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75 Willow Street Yarmouth , ME
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(207)846-6515
www.yarmouthvetcenter.com
TOXOPLASMOSIS: CONCERNS FOR HUMAN PREGNANCY Cats can have a toxoplasmosis infection without having any symptoms, and they can shed the organism into their enviroment in their feces. When a woman becomes pregnant, a common topic that arises between the patient and the doctor is Toxoplasmosis. As with most commonly discussed subjects, there is a lot of good information and a lot of bad information available, and it is difficult for people without a strong medical background to grasp the difference. One particularly complex issue is testing for toxoplasmosis. There is no simple "yes-or-no" test for people or cats that can practically guide decision-making. It is not a bad idea for women to be tested and/or to have their cats tested because the results could provide some amount of peace of mind. We believe it would be a bad idea, however, to not follow the guidelines for avoiding infection, listed here, regardless of the test results. BE VERY CAREFUL HANDLING RAW MEAT, AND AVOID EATING RAW OR UNDERCOOKED MEAT. DECREASE THE CAT'S EXPOSURE TO RAW MEAT. WEAR RUBBER GLOVES WHEN GARDENING. DO NOT DRINK RAW MILK, ESPECIALLY GOATS MILK. SCOOP THE LITTERBOX ONCE OR TWICE DAILY. WASH HANDS AFTER SCOOPING. OR BEST: HAVE SOMEONE OTHER THAN THE PREGNANT PERSON SCOOP THE BOX. DO NOT DUMP THE LITTER BOX IN THE BACKYARD. |