Important Fact: Dogs and cats have their own special type of Helicobacter in their stomach. As pups, dogs catch it from their mother and have gastritis. When they grow up the Helicobacter appears to be pretty harmless. However, DOG AND CAT HELICOBACTERS HAVE BEEN FOUND IN HUMANS. Don’t let dogs lick you or your children on the face and mouth (nor cats).
The picture on the right is a dog helicobacter (H.Helmanii) from a patient of Dr. Marshall’s who kept two red setters in his house all his life.
The animal helicobacters can be detected on biopsy, or with urease tests or breath tests. Next time your cat has “fur balls” , think again. It could be Helicobacters! You might try giving the cat some Pepto-Bismol, 2 mls in a syringe three times per day for two days.
Dr. Adrian Lee. Dr. Hazell at his lab was the
first person to culture the cat helicobacter called H.felis.
US expert on mysterious
new helicobacter is Dr. Jim Fox of MIT.