Trusted Information for Healthy Pregnancies
pets
Birth Defect Risk from Insect Bites Received by Mother During Pregnancy
May 4th
A North Carolina State University researcher has discovered that bacteria transmitted by fleas-and potentially ticks-can be passed to human babies by the mother, causing chronic infections and raising the possibility of bacterially induced birth defects.
Dr. Ed Breitschwerdt, professor of internal medicine in the Department of Clinical Sciences, is among the world's leading experts on Bartonella, a bacteria that is maintained in nature by fleas, ticks and other biting insects, but which can be transmitted by infected cats and dogs as well. The most commonly known Bartonella-related illness is cat scratch disease, caused by B. henselae, a strain of Bartonella that can be carried in a cat's blood for months to years. Cat scratch disease was thought to be a self-limiting, or "one-time" infection; however, Breitschwerdt's previous work discovered cases of children and adults with chronic, blood-borne Bartonella infections-from strains of the bacteria that are most often transmitted to cats (B. henselae) and dogs (B. vinsonii subsp. berkhoffii) by fleas and other insects.
In his most recent case study, Breitschwerdt's research group tested blood and tissue samples taken over a period of years from a mother, father and son who had suffered chronic illnesses for over a decade. Autopsy samples from their daughter-the son's twin who died shortly after birth-contained DNA evidence of B. henselae and B. vinsonii subsp. berkhoffi infection, which was also found in the other members of the family.
Both parents had suffered recurring neurological symptoms including headaches and memory loss, as well as shortness of breath, muscle weakness and fatigue before the children were born. In addition, their 10-year-old son was chronically ill from birth and their daughter died due to a heart defect at nine days of age.
Results of the parents' medical histories and the microbiological tests indicated that the parents had been exposed to Bartonella prior to the birth of the twins, and finding the same bacteria in both children, one shortly after birth and the other 10 years later, indicates that they may have become infected while in utero.
"This is yet more evidence that Bartonella bacteria cause chronic intravascular infections in people with otherwise normal immune systems, infections that can span a decade or more," Breitschwerdt says. "Also this new evidence supports the potential of trans-placental infection and raises the possibility that maternal infection with these bacteria might also cause birth defects."
Source
How to Train a Baby-Friendly Dog
Jan 14th
At this stage of your pregnancy, you now have nine months or less to change your dog's behavior, to keep his world spinning on its axis, but to graduate him from number one spoiled brat to the loving, happy, welcoming family pet, you surely want.
Begin teaching your dog not to touch, destroy or bury baby toys. You begin by selecting toys for your dog that look and feel no different from your babies toys. This is important, because a dog would find it difficult to differentiate between his own, squeaky toys and the squishy toys you picked out for your son or daughter. Spend a few minutes playing with the dog and his favorite toy. When he is fairly excited at the toy, throw it away, but keep it directly in his view. Then, put a couple of baby toys on the floor and tosses into their midst. Encourage him to go get his toy, and then go nuts when he consistently chooses baby toys instead of the dog toy. Trade the right toy for a treat. Try training as often as you can, at least once a week for a month and slowly increase the number of baby toys each time.
If your dog had never been around a baby, it's a very good idea to teach them not to get excited or scared by the crying, screaming, or gurgling he's likely to experience. You can desensitize your dog to baby sounds by placing your dog in a room with a CD player, or a tape of baby noises. Sit down and relax before turning on the player. Then put one hand on the volume control and watch the dog closely. Slowly raise the vitamin to up and watch this recognition from him, typically a dog will turn his head from one side to the other or prick up one or both ears. Let the tape play for the longest possible. 24 hours will be ideal but if it is not possible, then the first exposure must be in excess of four hours. The more the tapes play over the first two days the better this works. This is the desensitization process in which a dog learns to accept the sounds.
A professional dog trainer should deal with dogs who are truly aggressive toward people and or dogs and other animals. Don't let him become obsessed with the ball or toy. A run in the mornings is a good idea, or the park might work, because dogs who exercise makes far more relaxed and happy companions who are likely to sleep the rest of the day.
Dogs learn that they can get considerable attention by jumping up and grabbing a hand or clothing. Even negative attention such as shouting or pushing a dog away. This can be dangerous when the baby is around because it would be considered playing too rough if the dog is jumping on the baby. To help the dog learn not to jump, keep a container of dog treats just outside your front door. When visitors come to your home they should each put a few treats in their pocket before coming in. Everyone should ignore all of your dog's attempts to gain attention. No looking, no talking, and no touching! Eventually fed up with being ignored, your dog will sit down or wander off. At this time, you or your visitors can quietly call for him and ask him to sit. Then, he can and get treats, but only when he stays calm.
Think about the impact on the baby smells are going to have on your dog. I suggest you get your doggies used to as many smells as you can, including baby powder, the lotion, diaper rash cream, and so on. Put a smell on a cloth, and leave it in your dogs resting area for a day. After substituting in different smells, your dog will come accustomed to normal baby smells.
One of the traditional ways to introduce the newborns to the resident dog is to let him sniff a blanket that your baby has slept on. Certainly there is no harm in doing this, and it will be the first real exposure to your baby. Leave the blanket with your dog overnight.
Source
Tips for Pregnant Pet Owners
Jan 12th
Stephanie Shain lives with her husband, Adam, two daughters, two dogs and five cats.
Everyone needs attention. So when she was pregnant with her youngest, Mia, she knew she had to get her animals used to the idea of having a new baby in the house. Because of her work with the Humane Society, she knew animals handle change slowly.
Two or three months out start making those changes, so it's not a lot of changes all at once.
That means setting up the baby's room in front of the pet, and if the pet isn't allowed in the room keep the door shut.
And know your pet. If your cat or dog is protective, try to wean yourself away but let them know they are still loved.
If you're primarily the one who walks the dog, have someone else walk the dog; if you're spending a lot of time playing with your cat every day, make sure that someone else starts playing with your cats.
And if you're pregnant and have a cat, experts say be aware of Toxoplasmosis, a disease, caused by a parasite found in cat feces. It can cause birth defects. Doctors say the disease can be avoided by practicing good hygiene.
Usually the recommendation is to get somebody else to change the litter box.
Shain says taking precautions has paid off. Five-year-old Mia loves her fuzzy house mates and they seem happy to share the house with her.
Source