How Pets Help Children Grow
Although you can never completely rely on your child to be responsible for that extra household member, caring for an animal can provide a practical lesson in responsibility, compassion and respect for life. A pet's unconditional love and affection can make children feel important and provide stability in their sometimes unstable world. Even the death of an animal can be a learning experience. For children with disabling conditions, handicaps or serious illnesses, pets have been shown to stimulate activity, reduce anxiety, provide comfort and even help hasten recovery.
Battling Pet Allergies
Allergies are the most common problem caused by pets. One-fourth of all patients treated for allergies are sensitive to dogs or cats. However, just because your child has allergies doesn't mean you can't have these animals in the house. Certain breeds shed less than others, while some terriers and Labrador retrievers, though not active shedders, are prone to skin conditions that make them scratch and shed more allergy-provoking skin flakes.
Cats constantly shed hair and skin cells that stick to carpets, furniture and walls. If you have an allergic child, give kitty a good bath every week and keep her out of your child's bedroom. Consult your vet for further measures, such as sprays that reduce shedding.
Regardless of whether anyone's allergic, you should always treat dogs and cats periodically for fleas, as well as keep up with immunizations and regular veterinary care.
Children between 5 and 14 make up only 20 percent of the general population but suffer half of all animal bites. Dogs bite more often than cats, but cat bites are more prone to infection. When choosing a new pet, make sure the animal has a calm temperament. Take time to talk with your veterinarian about different breeds before committing to a new dog.
Toddlers can often inadvertently torment animals and get hurt, so if you are thinking of welcoming a new pet, wait until children are old enough to understand how to react to and care for an animal. Also, teach them to leave a pet alone while it is caring for its young or eating.
Beyond Cats and Dogs
Exotic pets are becoming increasingly popular, but they can be dangerous. For example, when tarantulas are threatened, they shoot out a cloud of 10,000 to 1 million irritating hairs that can penetrate human skin or get in the eyes and cause serious irritation and infection.
Any reptile, even a healthy-looking lizard, turtle or snake, can carry salmonella, a germ that causes diarrhea and sometimes serious blood infections in children. A recent study revealed that 59 percent of reptiles tested positive for salmonella, no matter what the species, the type of store that sold it, or whether or not antibiotics had been administered to the animal. Young children, pregnant women, the elderly and people with immune-system problems are particularly susceptible to salmonella.
The Humane Society of the U.S. warns that ferrets can bite unpredictably and sometimes viciously. If you have a guinea pig, rat, mouse or hamster, be sure the screen on the cage is fine enough so that tiny fingers cannot poke through and get bitten. Finally, don't give children little chicks or rabbits at Easter. Not only are these animals often neglected when they outgrow their "cute" stage, but chicks can transmit salmonella and rabbits can bite.
Introducing Baby to Buster
Before you bring your new baby home, rehearse holding, rocking and feeding with a doll while the dog watches, and reward him for staying and sitting. You should also bring home items from the hospital that have touched the newborn so the dog knows the baby's smell. It may lessen the dog's curiosity and make him calmer when they meet.
Greet the dog alone first, then gently bring in the baby. If you have a dog who jumps, keep him on a leash for the first meeting. If your dog has shown signs of aggression, consult your vet or an animal trainer before exposing him to the baby.