Child Safety and Health around Pets

• Pets are a valuable part of many family settings, providing companionship and entertainment. 
• To make sure time spent with pets is safe and healthy, follow the advice on these pages and:
  • Remember that the priority is always your child’s safety and health
  • Supervise your child’s contact with pets as children do not understand danger
  • Make sure hands are washed after touching animals or their toys, food/drink bowls, litter, bed, cage etc

Click on the pictures for lots of useful child safety and health around pets information:

 Further information:

• Child Safety and health around Pets Booklet - A booklet compiled by the Department of Public Health Midlands
• Dublin Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals
• The Kennel Club Safe and Sound Scheme
• The Health Protection Surveillance Centre (HPSC) - for information about infectious diseases
• Learn with Dogs
• Healthy Pets - Healthy People
• Pets Are a Wonderful Support (PAWS) - for information about pets in an immuno-compromised household
• Information on Ticks and Lyme Disease - Health Protection Surveillance Centre
• County Councils in the Midlands - Longford, Laois, Offaly and Westmeath - visit the environment section and look under veterinary service, animal control or animal welfare

Most unintentional injuries (often called accidents) can be prevented:

Remember the key message where child safety is concerned -
Watch your child at all times, as children do not understand danger

Go to:

• Child Safety Main Page
• Child Safety Topics ~ A-Z

^{Images on these Child Safety and Health around Pets pages are from dreamstime.com unless otherwise stated:
Happy pets collection-Klara Viskova; Sad Dog-Loisik; Handwashing-G215; Active Family Lifestyle-Wetnose1; Tick isolated on white-Sergeytoronto; Curious Cartoon Dog-Jsatt83; Scary Black Cat-Silvertiger; Glove White-Krischam; Silver Tabby Cat Playing-Julysun; Cute Funny Cat-Greenvalley; Turtle-Le0nid; Parrot-Pichayasri; Goldfish Cartoon-Sifisd; Small Rabbit-Photoredaktor; Hamster-Nikola Pavlović; A Hamster-Svetlanka809; Pen-Polkan}