The controversy over the retention of our pets after pregnancy is mainly focused on toxoplasmosis. There is a significant group of people who believe that you cannot have a pet after pregnancy to avoid toxoplasmosis infection, which has led to separation from your beloved pet after pregnancy, and many pets have even been abandoned for no reason and become homeless stray dogs and cats. Is it true that you can’t have a pet after pregnancy? It’s time to set the record straight for domestic pets. What is Toxoplasma gondii? Toxoplasma gondii is also known as Toxoplasma gondii, which is an intracellular parasite. In fact, Toxoplasma gondii infections are very common, and Toxoplasma gondii infections in humans and animals are widely distributed around the world. This high rate of infection may be related to the lifestyle and dietary structure of the population (e.g., preference for rare steaks, etc.). In China, the prevalence of Toxoplasma gondii infection is 5-20%, and in some areas it is as high as 30% or more. The fear of Toxoplasma gondii in humans stems mainly from the occurrence of primary infection (i.e., the first or initial infection) during pregnancy in pregnant women, which can be transmitted to the fetus through the placenta. If congenital infection with Toxoplasma gondii occurs after pregnancy, approximately 40% of fetuses may have severe damage, miscarriage, preterm birth, stillbirth or neonatal disease, or be born with lesions or malformations of the eye, brain or liver. Newborns with brain edema after being infected with Toxoplasma gondii How exactly is Toxoplasma gondii transmitted? In the fear of Toxoplasma gondii, dogs and cats have been branded as the culprits in the transmission of Toxoplasma gondii. In fact, almost all mammals and humans can be infected by it, but only felines are the ultimate hosts of Toxoplasma gondii, and only cat feces with Toxoplasma gondii eggs is the only route of infection for Toxoplasma transmission. In other words, if you have a dog at home, your dog may be infected with Toxoplasma gondii, but it will not infect you, so there is no need to worry if you come into contact with your dog; if: 1. you have a cat at home, 2. you happen to feed it raw meat with Toxoplasma gondii, 3. you then come into contact with cat feces with Toxoplasma gondii eggs or food contaminated by cat feces, 4. and eat it through fecal-oral transmission If you are pregnant at the time, you may be able to infect your fetus through the placental barrier. What are the precautions for keeping a pet during pregnancy? Can we actually have pets during pregnancy? The answer is yes. However, there are many things to keep in mind when you have a pet after pregnancy. Avoid giving raw meat to cats and avoid contact with cat feces; pay attention to hygiene, even dogs and cats that are not infected with toxoplasmosis may carry bacteria, and develop the habit of washing hands regularly. Blood tests for Toxoplasma gondii antibodies (IgG and IgM) can be taken during the preparation period or early pregnancy. If: 1. Toxoplasma gondii IgG antibodies (-), IgM antibodies (-), it means that the person has never been infected, and care should be taken to avoid all routes of infection (cat feces, raw meat, etc.) during pregnancy to prevent the impact of new infections on the fetus; 2. Toxoplasma gondii IgG antibodies (+), IgM antibodies (-) 3.Toxoplasma IgG antibody (-) and IgM antibody (+) means recent acute infection and need to be treated with medication, if you are preparing for pregnancy at this time, you need to treat well before getting pregnant. If you are already pregnant, you will need to monitor the fetus by ultrasound, amniotic fluid or umbilical cord blood sampling to decide whether to keep the fetus.