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Dogs and Kids
A common scenario is for a couple with a dog
to be worried about how it will adjust to a new baby. From
a dog's point of view a baby is noisy, smells funny and usually
means a significant loss of attention. Here are some tips:
- Don't give the dog extra time or attention
while waiting for the baby - it will only make the loss
worse and more associated with the baby's arrival. If anything,
decrease time spent with your dog.
- If any house rules are going to change,
such as access to rooms or furniture or the location of
feeding dishes, do this before
the baby is born. This is also the best time for a refresher
obedience course.
- When the baby is brought home allow the
pet to gradually get used to the sound and smell of this
new little person.
Most serious problems occur when the infant
turns into a toddler that can
chase and pull ears and tails. Even an attempt to pat will
usually mean pulling a handful of hair. Realize that this
will happen and get your dog used to it by being a bit rougher
when you groom or handle him. Teach your child gentleness
and respect for other living
creatures.
Some dogs have personalities that enable them to adjust well
to children. Others, especially fearful or dominent dogs,
will have more problems. Regardless who came first, kids and
pets are a great combination - but they should ALWAYS be supervised!
Just as two well mannered children can have a fight and kick
and bite, even the best dog can get annoyed or hurt and snap
back!
Pets need
to be taught to respect children,
but children should also be taught to respect pets!
Toxoplasma gondii is a protozoan parasite of
cats that can be of some concern to pregnant women. It is
a relatively common parasite that can be carried and shed
by cats in their feces. It can cause mild flu-like symptoms
in people. But, if a woman that has never
been exposed to toxoplasmosis previously, acquires
the infection during pregnancy,
it can cause birth defects, stillbirths and miscarriage.
This DOES NOT mean that you must get rid of
your cat if you are pregnant. It does mean that there are
some precautions you should take.
First, ask your doctor about having a blood test done to see
if you've already been exposed or not - if you have then you
don't need to worry. If you haven't then fortunately it can
be easily avoided. Here are some tips:
- Keep your cat free of infection by feeding
only cat food (no raw meat)
and keep him indoors so hunting is eliminated. Keep any
children's sandboxes covered.
- Since FRESH feces
pose very little risk, clean the litter box and change
cat litter daily. If possible, someone other than the expectant
mom should have this responsibility.
- Do not eat raw or undercooked meat.
Any vegetables that could come
into contact with cat feces (do any cats "go"
in your garden?) should be washed well.
- Wear gloves and wash hands after changing
litter, working in the garden or handling raw meat and vegetables.
It should be noted that the main risk
to pregnant women is contact through undercooked
meat and unwashed vegetables.
Petting your feline friend and even handling fresh cat feces
poses very little risk.
Bartonellosis
is caused by the bacteria Bartonella henselae. It is also
known as Cat Scratch Disease or Cat Scratch Fever and is an
infectious disease of humans.
The cat becomes infected with the causative organism, but
it does not appear to produce any disease in the cat. Very
little is known or understood about the role of the cat as
a reservoir for this disease.
This is generally a mild
disease in humans. Many people experience fever, chills,
and lethargy which last only a few days. Unless the skin test
is performed or the organism is cultured, it may be diagnosed
as influenza. However, the more severe forms of the disease
will produce very high fevers, marked lethargy, anorexia,
and swollen lymph nodes, usually in the axillae (armpit) or
groin. The lymph nodes may enlarge to the point of rupturing
or they may need to be opened surgically to establish drainage
and relieve pain.
In many cases, the disease is self-limiting
and requires little or no treatment.
It runs a course of several days to several weeks and then
subsides. In others, antibiotics, pain medication, and bed
rest may be indicated.
The cat is likely involved because many (but
not all) cases of CSD are preceded by a cat scratch. Our best
understanding of the cat's involvement is as follows:
- The cat is almost always a kitten;
adults are rarely involved.
- The cat appears to be contagious for only
about 2-3 weeks.
- Declawing does not appear to decrease the
transmission. The organism lives in the cat's mouth and
can be
transmitted to the paws by grooming.
One should be very concerned about a family
member having CSD. However, indefinitely banning cats from
one's household is generally not warranted. It has been shown
that less than 10% of family members scratched by the same
cat develop the disease. In addition, there has not been a
person recorded as having had the disease twice.
PREVENTION
At present, there is no available test to determine
which cats carry the CSD organism. General considerations
are as follows:
- Declawing is not
generally considered useful since the organism may be transmitted
by contact alone.
- When a kitten is involved, the likelihood
of spreading the organism decreases as the kitten matures.
- Euthanasia is not
indicated because the involved cat is usually healthy.
- If a cat does scratch or bite, wash
the wound thoroughly with soap and water and, if
indicated, contact a
physician.
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Always contact a
physician whenever an immune-deficient person receives
any animal scratch or bite
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