Some weeks ago, the social media was rife with news of some ladies having sex with dogs for N1 million or N2 million in the Lekki area of Lagos State. News of people having sex with animals is uncommon and very shocking.
There are many reasons for the act. It could be for fun, pornographic content, money ritual and other monetary gains. Whatever it is, sex with animals, termed bestiality, carries grave consequences healthwise.
This piece will share the following:
- Health risks of having sex with animals
- What happens when dog sperm meets human egg
- Diseases caused by animals to humans
- Can dogs get sexually attracted to humans?
- Sexually transmitted diseases from animals to humans
Health risks of having sex with animals
Below are the top 6 health risks of having sex with animals:
Rabies
Rabies is contracted when a human has sexual intercourse with infected dogs, horses and cats. Most rabies cases have been connected with humans having sex with their pet dogs. Rabies affects the human nervous system and can be fatal if not treated immediately. It cannot be treated once the symptoms appear.
Penile cancer
This disease occurs in men who have sex with animals. Penile cancer refers to cancer cells forming in the tissues of the penis, especially the foreskins or glans. The cancer cells are also found on the shaft of the penis.
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Leptospirosis
Leptospirosis is a bacterial disease found in the urine of infected animals. It can be transmitted to humans during sexual intercourse. Leptospirosis also causes meningitis for any human in sexual contact with an infected animal. Meningitis is a deadly disease and causes about 10% of deaths in severe cases.
Echinococcosis
This is a parasite of tapeworms found in the faeces of dogs, cats and sheep. The disease is often asymptomatic and will not manifest until a few years. Echinococcosis has two major types – Cystic and Alveolar. Cystic echinococcosis is a 2–7 millimetre long tapeworm found in dogs and sheep, cattle, goats, and pigs. Alveolars are tiny tapeworms called Echinococcus multilocularis found in foxes, coyotes, dogs, and sometimes rodents. Other less common types are Polycystic and Unicystic. These diseases can be transmitted to the human lungs, liver, brain, kidney, etc. They are fatal.
Injury
Some animals have large sexual organs which do not match the human sexual anatomy. Large animals that are sexually aroused can violently thrust without control, thereby causing injury or injuries. For instance, the reproductive organ of a dog is like a light bulb which can injure a vagina during intercourse. A horse’ sexual organ is so large that it causes tears and injuries when a human has sex with it.
Allergic reaction
This happens when the cells in the human body react negatively to foreign substances. Animal semen is foreign to the human body, leading to a severe allergy called anaphylaxis. Anaphylaxis is an extreme reaction which causes the immune system to release a flood of chemicals that can make the infected person go into shock. According to Mayo Clinic, the person’s blood pressure drops suddenly, and breathing becomes very difficult as the airway narrows. Other signs of anaphylaxis include skin rashes, nausea and vomiting. It is a deadly illness.
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What happens when dog sperm meets a human egg?
Humans and dogs cannot procreate because they have very different sets of DNA. When a human and dog mate, the sperm cannot fertilize the egg. In rare cases when this occurs, the offspring will remain infertile.
Scientifically, human and dog genes are the same, but they are regulated differently. According to Immunologist Amanda Jacobson, every living thing has a genome like a list of individual instructions called genes. Each specie has a unique genome which is why people have two legs and two arms while dogs have four legs, fur and tail. The genomes are broken down into sections called chromosomes. Humans have about 23 pairs of chromosomes, while dogs have 39 pairs. The closest to the human species are chimpanzees which have about 24 pairs, and even these animals cannot reproduce with humans.
The number and organization of chromosomes are essential for an embryo to develop. Chromosomes need to line up in the right numbers so that each can move into a new cell. Since a dog’s chromosomes are higher than the human’s, procreation cannot happen. They don’t match.
The procreation process happens in a specific order. To make sure the order happens in the right way, genes have to be turned on and off in particular amounts and on different levels called transcription factors. A half-man, half-dog, is virtually impossible because the chromosomes between dogs and humans don’t match.
Diseases caused by animals to humans
Diseases that animals transmit to humans are called Zoonotic diseases. These are:
- Rabies: A viral disease transmitted from dogs, cats, and horses to humans causes madness and convulsions.
- Salmonella: An intestinal disease transmitted from reptiles like snakes, lizards and amphibians like frogs and toads to humans. Chicks and donkeys also transmit salmonella to humans, especially children.
- Psittacosis (Chlamydophila psattaci): An illness that affects pet birds like parrots. These birds can transmit the disease when a person inhales organisms around them, kisses their beaks or bodies or handle their faeces.
- Cat scratch disease: Transmitted to humans through cat bites and scratches. Most infected humans don’t develop symptoms, and mild cases can go without treatment.
- Trichinosis: The disease is caused by roundworms in wild animals. Humans are infected if they don’t cook these animals properly before eating.
- Ebola: A deadly viral disease transmitted from monkeys and fruit bats to humans.
- Leptospirosis: Already explained previously.
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Can dogs get sexually attracted to humans?
Dogs cannot get sexually attracted to humans because they are not genetically compatible. As already stated above, humans’ and dogs’ DNA structures are different.
Also, dogs don’t get aroused the way humans do. Humans are ruled by logic and reasoning, which is why an aroused person can have sex out of lust or to reproduce. Dogs are purely ruled by instinct which revolves around reproduction. A male dog is strictly aroused when a female releases hormones called pheromones. The pheromones indicate the female is in heat and ready to conceive.
Sexually transmitted diseases from animals to humans
There are three known sexually transmitted diseases from animals to humans. They are:
- Gonorrhoea: A sexually transmitted disease that came from cattle to humans.
- Syphilis: Sexually transmitted from cattle or sheep to humans.
- HIV: Transmitted from chimpanzees to humans.
Conclusion
Humans having sex with animals should never be encouraged. Apart from the health risks, it is illegal, which can land anyone practising it into serious trouble.
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