When they bite and feed on an infected animal, they carry that bacteria - and when they bite the next animal, that’s when they deposit that bacteria into the next unsuspecting victim.” Getty Images/EyeEm “So a flea bites an infected rodent or squirrel or chipmunk and then bites the family cat and/or dog and then transmits the bacteria into the pet … Fleas are just innocent carriers, they don’t have it naturally,” Levitzke told The Post. Brett Levitzke, chief medical officer at Brooklyn’s Veterinary Emergency & Referral Group. Household pets are susceptible to the plague, which is primarily transmitted through bites from infected fleas, according to Dr.

The bacterial infection is rare and can be deadly, though it is treatable in both humans and pets if caught early. Veterinarians are urging pet owners to be vigilant after a Colorado squirrel tested positive for the bubonic plague over the weekend.īubonic plague - which killed more than 50 million people during the 14th century and came to be known as the Black Death - is caused by the bacteria Yersinia pestis, which lives in some animals, mostly rodents, and their fleas. Historic drought in West brings plague of grasshoppers Woman wakes up to mouse eating her eyeball amid Aussie rodent plague Colorado house cat tests positive for bubonic plagueĬhipmunks near Lake Tahoe test positive for the plague