Would It Be a Bad Idea for Me to Get My Daughters Dogs and Cats Since They Have Cystic Fibrosis?
Tuesday, August 10th, 2010 at
10:07 pm
Southern Bell asked:
My twin daughters are four and they want a dog or a cat but they have Cystic Fibrosis so I’m worried about the animal hair and germs from the animals if I got them pets because they are very prone to infections already and I’ve never had any animals around them in our house before. Would having dogs and/or cats around them be a problem?
Tagged with: Dogs And Cats • Dogs Cats • Germs
Filed under: Cystic Fibrosis
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There are dogs and cats that have no dander. That will help with a lot of allergy, wheezing, lung issues. Secondly, make sure you keep the pet INSIDE at all times. Never outside. This way you know what the animal has been in. Keep the litter box incredibly clean. Scoop after every use (difficult, but possible). Clean the animals paws regularly, with wipes (available at Walmart). Do not allow pets on the girls beds.
This is all I can think of, as preventative measures. Before you get pets though, you should speak to your girls doctor. And, maybe get allergy testing done, ensure they are not allergic to animals.
Good luck, and I hope it works out for you, pets are awesome for kids!! If all else fails…fish are nice. Lame, but nice to look at. Anything that can be kept in a cage. Birds and lizards are hard, they carry diseases.
Fire-bellied newts are cute too, but the girls cannot touch them, they carry salmonella.
i wouldnt risk it … although the girls may become accustomed to it, they may not, and it could make them worse. I know other respitory diseases can be made much worse by animals – this is nothing compared to your situation, but i used to have athsma, and it was always particularly bad around animals.
However dont break there hearts! How about some hairless pets? like some fish? Kids love the idea of having a pet, and im sure you are busy enough with the girls care that so dont need any extra cleaning up of doggy poo etc … so how about you take them to the pet store and buy them a nemo each? The appeal of fish will last about the same time as cats or dogs will, however at the end of the day if you get them a cat/dog then have to take it away again … it would break their hearts
( Play it safe for now.
Why not ask a family friend or neighbour if you could (as a family) walk or play with their dog for an afternoon? This would give you some idea as how the girls would cope health wise? Or just let them play and give it back!
However this christmas … i would play it safe – you really dont want to put their health in danger or get them sick over the holiday period!
Good luck and i hope you all have a lovely christmas!
)
NEVER get a dog or cat and have them indoors all the time, sorry but even very small dogs need to be walked.
That’s just insanely cruel to them!!
I’d stick with dogs. Cats can carry certain bacteria in their litter tray that can be serious.
Dogs generally are fine.
Dog hair is only a problem if they have an allergy, and it’s rare that they do.
Germs, no more germs than a walk outside.
Honestly, dogs are very clean animals.
The only thing to worry about is tics and fleas, and that’s just a treatment every 3 months.
Dogs wouldn’t be a problem at all.
A friend of mine has CF and 2 staffies
good luck. go to a shelter in january, so many puppies get abandoned and put down because people are lazy.
I can understand your concern, but my friends 24, had a heart lung transplant, and the dogs have never been a problem.
Whatever you do,…. I’m begging, don;t buy one and keep it indoors all the time.
It would be torture.
My daughter has cf and we have both a cat and a dog. when she was first diagnosed we thought we were going to have to get rid of the animals but all of her doctors including her pulmonologists said we wouldnt. They told us just to vaccuum on a regular basis and she would be fine. They told us to think of it this way because we were worried about the dander as well that they will still be breathing in all sorts of dust from the house and everything else. Unfortunately we cannot protect our children from everything even those with cf. I hope this helped a little. Good luck with whatever decision you make.