Pets and pregnancy

DrillSergeantCat

I've done the research on toxoplasmosis since I have 2 cats and I know that it's highly unlikely that I'd get it because they're indoor cats but I still wear gloves when cleaning the litter box. My problem is my boyfriend just discovered his dog has worms. I'm going to call my doctor in the morning, but in the meantime do any of you know if I should be taking any precautions with the dog?

22snc12

I have two dogs now and have always had dogs. One of my Jack Russells had tapeworms when we got him as a puppy. You would have to ingest the eggs or any other stage of the life cycle, just as the dogs would. Just for piece of mind I wouldn't let the dog lick your face until after he/she is dewormed, even though that would still be highly unlikely you'd get it from the dog kiss (he'd have to have it in his mouth basically). It's important to make sure the poop gets picked up immediately though and disposed of, so he doesn't risk getting them again once he/she is wormed.

DrillSergeantCat

Thank you. I googled but didn't see much about it. I'll not be messing with his poop, but I'll make sure my boyfriend keeps the yard clean.

22snc12

You're welcome! If you can have him do it, I envy you just for that lol. My husband won't even pick it up if there's a pile and he has to mow lol. I have to pick it up. If it were me I wouldn't be worried. There's actually a neighborhood cat who keeps pooping in our yard like the dogs do, and I wonder if that might affect me.

DrillSergeantCat

It's his dog and my house. I told him before he moved in that I didn't want my yard covered in poop like his was.

FreshBakedBrownies

What type of intestinal parasite is it? Most are fecal-oral transmission. Definitely don't eat his poop!

Hopefully the dog is being treated right away. I would want your boyfriend to go out with him every time and pick up the poop right away. For several of most common intestinal parasites, there is extra deworming medication in the monthly heartworm prevention to keep it from being a recurring problem.

DrillSergeantCat

lol @ss456 definitely not eating the poop! With all the hullabaloo surrounding moving and baby, he forgot to give him his heartworm medication. He said that the older poop he picked up had little worms, but the new poop didn't so I'm thinking maybe it was maggots instead. 

AmandaSan

Depending on how big the dog is (mine is 45 lbs.) you need to make sure it learns to stop jumping up on you (my dog never seemed to learn this.)  When you get bigger, the dog can make you lose your balance and can also jump up on your bump by accident when you're lying on the couch, etc. (don't know if you allow pets on the furniture or not.)  The most important "precaution" to take with both the cats and dog is to make them aware they will no longer be your only babies :-)

DrillSergeantCat

He's an 80 pound boxer but he doesn't jump unless you ask him to. He's very well trained.

cognity8

Hello bumpers, Ill apologize for being mostly a lurker... Im a FTM and I'm not very active online. I do want to contribute to this thread because I feel very strongly on this issue. My fiancé has a 75-80lb boxer dog that is much bigger than any pet I've ever had. He is aggressive in the sense that he wants to sit on your lap and be loved on 24/7. I did not get to train him and fiancé did not do a very good job establishing dominance. It's been a rough time but I've finally established alpha over him. (He's 7). Despite my constant training, he still gets so excited over things that he forgets his own strength and has scratched me, drawing blood, multiple times. These are things out of my control like the door bell or outside dog barking. I have raised my concerns with fiancé about having a baby around and he says our dog will have a "sixth sense" about these things and not be a problem. I can't shake the nightmare of the door bell ringing and my baby getting trampled in the mad dash to see who's at the door. Any experience? Tips? Thoughts? Sorry if it's hijacking your thread, please let me know if I should post somewhere else....

DrillSergeantCat

@cognity8 - you're fine. Good question. Our boxer actually obeys me better than he does my boyfriend. He does get super excited when the door opens though. I'd suggest not having the baby on the floor while the dog is in the house.

FreshBakedBrownies

@DrillSergeantCat - yeah, if it was old poop in the yard, it could just be maggots or worms attracted to his poo while it sat. That's common.
Probably best to bring in a fecal sample and have it checked though!

FreshBakedBrownies

@cognity8 not all dogs are going to magically know to be calm and gentle around a baby. Some do great, but it seems very risky just to hope for the best.
It sounds to me like he needs to be trained to not jump up and scratch and to not react to the doorbell, barking or other sounds outside. I'd get an in-home dog trainer to come to your house, witness the issues and come up with a plan to work on it now.

Monkeybutt80

ss456 said:

@cognity8 not all dogs are going to magically know to be calm and gentle around a baby. Some do great, but it seems very risky just to hope for the best. It sounds to me like he needs to be trained to not jump up and scratch and to not react to the doorbell, barking or other sounds outside. I'd get an in-home dog trainer to come to your house, witness the issues and come up with a plan to work on it now.

Absolutely this. I think now is the time to address the issue and correct the behavior, to avoid having to take drastic measures like giving up the dog when the baby comes. I believe that with a good training plan, and consistency, you can correct any behavior problems of dogs, especially larger ones with bigger brain capacity. And who knows, this dog could become your baby's best friend. 

cognity8

Thank you ss456, that's a good idea. He is trained not to jump- he just doesn't watch where he's stepping and tramples my feet

cognity8

@DrillSergeantCat interesting how your dog also listens to you better. Male or female? My fiancé is a little naive when it comes to dogs. His parents are the same way and I will not let them babysit because of it. They have a bulldog that they let just jump all over you and think it's cute.

FreshBakedBrownies

The do make Soft Paws (little rubber nail caps that you glue on) big enough for dogs too. (Most people are familiar with them for cats, as an option instead of declawing). It could prevent scratches, but they have to be replaced as they fall off every couple weeks.
But really, it sounds like you have enough concerns that you need to address all the issues with a trainer now.

DrillSergeantCat

cognity8 said:

@DrillSergeantCat interesting how your dog also listens to you better. Male or female? My fiancé is a little naive when it comes to dogs. His parents are the same way and I will not let them babysit because of it. They have a bulldog that they let just jump all over you and think it's cute.

Male dog. Last night I ate dinner alone because SO was still at work and the dog, Youki, kept walking up to the table staring (his way of begging). I firmly said no and told him to go lay down while pointing at his bed. He hung his head, but did it. When SO got home and was eating his dinner the same thing happened with Youki begging for food. He firmly said no and told Youki to lay down and Youki just stood there looking the other direction. I told him to go lay down while pointing at his bed and he went.

22snc12

ss456 said:

@DrillSergeantCat - yeah, if it was old poop in the yard, it could just be maggots or worms attracted to his poo while it sat. That's common.
Probably best to bring in a fecal sample and have it checked though!

We did this with the puppy we adopted from the humane society. He was wormed there and then a week after we had him I went out in the morning and saw white rice like worms. Most like was from the flies, because I took his poop in and the vet said no worms.

brushesnbrunch

DrillSergeantCat said:

I've done the research on toxoplasmosis since I have 2 cats and I know that it's highly unlikely that I'd get it because they're indoor cats but I still wear gloves when cleaning the litter box. My problem is my boyfriend just discovered his dog has worms. I'm going to call my doctor in the morning, but in the meantime do any of you know if I should be taking any precautions with the dog?

I thought the concern with toxoplasmosis was breathing in the particles, not just touching it?

DrillSergeantCat

brushesnbrunch said:

DrillSergeantCat said:

I've done the research on toxoplasmosis since I have 2 cats and I know that it's highly unlikely that I'd get it because they're indoor cats but I still wear gloves when cleaning the litter box. My problem is my boyfriend just discovered his dog has worms. I'm going to call my doctor in the morning, but in the meantime do any of you know if I should be taking any precautions with the dog?

I thought the concern with toxoplasmosis was breathing in the particles, not just touching it?

It is, but the biggest concern is when dealing with outdoor or indoor/outdoor cats. Mine are strictly indoor and, therefore, not eating rats and birds that have toxoplasmosis.

FreshBakedBrownies

Toxoplasmosis is transmitted by fecal-oral routes. You'd have to eat cat poop with sporulated toxo oocytes in it. It takes more than a day for the toxo to sporulate and become infective. So generally, if you clean the box every day, wear gloves if you'd like and wash your hands before eating, you're fine.
https://m.humanesociety.org/animals/resources/tips/toxoplasmosis.html#

Edited for typo

jaimeruns

My biggest problem with my dog is his jumping up and almost punching me in the tummy. I am trying to train him not to do it by turning away and ignoring him, he doesn't like that.

We actually just kicked my brother's dog out the other day (and my brother moved out with him, but I'm not complaining) because he barks at night and wakes me up, and I'm already not getting enough sleep. But he had to go anyway before the baby came because he bites and is really mean. Good riddance.

paytonpedro

Everyone seems to think my dogs are going to be problem when the baby comes (3 dogs not weighing 30# total). They're my babies, but with 3 they don't get attention all day everyday anyways. When they want some lovin they come find H or I. They don't like kids, but I'm not giving birth to a 5 year old. I feel like by the time my child is old enough to really interact with them, that they'll be used to him/her. And once that baby starts feeding them (intentionally or not) they'll be best friends! I'm so not worried about mine, although everyone else is.

As for pp, I def agree that getting a trainer now to desensitize them with doorbell/other dogs barking ect. is the thing to do. Also I'd suggest making/ buying a sign for the door, there are really cute ones on Pinterest, I'll put one below.

salixjoy38

I'm not worried about my dog and kids themselves, but I am thinking of getting some training this fall because she still pulls on the leash while walking and it drives me crazy. I can only imagine how annoying/dangerous it would be if she does that while wearing the baby or pushing a stroller. It's not sled dog style but it's still enough to feel like it will be a problem.

rainbowminion

cognity8 said:

Hello bumpers, Ill apologize for being mostly a lurker... Im a FTM and I'm not very active online. I do want to contribute to this thread because I feel very strongly on this issue. My fiancé has a 75-80lb boxer dog that is much bigger than any pet I've ever had. He is aggressive in the sense that he wants to sit on your lap and be loved on 24/7. I did not get to train him and fiancé did not do a very good job establishing dominance. It's been a rough time but I've finally established alpha over him. (He's 7). Despite my constant training, he still gets so excited over things that he forgets his own strength and has scratched me, drawing blood, multiple times. These are things out of my control like the door bell or outside dog barking. I have raised my concerns with fiancé about having a baby around and he says our dog will have a "sixth sense" about these things and not be a problem. I can't shake the nightmare of the door bell ringing and my baby getting trampled in the mad dash to see who's at the door. Any experience? Tips? Thoughts? Sorry if it's hijacking your thread, please let me know if I should post somewhere else....

I would strongly suggest finding a good positive reinforcement trainer. There are still old school trainers using dominance (alpha) theory, but really it's been pretty thoroughly debunked. The science is strong behind positive reinforcement. It might take a bit for it to click, especially with an older dog. But once it does it's really amazing. Well, that's my soapbox for today. I hope you find a great trainer to help your dog get along beautifully with your new baby!

Miss Lilac

I'm going to second the positive reinforcement trainer. There's really no such thing as "establishing alpha" with your dog.

I also want to to note that it's you and your SO's responsibility to ensure that *YOU'RE* not putting the dog in an uncomfortable position with the baby. It is not the dog's responsibility to suddenly be accountable for his behavior because there's a baby in the house. Get some baby gates and keep them separated to start with, and for the love of all that is holy do not try and lay them together and force them to cuddle or something. Your dog's behavior is only a result of the attention that has been put into him and there's no need to set him up for failure by requiring him to be some sort of babysitter now.

sarame500

salixjoy38 said:

I'm not worried about my dog and kids themselves, but I am thinking of getting some training this fall because she still pulls on the leash while walking and it drives me crazy. I can only imagine how annoying/dangerous it would be if she does that while wearing the baby or pushing a stroller. It's not sled dog style but it's still enough to feel like it will be a problem.

We adopted our lab when she was about 2.5 years old.  She was a stray for part of that time, so she was very independent.  Needless to say, she was a challenge on her daily walks.  We used a "gentle leader" to train her to walk beside/behind us.  It attaches to the leash and goes around the dog's snout.  When the dog gets ahead of you or starts to pull, you quickly tug.  We also gave our dog a command when we had to correct her ("easy").  After a few months, we were able to take the gentle leader away and she walks calmly beside us about 95% of the time.  We still use the command, but she no longer needs the physical correction.  

Some people think that the gentle leader is the same as a muzzle or that it's cruel, but the trainers at the humane society said the area around the snout where the leader lies is actually a calming pressure point.  They are about $20 at pet stores or a little cheaper on Amazon.  I would try that before paying a trainer.  Your dog will more than likely hate it at first.  My dog tried to get it off several times.  After a few weeks, though, she grew to tolerate it.  My husband and I are probably going to use the gentle leader again if she does not adapt to stroller walking well.  

oxfordlanding

In the UK when we had our dog (many moons ago) it was absolutely standard to use a choke chain with every dog older than a puppy. You were told to never jerk or pull on it, just hold it in your hand. If the dog pulls the chain tightens. The instant the dog stops pulling it loosens. The dog controls the tightness not you. It goes around the neck so I imagine less irritating than a muzzle for dog that isn't used to one. Used correctly it is a gentle and very effective training aid. Our dog never ever pulled and we rarely used a leash at all one she was an adult -she just walked along side us (this was a not especially well trained golden retriever who used to take her own sweet time coming when you called, just for perspective. It certainly wasn't our training skills).
Dogs lick their buttholes the whole time. If they lick your face you will absolutely get small amounts of faeces in your mouth.
Our dog was very gentle and never hurt anyone in her life. Golden retrievers are a submissive breed, and she lived her whole life with a child (me). She still jumped on and badly scared my cousins. You simply can't assume dogs will react well to kids. They need exposure and training. The baby will inevitably stick a finger in the dogs eye. How will the dog react? Most will bite unless well trained.

Centralmnmom

salixjoy38 said:

I'm not worried about my dog and kids themselves, but I am thinking of getting some training this fall because she still pulls on the leash while walking and it drives me crazy. I can only imagine how annoying/dangerous it would be if she does that while wearing the baby or pushing a stroller. It's not sled dog style but it's still enough to feel like it will be a problem.

I use an easy-walker harness with my lab. He's about 50lbs. The harness clip is in the front to give the correction to not pull. And he can't choke himself like ge would with a collar because there isn't anything around his neck

Miss Lilac

Easy walker is great!