Pets and babies-- can they co-exist?
Posted 6:09pm Fri Sep 7th, 2007 by Amani
- 673 reads
my Chinese friends always seem to be so against having a pet around during pregnancy, most of them would send their pets away to a friend or relative, some of them would even just throw the pet out. i understand their concerns about the baby's health, but is that really necessary? is there a way to have both, safe and healthy?
any opinions welcomed!
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Re: Pets and babies-- can they co-exist?
It's a big taboo in the Chinese culture. I guess the extra precautions won't hurt. A lot of it has to do with the fact that some Chinese pets, not all, really don't receive all the necessary vaccinations they should for whatever reason.
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Re: Pets and babies-- can they co-exist?
If the pet is clean, has all its vaccinations, doesn't sleep in the same room as the baby, and the apartment is kept extra clean (keeping on top of shed hair and fur) I don't see the problem with having a pet and a baby
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Re: Pets and babies-- can they co-exist?
watson is right... as long as you keep your pet clean aside from having regular visits to the vets, there is no problem at all to keep a pet during pregnancy or until the baby is born.
my friend have adopted a female beagle before she got pregnant and you wouldn't believe the amazing thing that is happening now in her household. her baby boy who is now ten month old loves to play with their pet!
right, milo and kipper???
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Re: Pets and babies-- can they co-exist?
I had a dog while I was pregnant, and lots of people in my family were raised with dogs since we were born. No problems at all (except one biting my brother once, but knowing my brother he probably deserved it, heehee). They slept in the same room, we cuddled with them, etc.
Our dogs have been like brothers. My father's dog was very careful around my son when he was a baby and protected him.
Big dogs are actually more gentle, calm, and friendly than small dogs. If they're a 'smart' breed, they can control themselves very well and know exactly what they're doing. For example, my dad's big dog would play rough with me, play-biting my arm, but when my little son tried to do the same, the dog wouldn't do it! But when my son got older the dog started doing it. Gotta love animals!
CATS while PREGNANT - this has one problem. The pee in the litter pan turns to ammonia, which is bad for the pregnant mom to breathe in, but isn't a problem if she isn't too close to it when it's being all stirred up. You can have a cat & litterbox, just have DAD or someone else always clean it. (nice, huh mom?
)
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Re: Pets and babies-- can they co-exist?
we dogs love babies. Woof Woof!
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Re: Pets and babies-- can they co-exist?
Antibiotics use dramatically raises risk of asthma in infants; pet
dogs cut risk by 50 percent
Wednesday, November 14, 2007 by: David Gutierrez
(NewsTarget) Using antibiotics in the first year of life may
significantly increase a child's risk of contracting asthma by age 7,
according to a study conducted by researchers at University of
Manitoba and McGill University in Montreal and published in "CHEST,"
the journal of the American College of Chest Physicians.
The researchers examined a prescription database that included
information on 13,116 children and compared incidence of asthma with a
variety of risk factors, including antibiotic use, gender, maternal
asthma history, living location, neighborhood income, the presence of
pets in the home and the number of siblings at the age of seven.
The study concluded that those who had received antibiotics for the
treatment of a non-respiratory tract infection in their first year
were twice as likely to suffer from asthma at the age of seven than
those who had not. The higher the number of treatments, the higher the
child's risk of asthma.
Eighty-seven percent of children who had received antibiotics were
treated for respiratory tract infections. Because respiratory tract
infections early in life may be a sign of developing asthma, however,
the researchers excluded these cases from the sample in order to be
sure the effect they were observing was related only to the antibiotics.
The researchers also found that maternal history of asthma
significantly increased a child's risk of the disease. The presence of
the dog in the house during the first year of life, however, led to a
reduced risk of contracting asthma. Among children who received
multiple treatments with antibiotics, those with the dog in the house
suffered half the asthma risk of those without.
"Dogs bring germs into the home, and it is thought that this exposure
is required for the infant's immune system to develop normally. Other
research has shown that the presence of a dog in early life protects
against the development of asthma," said lead researcher Anita
Kozyrskyj. http://www.newstarget.com/022239.html
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Re: Pets and babies-- can they co-exist?
Toxoplasmosis is a concern, esp. if the pregnant mom has not had cats very long. People usually get infected by eating raw or undercooked meat. Though rarely gotten from cat feces, it is also possible via the fecal-oral route.
A primary infection (first time) during pregnancy can cause problems in the fetus. Often if a woman has had cats for any length of time, she would've already gotten the parasite at some earlier time, and her body would already have dealt with it.
But because during pregnancy a woman is a little immunocompromised, some mild and benign illnesses like this can become more serious to the developing baby.
from a website: "Loss of vision, mental retardation, loss of hearing, and death in severe cases, are the symptoms of toxoplasmosis in congenitally infected children. Ideally, women who are in frequent contact with cats should be serologically tested for Toxoplasma gondii before becoming pregnant, because, if they are already seropositive, they are not at risk of acquiring a primary, acute infection during pregnancy.
The actual number of cases of congenital toxoplasmosis in the U.S. is not known but is estimated somewhere between 400 and 4000 (I know, that's a big range). Not exactly common. Not always serious. But worth a simple antibody test, or better yet, let Dad empty the cat box, like another poster said.
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Re: Pets and babies-- can they co-exist?
I have heard that turtles are not good pets for little kids esp because they harbor the salmonella bacteria.
From
http://exoticpets.about.com/cs/reptilesturtles/a/aquaticturtles.htm
Quote:[b]Turtles and Children[/b]
Turtles are not ideal pets for children. They are not easy to care for, not great for handling, and in addition they often do harbor Salmonella bacteria which can be passed to the children who don't understand the need for careful hygiene. Many children do not have the interest or ability to provide the amount of care and cleaning that a turtle rightfully requires, so parents must realize the responsibility for care ultimately falls to them if the kids lose interest.
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Re: Pets and babies-- can they co-exist?
We've always had dogs - since before we had babies. There is no problem keeping a dog while you're pregnant - just make sure the dog is fully vaccinated, and when you get to the big and awkward belly stage, don't try to walk a large dog yourself.
We had one very high-strung dog who attacked our first baby, and we had to have the dog put to sleep - an awful, traumatic experience. After that, we researched breeds of dogs that are traditionally good with kids. We got one of those breeds, and we let all the neighborhood kids play with him and walk him when he was just a tiny puppy. He got used to being poked and prodded and climbed upon, and has always been great with kids. We never let him sleep on the beds or couches - we wanted to make sure he knew he was a dog, not a person.
When the dog is little, before you have kids, get him used to sharing his bowl. Sit next to him while he's eating and stick your hands in his bowl or pet his snout. Give him a treat and then take it away. Don't allow him to growl or protect his dish while you're doing this. He'll learn not to get snappish around his food. Of course,once you do have kids, don't let them play with his food or bug him whil he's eating.
We did all of this with our puppy - he's now the perfect dog around our kids and strange kids. Wish we could clone him.
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