Last page

E-mail received at dog fun on 08/09/01.

Next page

Hello Jade,
We have just brought home a puppy Labrador. We have 4 children, one 14 yrs, one 4 years and 2 children who are only 19 months.

We are very afraid and concerned because our vet said we have to be very careful with possible dog worms and how our children could be affected which could lead to blindness. She "grace" our puppy is not toilet trained yet, so she keeps pooing everywhere and weeing on the carpet all over the floor etc where the children are crawling and playing. How do we overcome this fear, and what can we do to ensure our puppy is as healthy as possible. Does this happen often in the world? is it that big a risk raising a dog together with young children? Should we avoid letting the dog lick the children? Sorry to sound so paranoid, but we feel really helpless.

Are there any precautions we can take? Can worms be detected easily. i've read that some are obvious while others are not Looking forward to your reply,
Mike

Jade's reply.

Dear Mike,
Thank you for your e-mail. Your vet raised a very important point and without doubt his concerns are valid. It is not desirable to let children come into contact with dog feices and certainly it can be harmful and is without doubt best avoided. This can be clearly demonstrated by the way that local councils now segregate children's play areas with low fencing, and exclude dogs. On the other hand you and your family are not the first people to attempt to own a dog at the same time as having children, and lots of people manage to have the best of both worlds quite successfully.

You should treat your dog regularly with a worm treatment as advised by your vet this will reduce the risk of your dog carrying worms in the first place . You should also observe strict hygiene procedures with regard to any accidents that your dog may have and avoid encouraging your dog to lick the children on the mouth. Extend this to the garden, my Dad goes on regular 'poo patrols' with his little spade, he looks daft but it keeps the garden clear. Should your dog start to exhibit signs of having worms (like rubbing its bottom on the ground) then you should contact your vet and act on his advice.

Having said all that you and your children should enjoy your dogs company, love it and play with it without worrying. Whilst it is admirable that you are trying to protect your children life cannot be completely risk free. You should be sensible but realistic and you should have no problems. I would suggest that your children will benefit more from being allowed to learn about animals and the joy that they can bring than they would from being kept guarded form them.

As far as toilet training is concerned you should start this immediately, I would also suggest that you enrol in a local dog training class. This will help to control the situation quickly and also provide you with the reassurance and support that you need. You should also educate your two older children about the hygiene concerns.

You can learn more about worms through this link, I hope that it helps. http://www.thepetcenter.com/exa/worms.html

I must point out that this is only my opinion and your vet is best qualified to advise you on animal health issues, but please stop worrying. Good luck.

All the best, Jade the Doberman

As with the rest of Dog Fun we are only offering advice, we have learned a lot through our own experience and would like to further that knowledge with your help. If you have any good tips or advice that would help dog owners drop us a line to jade@dogfun.co.uk and we will display your advice and give you credit for your help!