Minnesota Therapy Animals
The safety and well-being of the
resident/patient/child/client, animal or handler is
never, ever to be compromised.
Basic Standards of Practice....
Wash Those Hands






Worms & Germs Blog is a joint venture of the Ontario Veterinary College’s
Centre for Public Health and Zoonosis and the City of  Hamilton Ontario’s
Public Health Department. It is coordinated by
Drs. Scott Weese and Maureen Anderson with the assistance of
veterinarians, physicians, public health personnel and researchers.

The site focuses on zoonotic diseases, and has a variety of safety
information for pet owners on zoonotic disease topics.  Worms & Germs aims
to provide the most up-to date information from veterinary, medicine and
public health specialties.
In the Spotlight.....   

New Study Published in Journal of Hospital Infection,
 
Transmission of MRSA and C. difficile Through Dogs  
                    
click here to access
PDF File

       Web sites of interest to
            Minnesota Therapy Teams
What is
Infection
Control ?

Infection control, simply stated, is
the prevention of the spread of
infectious organisms that are
capable of causing disease or
illness. This is a topic that is very
important in the field of animal
assisted therapy.

Infections that can be spread
between humans and
animals are called zoonotic
diseases. There are many
different types of illnesses that
can be spread between animals
and humans.  It is important to
know the basic principles of
infection control so A-AT teams
can make every effort to prevent
the transmission of zoonotic
diseases.

This section of the Minnesota
Therapy Animals web site has
been devoted to providing
education and specific practice
guidelines for therapy teams to
aid them in promoting safe
animal-assisted activities which
aim to improve the health of
humans through the benefit of
the human-animal bond.
Infection Control Guidelines For Animals
In Health Care Facilities
1. General Guidelines

2. Handler-Specific Guidelines

3. Pet Guidelines

Click here to access guidelines
Biography of author of MTA Infection Control web page

Cheri Westin-Swenson MSN, APRN-BC, FNP, PHN, CEN is a certified nurse practitioner
and animal-assisted therapy practitioner and promoter. She has obtained certifications in
advanced practice nursing, public health, emergency nursing and holds a post-master’s
degree in nursing education. Cheri is an Evaluator for Delta Society Pet Partner teams and
currently provides A-AT for Allina’s Hospice and Palliative Care Team.  She has a personal
mission to increase the safety of A-AT through the promotion of infection control education.

WORMS & GERMS

Center for Disease Control (CDC) in collaboration with the National
Center for Infectious Disease has a web site called Healthy Pets Healthy
People.

This web site provides extensive information on which animals are potential
carriers of which specific zoonotic disease.

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Minnesota State Statute on Animals In Health Care Facilities

This PDF file has Minnesota statute 4638.0200, which provides the guidelines
that are required for health care facilities to initiate animal visitation programs or
incorporate a resident animal at the facility.

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Animals in the Schools: Guidelines for Reducing Exposure to Allergens

A committee of participants, including the Minnesota Department of Health,
developed these guidelines for the following purpose:

·     *  To decrease student exposure to potentially harmful allergens
·     *  To inform staff regarding precautions and necessary conditions regarding  
               animal presence in a school building
·     *  To provide a basic minimum standard district-wide that individual schools    
               could adapt according to the needs of their building, staff/students
·     *  To provide a document for communication with parents and families            
               regarding animals in the schools

*Note these guidelines are not intended to mandate compliance but rather to
suggest ways of handling a complex issue involving students, staff, and families.

Infection risks of raw protein diet
While there are ample examples of the benefits of animal-assisted activities and
interventions, there are also inherent risks associated with taking pets into a therapeutic
relationship with a person who may be immunocompromised.  Infection control measures,
such as animal hygiene and hand washing, are considered mandatory requirements to
prevent the transmission of zoonotic infections.  A new restriction is being implemented by
the Delta Society to decrease the risk of transmitting infectious bacteria. This
recommendation states that animals eating a raw protein food [diet] should be precluded
from animal-assisted intervention programs.  The following articles are research based
studies revealing potential dangers of exposure to dogs fed a raw meat/protein diet to
immunocompromised individuals, such as the elderly, infirm and children.

Follow this link to access Delta Society:
https://www.deltasociety.org//Page.aspx?pid=638&srctid=1&erid=189579
        Research Studies Examining Potential Risks Associated
                                       With Raw/BARF Diets


Preliminary assessment of the risk of Salmonella infection in dogs fed raw chicken diets.
Canadian Veterinary Journal. 2002. June:43(6):441-42.

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The risk of salmonellae shedding by dogs fed salmonella-contaminated commercial raw
food diets. Canadian Veterinary Journal. 2007. Jan:48(1):69-75.

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Evaluation of risks of shedding Salmonellae and other potential pathogens by therapy dogs
fed raw diets in Ontario and Alberta.  Zoonoses Public Health. 2008. Oct:55 (8-10): 470-80.

________________________________________________________________________

Guidelines for animal-assisted interventions in health care facilities.  American Journal of
Infection Control. 2008. 36:78-85.