Babies and Pets

How will your four-legged friend will adapt to your new arrival?

Pregnancy safety

For mothers-to-be, the thing to remember is to avoid contact with any excrement.

Expectant mothers should never clean out litter trays or do any gardening in places where cats or dogs may have left their discharges.

This is to avoid a dangerous disease called toxoplasmosis, which can affect the eyes and brains of unborn babies, leading to problems later in life.

Things to do before the baby is born

Your Pet:

• Make sure all vaccinations are up-to-date for both dogs and cats.

• Send a blanket home from the hospital so your pet can get used to the baby's scent.

• Once the baby arrives, give your pet lots of attention, special toys, or treats when your child is in the same room.

• Make sure pets are checked for internal parasites, including roundworms, hookworms, whipworms, tapeworms, and heartworms.

• Set up the baby's room early.

• Make the nursery off-limits. Paws on or in a crib can waken baby. Worse yet-cats seeking a snug spot to sleep can suffocate a child by sitting on baby's face.

• Make sure you have enough heartworm prevention, flea preparations as well as any necessary drugs the pet may need on hand for a few months past your due date. Ask your veterinarian about the one-a-month heartworm preventatives (dogs) and flea control products (dogs and cats).

• Begin introducing your pet to the idea that a change is coming:

1. Introduce the nursery to the pet. Expose pet to "baby" smells, i.e. baby lotion or powder.
2. Practice cuddling with a doll, devoting your attention to it, and monitor reactions of the dog or cat.
3. Ask friends their opinion of your pet; have they noticed any particular changes of attitude?
4. Let your pet have experience around babies, toddlers, and children.
5. Tape baby's crying and play those sounds.
6. OBEDIENCE TRAIN YOUR PET!!!
7. If your pet does things now that you don't want him to do later, i.e., sleep with you, jump up on you, etc., start correcting those behaviors.

Your Baby:

• Set up the baby's room early.

• Introduce your pet to the baby. Tell your pet the baby's name and watch your pet's reaction closely.

• Do not leave your baby alone with your pet-not even for a minute.

• Once you are convinced that your pet has accepted the baby and your infant is old enough, let them interact. Teach your baby to touch your pet gently. While your pet should not lick the baby's face, it is okay for them to touch.

So what should parents do to make sure they have a harmonious household?

Dogs

Get an indoor kennel so your dog has somewhere to hide while in the house. Create routines, such as going for walks at a certain time.

When your baby arrives, you will have less time for your dog. So make sure the time you spend with him or her is quality time.

Why dogs attack

People commonly believe dogs attack because they feel their status in the pack is being threatened.
It's a known problem for dogs to attack newborn babies and small children. People put it down to jealousy, but dogs don't actually get jealous - it's a human emotion.

Cats

Cats can also suffer when a baby arrives. Rather than an attack response, you are likely to see a change in general mood. Cats are sensitive to changes in territory, and once your baby arrives they will suddenly find their environment is being used in a new way. They may no longer be allowed in certain rooms, there will be strange new smells and sounds, and people will be spending more time in the house.

Some cats will run away to a quiet room with the least disturbance; others may insist on going into the rooms they've always used. They might reassert themselves by changing from facial gland marking to urine spraying.

Before your baby is born, it's a good idea to get the cat used to not going in certain rooms. Choose a specific room where you'll be able to play with the cat and have quality time away from your baby.

Peter also recommends getting a climbing centre with a nice secure box at the top, so your cat will be able to jump up out of the way and hide if necessary.

Things to do when the baby comes home:

• Consider boarding the pet or having a neighbor come by to give the dog some extra attention while the primary focus is on you and your newest member. There will be a lot of traffic in and out of the house the first week or so.

• Send home a garment the baby has worn in the hospital to acclimate the dog to the new smell.

• If the pet jumps up on you or is bonded to the person who will be holding the baby when you enter your home, let the "unbonded" person hold the baby.

• Begin a gradual introduction, with a leash, 2 people, the baby and a lot of praise.

• Look for protective signs from the pet: guarding food and water bowls, guarding toys, etc. The crawling baby may enter territory that could set up aggressive behavior from the pet.

• Never leave the pet alone with the baby initially.

• Toddlers using pets as a guide to walking could be in trouble. Some pets do not like the aggressive position a toddler assumes when the toddler holds onto the dog's shoulders.

• Beware of all exotic pets, esp. ferrets.

Firstly, the baby may be using something the dog is used to having. For example, the infant could be on a chair the dog likes to sit on.

The dog will ask the baby to move using body language, which the baby, of course, doesn't understand. When the baby doesn't move, the dog will snap.

To another dog, this snap would be the equivalent to a light slap, but to a baby with soft skin and no fur, it is a serious wound.

Hunter instinct

Secondly, the baby may be seen as prey. A baby squeaks and gurgles, waves its arms around and stares with big eyes.

This can trigger the hunting instinct in dogs, causing them to try to harm the baby.

A bad reaction

Despite your best efforts, your pet may still have problems adapting to baby. Correct your pet immediately if it hisses, growls, or snaps at the baby. Put them in separate rooms temporarily, reacquainting them when you feel your pet is ready. Still, you must never punish the animal.

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All the efforts used to incorporate the pet and the baby into the family will be fairly rewarded. The result will be to enlarge the family and not separate it.