About three million bucks. That’s what Pedigree paid for its excellent, thirty-second spot to air during tomorrow's Super Bowl. And that figure won’t include the cost of the ad’s development...or of it’s high profile “adoption drive,” apparently manufactured by Madison Ave to assuage the conscience of those who must down-size on dog food in this withering economy.
In a year where the big guys are avoiding big spending at all costs, what does it say about our industry when a pet food manufacturer steps up with enough cold, hard cash to front a Super Bowl gig?
It says, “the auto industry may be long gone from the game’s ad roster but pets and beer are still big business.”
All unnecessary roughness against Pedigree aside, it’s clear that the pet industry is still thriving relative to others. It’s true, I won’t be losing my job anytime soon. And the likes of Pedigree can showcase their food on the priciest Super Bowl spot to be had...with no trace of kibble in sight.
Whatever we might say to disparage the M&Ms of dog food, shouldn’t none of us complain too bitterly. After all, Pedigree’s adoption drive campaign is a far better way to spend behemoth Mars’s cash than any other I can think of. That’s why, on this Super Bowl Sunday I can happily say...
...super-size me with your ads, Pedigree. Get those pets adopted. It’s all good...a long as praising your game doesn't mean I have to feed your food to my pets.
No, you don’t have to get rid of your pets during your pregnancy. You don’t have to fear interacting with them as you did before you conceived. I don’t care what your OB/Gyn says. I respond to a higher authority...the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention).
The CDC has issued statements that reflect the most well-reasoned recommendations for the prevention of infectious diseases. I would have a hard time trusting any physician who issues proclamations in contravention of its sage, science-based advice.
The following discussion of points 7 through 10 on my ten-point checklist for living well with pets during pregnancy is based on the CDC’s official statements...with some references, in case you’d like to print them out and ask your doc about them.
7-Cat diseases
Here’s where some docs spin their wheels. It’s the issue of Toxoplasma, a protozoan parasite whose fetus-harming potential is legendary. Because cats are a host and a vector, it’s important to stay away from their stool once it’s 24 hours old. Because it’s the most contentious issue, I’ll included the CDC’s recommendations, verbatim:
“Do I have to give up my cat if I'm pregnant or planning on becoming pregnant?
No. You should follow these helpful tips to reduce your risk of environmental exposure to Toxoplasma.
Avoid changing cat litter if possible. If no one else can perform the task, wear disposable gloves and wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water afterwards. Change the litter box daily. The Toxoplasma parasite does not become infectious until 1 to 5 days after it is shed in a cat's feces. Feed your cat commercial dry or canned food, not raw or undercooked meats. Keep cats indoors. Avoid stray cats, especially kittens. Do not get a new cat while you are pregnant. Keep outdoor sandboxes covered. Wear gloves when gardening and during contact with soil or sand because it might be contaminated with cat feces that contain Toxoplasma. Wash hands thoroughly after gardening or contact with soil or sand.”
Notice that the CDC recommends we keep cats indoors, in direct contravention to what some physicians urge. Indoors is safer for us and for them, too. That way they won’t be running about picking up new infections.
In this section I’ll also quote Megan (a Dolittler reader who will imminently enter the supply of veterinarians once she graduates in May):
“Here's the deal with toxo. Only a cat who has recently acquired toxoplasma sheds the oocysts (infectious eggs). The cat sheds the eggs for 2 to 3 weeks following an infection, and then the parasite encysts in the tissues of the cat's body, where it remains inactive (although there are rare reports of immunosuppressed cats that have resumed shedding oocysts).
The way that a fetus is affected by toxoplasma DUE TO CAT EXPOSURE is if a) the mother is exposed to a cat that is actively shedding oocysts AND b) the mother has never before been exposed to toxoplasma.
If you are a woman who is concerned about toxo, you can go to your doctor and have a toxo titer drawn (because there is no risk to your fetus if you have already been exposed prior to pregnancy).
You could also have your cat tested at the vet for a toxo titer, which could give you an idea of if and when your cat was exposed. Detection of one kind of antibody against toxo indicates that the cat has an active infection, while detection of another indicates that the cat had an infection in the past and is unlikely to be actively shedding oocysts.
The primary means of Toxoplasma infection in humans [is by] eating undercooked (or uncooked) meats containing toxoplasma cysts or [by] contact with soil contaminated with oocysts.”
Thank you, Megan. Couldn’t have said it better. I’ve said it before: I hope whoever hires you when you graduate pays you A LOT.
8-Dog (and other pet) diseases
In this section I’ll simply reiterate some of the raw meat points made above: Don’t handle raw meats if this is what you feed your dogs. Or, if you, do, wear gloves or wash your hands thoroughly. Alternatively, you can take Megan’s advice to see if you’ve already been exposed to Toxoplasma. If you have you can practically handle raw meats with impunity.
Stool, however, may still present an issue in dogs and cats infected with roundworms, Salmonella, Campylobacter, Giardia or Cryptosporidium. Because a fetus’s immune system is not fully developed and because a pregnant woman may be immunosuppressed, these more common, fecal-oral route infections may present a problem.
Again...just don’t play with stool and wear gloves or wash your hands after gardening. And take any pets with diarrhea to the vet to have them checked out. OK?
Then there’s the issue of ringworm and mange. I’ve had cause to find that both of these common skin infections (in dogs or cats) are more likely to manifest in pregnant women and immunosuppressed clients than in other humans. No, they won’t maim your unborn but they may give you a horrible case of the itchies and unsightlies. Take your pet to the vet at the first sign of a skin lesion and seek out a dermatologist if any appear on you.
Ideally, your pets should be seen by a veterinarian if you’re working on getting pregnant. At minimum, consider taking in a stool sample for examination.
Finally, I should mention the issue of rodents (mice, hamsters, rats and guinea pigs) and the Lymphocytic Choriomeningitis Virus (LCMV). Infection with this lesser-known virus can cause birth defects and miscarriage. That’s why the CDC recommends you leave these pets in the care of someone else or in an isolated room while you’re pregnant. Someone else should clean out the bedding, as it can be aerosolized in the bedding material. Here’s more info from the CDC on this.
9-Pet products and medications
Though we’re not sure what many veterinary medications and products can do to harm an unborn baby, the key is to play it safe. Don’t handle any parasitacides and/or insecticides directly (heartworm drugs, flea and tick meds, etc.). Wear gloves. Don’t touch any area where it’s been applied for at least 24 hours. And ask your veterinarian whether you need to be especially careful with eye drops, ear meds or any other drug.
Recognize that some drugs (like cyclosporine eye drops) can be harmful (under any condition, not just when you’re pregnant) and you should know! Ask!!
10-Safe baby prep
The problem of pregnancy and pets, from a veterinarian’s point of view, is not only that many recommendations strike fear, unnecessarily, into the heart of a pet’s family. It’s that this fear sets up conditions whereby our pets are more readily marginalized when “the real baby” arrives. That means more pets surrendered to shelters or left to fend for themselves out of doors.
Many families assume that their pets will be a hazard to their children and they take steps to isolate them from the center of the household. But our pets are unlikely to become a serious liability to the baby as long as we’re careful about bringing baby into the fold.
There’s a lot of information out there on how to prepare your pets for the arrival of a baby in the household. One of the most complete online resources for these issues may be found at Dogs & Storks, a blog that details baby and pet interaction issues with regularity.
That’s my top ten...any more you want to add?
OK, so you’re pregnant. Congratulations! And now your OB/Gyn has issued a list of concerns. Among them you might read a line-item or two on your appropriate interaction with pets. Some human docs may even suggest you adopt drastic measures to reduce your exposure to them, given that they may carry diseases harmful to your fetus.
The wording under one local OB/Gyn’s “Pets and Your Pregnancy” heading on his practice’s handout?
“We love our pets. But we should always be mindful of the risks we take when we include them in our households. The success of your pregnancy is uppermost in our minds when we urge you to minimize contact with your pets and keep your cats out of doors during this critical period of time.”
Never seen anything quite like this. Have you?
Well, maybe you have. And perhaps that’s how you wandered over to this blog.
As veterinarian and a woman who’s endured her nine months successfully with pets at home and at work, here’s a ten-point rejoinder to this physician’s take on the age-old question of pets and pregnancy:
1-Training
Human physicians are trained to handle human issues. Veterinarians are schooled in a variety of species. Ironically, perhaps, the basic training of every veterinarian is much more specific to zoonotic diseases (those which may be transmitted from animals to humans) than any average med school grad’s.
Sure, an OB/Gyn has received extra schooling in the ways in which pet-specific infectious diseases can steer a pregnancy wrong, but almost any veterinarian is far better informed on the incidence, transmission and prevention of these diseases than your OB/Gyn.
2-Responsibility
Yet it’s your OB/Gyn who is responsible for your fetus’s medical care--not your veterinarian. That’s why veterinarians will make recommendations about staying safe around your pets and the possibility of disease transmission...but we will never pretend to assume their role. We’ll always defer to their advice, while treading a fine line in our disagreements by referring you to more official sources of information (the CDC is an excellent resource).
3-Possibilities vs. probabilities
Human docs sometimes make recommendations based on possibilities rather than on probabilities. “It’s better to be safe than sorry,” they’d argue. And I don’t blame them--nor should you. If it’s even remotely possible for you to contract a fetus-threatening disease from your dog or cat, their responsibility is to appropriately inform you of your risks.
4-Liability
Moreover, if you’re not warned--and in writing--they may feel they’re setting themselves up for a lawsuit. OB/Gyn’s are especially sensitive to this issue due to the near certainty that they will be requiring the services of many lawyers during their careers.
5-The plastic bubble
Despite the seemingly infinite supply of humans on Planet Earth, there’s so much that can go wrong with any individual human pregnancy that safer is better. But how far do we take that message? A plastic bubble is not practical...nor medically advisable. And yet, were we to take many OB/Gyn’s advice on ALL their points, such would be our fate.
6-Perspective
Bacteria, viruses and animals DO exist in our world. How far should we go to we steel ourselves against their ubiquity? Given that the most likely source of a catastrophic infection may come from another human, how careful do we really need to be when living with our pets?
Stay tuned for tomorrow’s post detailing the last four points--along with your specific risks and official recommendations for living well with your pets during your human pregnancy.
Sneak peek:
7-Cat diseases
8-Dog diseases
9-Pet products and medications
10-Safe baby prep
OK, so you’re pregnant. Congratulations! And now your OB/Gyn has issued a list of concerns. Among them you might read a line-item or two on your appropriate interaction with pets. Some human docs may even suggest you adopt drastic measures to reduce your exposure to them, given that they may carry diseases harmful to your fetus.
The wording under one local OB/Gyn’s “Pets and Your Pregnancy” heading on his practice’s handout?
“We love our pets. But we should always be mindful of the risks we take when we include them in our households. The success of your pregnancy is uppermost in our minds when we urge you to minimize contact with your pets and keep your cats out of doors during this critical period of time.”
Never seen anything quite like this. Have you?
Well, maybe you have. And perhaps that’s how you wandered over to this blog.
As veterinarian and a woman who’s endured her nine months successfully with pets at home and at work, here’s a ten-point rejoinder to this physician’s take on the age-old question of pets and pregnancy:
1-Training
Human physicians are trained to handle human issues. Veterinarians are schooled in a variety of species. Ironically, perhaps, the basic training of every veterinarian is much more specific to zoonotic diseases (those which may be transmitted from animals to humans) than any average med school grad’s.
Sure, an OB/Gyn has received extra schooling in the ways in which pet-specific infectious diseases can steer a pregnancy wrong, but almost any veterinarian is far better informed on the incidence, transmission and prevention of these diseases than your OB/Gyn.
2-Responsibility
Yet it’s your OB/Gyn who is responsible for your fetus’s medical care--not your veterinarian. That’s why veterinarians will make recommendations about staying safe around your pets and the possibility of disease transmission...but we will never pretend to assume their role. We’ll always defer to their advice, while treading a fine line in our disagreements by referring you to more official sources of information (the CDC is an excellent resource).
3-Possibilities vs. probabilities
Human docs sometimes make recommendations based on possibilities rather than on probabilities. “It’s better to be safe than sorry,” they’d argue. And I don’t blame them--nor should you. If it’s even remotely possible for you to contract a fetus-threatening disease from your dog or cat, their responsibility is to appropriately inform you of your risks.
4-Liability
Moreover, if you’re not warned--and in writing--they may feel they’re setting themselves up for a lawsuit. OB/Gyn’s are especially sensitive to this issue due to the near certainty that they will be requiring the services of many lawyers during their careers.
5-The plastic bubble
Despite the seemingly infinite supply of humans on Planet Earth, there’s so much that can go wrong with any individual human pregnancy that safer is better. But how far do we take that message? A plastic bubble is not practical...nor medically advisable. And yet, were we to take many OB/Gyn’s advice on ALL their points, such would be our fate.
6-Perspective
Bacteria, viruses and animals DO exist in our world. How far should we go to we steel ourselves against their ubiquity? Given that the most likely source of a catastrophic infection may come from another human, how careful do we really need to be when living with our pets?
Stay tuned for tomorrow’s post detailing the last four points--along with your specific risks and official recommendations for living well with your pets during your human pregnancy.
Sneak peek:
7-Cat diseases
8-Dog diseases
9-Pet products and medications
10-Safe baby prep
Got mites? I certainly hope you don’t...but if you’re like some of my clients you may be convinced your cat just can’t get rid of her ear mite infection (though it’s been years now). Or maybe he lives mostly outside and he is chronically exposed and constantly infected, in which case you should really be doing something about it.
Whatever the case...there’s help.
In fact, ear mites don’t have to be a problem for you...ever. Really.
Here’s the skinny on these critters: Ear mites are tiny arachnoid-looking creatures that enjoy the warm, moist environment provided by the average ear. Though they’re more specific to cats, dogs can get them, too. Humans, even, have been known to catch a bug or two, though transmission takes some serious exposure (like playing with your ears right after rifling through a pile of ear mites).
If you’re curious on the human infection thing, there’s an actual account in JAVMA (Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association), circa 1993, where an intrepid (if somewhat masochistic) veterinarian purposely infected himself with ear mites. Apart from demonstrating to the world how kooky some veterinarians can be, his claim to scientific fame was that--get this--ear mite infections are really really itchy. Genius!
Indeed, if this veterinarian’s findings are any guide, cats with ear mite infections experience a crackly crunching sound in their ears...and they’re plagued with extreme itchiness, too, enough to yield the telltale signs of an infestation: claw marks about the ear and head from their vigorous scratching.
Looking at one up close is enough to induce delusional parasitosis, right?
Though usually easily diagnosed by swabbing out the ear and checking the characteristically brown-black, crusty material under a microscope for signs of seemingly extraterrestrial life, it’s not always that easy in some early cases...or when owners have already initiated a battery of OTC treatments.
If there’s one thing that makes me crazy it’s the sale of veterinary products (like parasitacides) at supermarkets and feed stores for conditions that are easily misdiagnosed by laypersons. Sure, they can work, but ear mite treatment is soooo much easier when...
1-You know for sure that’s what you’re treating (as opposed to another kind of ear infection), and...
2-you use the right stuff.
Acarexx and MilbeMite are two readily available preparations for the topical (in ear) treatment of ear mites. After two doses, two weeks apart, over 90% of my patients are cured (the remaining 10% get an extra treatment in another couple of weeks). No twice daily ear drops for indefinite periods of time. No pyrethrins toxicity as with some OTC products.
Need something to prevent future infections? Revolution and Advantage-Multi are both labeled for the treatment and control of ear mites. That means that both products will kill ear mites as well as prevent future infections. In kittens, I’ll use Revolution over the stronger Acarexx and MilbeMite in an off label manner: 3 doses, each two weeks apart. (The Revolution gets applied on the back of the neck, not IN the ears.)
See how easy it is? And you didn’t even have to put ear mites in your own ears to reap the benefits of this veterinary information.
