Worksheets and No Prep Teaching Resources Reading Comprehension Worksheets Miscellaneous Health Topics

Your Health and Your Pets Miscellaneous Health Topics

---

Your Health and Your Pets
Print Your Health and Your Pets Reading Comprehension with Fourth Grade Work

Print Your Health and Your Pets Reading Comprehension with Fifth Grade Work

Print Your Health and Your Pets Reading Comprehension with Sixth Grade Work

Print Your Health and Your Pets Reading Comprehension

Reading Level

	edHelper's suggested reading level:	grades 4 to 6
	Flesch-Kincaid grade level:	4.24

Vocabulary

	challenging words:		antifungal, campylobacter, choriomeningitis, distemper, henselae, jejuni, lymph, respectable, salmonella, toxoplasmosis, therefore, rabies, responsibility, ringworm, diarrhea, affected
	content words:		South Atlantic, United States, Rocky Mountain

---

Your Health and Your Pets By Jennifer Kenny

---

¹     A veterinarian came in and spoke with William's class. Dr. Jones talked to the class about the care of animals. Then the class had a question and answer session.
 
²     The last question of the visit was an interesting one. Max asked, "Can animals make a person sick?" The class chuckled because they thought that was a very silly question.
 
³     "Of course not," Maria replied. "Only other people can make you sick. How silly of you!"
 
⁴     "What makes you ask that?" Dr. Jones asked Max.
 
⁵     "My mom said her brother once got sick from a friend's dog," Max said.
 
⁶     Dr. Jones said, "Your mother is right. Both people and animals carry germs. Some of the germs animals carry can't be spread to humans; however, others can."
 
⁷     "For example," Dr. Jones continued, "animals can have distemper or heartworms. In fact, they are very common, but they can't be spread to humans."
 
⁸     "So what can hurt us, Dr. Jones?" Cathy asked.
 
⁹     "Good question," Dr. Jones said. "Sometimes pets carry ticks and fleas that might have diseases. Sometimes people can get infections from scratches or bites from animals. Sometimes touching an animal's waste can hurt a person."
 
¹⁰     "Yuck!" the class yelled.
 
¹¹     "What kind of infections could people get?" James asked.
 
¹²     "Well," Dr. Jones said. "Let's group that by type of pet. Some dogs and cats carry the Campylobacter jejuni bacteria in their intestines. If a person touches water that's been contaminated with the bacteria, it can make the person have diarrhea, abdominal pain, and fever. It can be very contagious, and a person usually needs antibiotics to get better.
 
¹³     "Then there's something called cat scratch disease. If a person is scratched or bitten by a cat carrying the Bartonella henselae bacteria, he or she may experience swollen lymph nodes, fever, headache, and tiredness. This infection will usually clear up on its own.

Paragraphs 14 to 27:
For the complete story with questions: click here for printable

---

Weekly Reading Books

Create Weekly Reading Books Prepare for an entire week at once!

---

Feedback on Your Health and Your Pets

Leave your feedback on Your Health and Your Pets   (use this link if you found an error in the story)

---

Miscellaneous Health Topics

Miscellaneous Health Topics

---

Health

Alcohol         Bicycle Safety         Circulatory System         Digestive System         Disabilities         Drugs         Excretory System         Food Pyramid         Health Professionals         Healthy Life         Hygiene         Illnesses         Medical Tools

Miscellaneous Health Topics         Muscular System         My Plate         Nervous System         Nutrition         Reproductive System         Respiratory System         Skeletal System         Teeth         The Five Senses         The Human Body         Tobacco

Copyright © 2025 edHelper