{"id":410,"date":"2013-01-07T15:54:39","date_gmt":"2013-01-07T20:54:39","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.njveterinaryblog.com\/?p=410"},"modified":"2013-02-15T13:30:36","modified_gmt":"2013-02-15T18:30:36","slug":"a-new-addition-to-the-family-dr-zach-weiner","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.njveterinaryblog.com\/index.php\/news\/a-new-addition-to-the-family-dr-zach-weiner","title":{"rendered":"A New Addition To The Family (Dr. Zach Weiner)"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>When it\u2019s time to introduce your baby to your pets<\/em><\/p>\n

First of all, I hope that all of you have had a wonderful and fulfilling holiday season.\u00a0 As we start this brand new year, I can\u2019t help but reflect back on the events of this past one.\u00a0 Personally, there is no doubt that the most important event for me was the birth of our first child, a son.\u00a0 As you can probably imagine, there is no shortage of animal companions at my house.\u00a0\u00a0 For us, it was not just when two become three but rather when nine become ten.\u00a0 Yes, dear readers there were several different personalities that would need to adjust to our new noisy, bossy, little friend.\u00a0 Luckily, in this small area of new parenthood at least, we were well educated in making this introduction as smooth as possible.\u00a0 It only seems fitting that I pass on some of this wisdom to you in this blog entry.<\/p>\n

The main concern of course should be for the safety of your new baby and your pets.\u00a0 We are lucky in that our animals tend to be pretty accepting of any new rescues that tend to come through the door.\u00a0 That being said, some pets can be fearful, unpredictable, anxious or even aggressive when a new baby is brought into their home.\u00a0 It is important to be honest and aware of your pets\u2019 personality.\u00a0 Is your dog fearful around new people or reactive to loud noises?\u00a0 Does your cat soil outside the box when stressed?\u00a0 Do you have a curious critter that may be a little destructive with new household objects?\u00a0 Do you have an older pet that may be less patient with having their ear or tail pulled?\u00a0 Knowing how your pet may react will help you to prepare.\u00a0 There is no way to predict every outcome perfectly, but the more prepared you are, the better.\u00a0\u00a0 If you have any concerns that your pet may act out in an aggressive or destructive manner, please bring up your concerns with your veterinarian.\u00a0\u00a0 Your vet may be able to discuss specific training techniques, medications or even refer you to a certified behavioral specialist if necessary.<\/p>\n

That being said, I promised specific words of advice so here we go.<\/p>\n

1) Use your pets\u2019 curiosity to your advantage:<\/strong> Cats tend to be curious about everything new in their environment.\u00a0 Even if it scares them at first, they want to explore, smell, and generally check out any new thing that may alter their life.\u00a0 Many dogs feel the same way.\u00a0 In general, the more time you give a pet to adjust, the better that transition will go.\u00a0 As such, I recommend allowing your pets to explore the nursery once it is set up.\u00a0\u00a0 In addition, ask for an extra set of hospital clothes that was worn by your newborn during his or her stay (or just an extra hat).\u00a0 Have a family member or friend leave the clothing in a conspicuous area of the house before you bring your bundle of joy home.\u00a0 Your pets are sure to smell the clothing and thus be more familiar with you baby before the big day.<\/p>\n

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\u00a0I would also recommend, if possible, allowing the pets to greet your child during a quiet time on their terms.\u00a0 Do not put the baby in their face or corner them while holding the baby.<\/p>\n

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If your pet gets anxious, keep an eye out for worsening of symptoms when your baby gets fussy.\u00a0 If this really upsets your furry companion, you may be able to distract him or her with a treat during loud times or perform a temporary separation until things quiet down.\u00a0 Never leave your child unsupervised with your dog no matter the size or your level of trust.<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0 This is as much for you dogs\u2019 protection as your baby\u2019s (especially during the toddler years).\u00a0\u00a0 Mother\u2019s should also be sure to pay close attention to how your pets react when you are alone with the baby whether you are nursing, soothing or simply sitting with him or her.\u00a0 Some pets will get protective of mother and baby.\u00a0 This needs to be taken into consideration especially by a well meaning father bringing in coffee or tea late at night.\u00a0 Others may elicit social confusion symptoms towards the baby (often mistaken for jealousy), which will need to be recognized and addressed as soon as possible.\u00a0 As time goes by, you will learn how comfortable your pets are with the baby and which areas still need work.<\/p>\n

2) Have methods to separate your pet and baby safely<\/strong>:\u00a0 As I mentioned previously, we had MANY cats and two dogs who would be sharing space with our little man.\u00a0 Even though I wanted them to know he was coming and be comfortable with that, I also wanted a safe and clean space just for my son.\u00a0 As such, we installed iron safety gates at the doors and a monitor so we could shut the door at night to keep the cats out of the room.<\/p>\n

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While I am a firm believer that the fear of cats smothering sleeping babies is nothing more than an urban legend, it is better if they find other areas of the house to sleep.\u00a0 Alternatively, there are some owners will install screen doors at the nursery entrance to allow their pets to see and smell the newborn but still maintain a barrier.<\/p>\n

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This is pretty cool if you have the resources for such a thing.\u00a0 Since our cats, like many feline friends, will try to make a bed out of anything, we did strategically cover certain objects like the bassinet and changing table with towels or blankets to minimize cat hair and debris on the furniture.\u00a0 Our personal choice in the household is to not worry too much about hair on the furniture (\u201cdenial\u201d is not just a river in Egypt \ud83d\ude42 ), but we try to be a little stricter for the baby.\u00a0 If members of your family are especially sensitive to pet hair or dander, the use of a HEPA air filter may also be helpful.<\/p>\n

\u00a03) Do not try to \u201cmake it up\u201d to your pets:\u00a0 <\/strong>One of the most common mistakes that owners make during this transition time is to try to shower their pets with extra love and affection when the baby is not around.\u00a0 It is easy to see how this happens.\u00a0 A new mom or dad feels guilty that Fido is not getting as much attention.\u00a0 To counteract this, the well-meaning owner gives extra treats or pats\/hugs after the baby is asleep or away.\u00a0 The goal is to reinforce to the pet that he or she is still very much loved, which is noble.\u00a0 Unfortunately, that is not how your dog (or less often cat) sees it.\u00a0 From his or her
\nperspective it is very simple.\u00a0 When this new loud creature is gone I get treats, love and life is amazing.\u00a0 When the crying new addition is around I get nothing.\u00a0 This leads to a very real and sometimes dangerous conclusion in your pet\u2019s mind; when baby is around life is bad.\u00a0 I am certainly not recommending that you ignore your pets when your baby is asleep.\u00a0 Rather be sure to reward them and praise them when the baby is around ESPECIALLY if they are being friendly or quiet.\u00a0 This will lead to a conclusion that the little addition means rewards, which make him or her great!<\/p>\n

4) Parasite control and zoonotic risks<\/strong>:<\/p>\n

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Close-up of a hookworm’s mouth<\/p><\/div>\n

Parasite control is also very important.\u00a0 Dogs and cats (even if indoor only) can acquire intestinal parasites, fleas, and heartworms. Did you know that about 15% of all potting soil used for indoor plants contains eggs for roundworms? \u00a0My cats love to dig around our plants constantly, how about yours? Intestinal worms such as roundworm and hookworm are zoonotic (which means they can be passed to people) and fleas can bite people or carry diseases that your baby may have trouble fighting off. \u00a0Therefore, all of our cats are given a medication on their skin called Revolution every month to prevent the infestations mentioned above.\u00a0Similarly, our dogs are given a heartworm pill\u00a0(to prevent intestinal worms, flea eggs, and heartworm) and a topical solution to kill ticks and adult fleas every month.\u00a0 I have heard many owners voice concerns about applying chemicals to their pets, especially in the presence of children. \u00a0I understand this concern now more than ever.\u00a0 The medications that we are using, however, are extremely safe and they are not harmful to people when applied to the pet correctly.\u00a0 There are many over-the-counter flea\/tick medications that are<\/em> dangerous, though, so I recommend sticking with what is recommended by your veterinarian. \u00a0There are real risks for a child to acquire roundworm, hookworm, tick-borne diseases or flea-borne diseases. \u00a0These diseases are easily prevented, however, with proper medication and hygiene.\u00a0 So do not surrender your beloved furry companion just because you will have a little one crawling around, just be sure that everyone in your house is protected.<\/p>\n

In summary, bringing a new baby can be a busy time with a lot of new worries and concerns.\u00a0 Hopefully, by planning ahead and considering the advice provided, some of these can be alleviated.\u00a0 Of course, if anything comes up or you have specific questions or concerns, don\u2019t hesitate to contact us at the hospital.\u00a0 As your veterinarians, we are dedicated to ensuring that the bond you share with your pets strengthens in the new phase of your family\u2019s life and that your children get to enjoy your pets as well.<\/p>\n

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Zachary Weiner, DVM<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

When it\u2019s time to introduce your baby to your pets First of all, I hope that all of you have had a wonderful and fulfilling holiday season.\u00a0 As we start this brand new year, I can\u2019t help but reflect back on the events of this past one.\u00a0 Personally, there is no doubt that the most important event for me was the birth of our first child, a son.\u00a0 As you can probably imagine, there is no shortage of animal companions at my house.\u00a0\u00a0 For us, it was not just when two become three but rather when nine become ten.\u00a0 Yes, dear readers there were several different personalities that would need […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3,17,5],"tags":[28,27,29,30,32,31],"class_list":["post-410","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news","category-ocvh-specific","category-pet-health","tag-babaies-and-dogs","tag-babies-and-pets","tag-kids-and-pets","tag-new-baby-an-pet","tag-pet-family","tag-pets-with-baby"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.njveterinaryblog.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/410","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.njveterinaryblog.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.njveterinaryblog.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.njveterinaryblog.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.njveterinaryblog.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=410"}],"version-history":[{"count":30,"href":"https:\/\/www.njveterinaryblog.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/410\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":450,"href":"https:\/\/www.njveterinaryblog.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/410\/revisions\/450"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.njveterinaryblog.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=410"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.njveterinaryblog.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=410"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.njveterinaryblog.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=410"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}