A three-year-old Brandon boy is hospitalized with E. coli.

Isaiah Peters' kidneys stopped working while suffering the strain of E. coli.

His family suspects he got sick after visiting a traveling petting zoo in Brandon three weeks ago.

After suffering some flu-like symptoms, his parents, Jon and Anne, soon had to fly him to Minneapolis Children's Hospital.

And the experience has been terrifying for his grandmother, Pam Hanson, of Inwood, Iowa.

"It's very scary. You know, wash your hands. Sanitize. I guess that's what it's about."

Doctors told Hanson, Isaiah should be out of the hospital in about a month's time.

At the Great Plains Zoo, there are a half dozen different types of animals that kids can feed and pet. And after petting and feeding these different types of animals, kids can come right around the corner and get some hand sanitizer to stop the spread of germs.

At any petting zoo, cows, llamas, and donkeys are not only a must-see, but a must-touch too.

However, animals often carry a dangerous bacteria called E. coli.

Humans carry C. coli, but it's passed through our system when we go to the bathroom.

It's the same thing with these types of animals.

"We have the advantage of being able to wash our hands after we defecate and animals can't do that," said Avera McGreevy Clinic Dr. Rick A. Kooima.

So when kids touch these guys, there's a good chance E. coli could be hanging out on their hands.

That's why it's extremely important to wash your hands or use hand sanitizer after petting animals.