What is that Loud Smelly Thing That is Ruining My Life

Everyone always told me “just wait until you have kids. . . your dog will take the backseat and won’t get near as much attention as she gets now”. It’s not that I didn’t believe that human children would require more attention and obviously there is a different kind of love for a human over an animal, but my dog was truly my baby. I have noticed, as a veterinarian, once our “regulars” have babies we don’t see them as often as we did before. Still, I just didn’t see that happening to me and my dog. I was going to be different and give my little Lexi the same amount of attention as she was used to getting. I could snuggle with a dog and a baby at the same time!

I got Lexi as a gift from my family about 8 years ago after I graduated from Veterinary School, several months before my husband, Kyle and I got married. She is a Cavalier King Charles spaniel and was about the cutest puppy in the world! I treated her like my child. My friends actually liked to tease me for this very reason. She went everywhere with me. I took her to training classes and taught her every trick I could think of. She had a necklace and dressed up occasionally, especially on OSU game days. She had an OSU t-shirt she wore to show her support for our cowboys. She is very smart and I’m pretty sure she can understand a lot of what I say to her. She was my little shadow and there was a permanent place on the couch next to me.

You may have noticed that I am talking a lot in past tense here, not because Lexi has died but because I now have 3 children. Luke and Logan are my 2 year old twins and Leighton is my 6 month old baby girl.

My twins were born in October 2009. It started out not too bad (for Lexi that is). I think she was a little curious at first about these two loud, crying babies. That probably quickly changed from curiosity to annoyance as her sleep was interrupted nightly. Since she sleeps in my bed, she was disturbed each time I had to get up and tend to the babies. But, her life was truly ruined (in her eyes) as these babies (not just one but two) became mobile and started crawling around, grabbing fists full of long ear and tail hair. At first she was able to escape to the safety of the couch, but it wasn’t long before they were pulling up and able to reach her even there.

So, this brings me to a more serious note of protecting your babies and your pets from each other. I get this question a lot as a veterinarian. “How should I introduce my dog to my new baby?” First of all, NEVER trust any animal 100%. Even the nicest dog or cat in the world is still an animal. If annoyed enough or pushed to their limit by hair pulling and toy stealing they may act instinctively and their only defense mechanism is growling or sometimes nipping or even biting. I consider Lexi one of those super nice dogs. There have been a few times though that one of my boys has grabbed some hair and before I could get to her to help her she has turned around and sort of nipped at them. She was not trying to bite them but merely trying to get loose and stop the painful attack on her ear.  When introducing your pet for the first time to your new little bundle, make sure you are in a calm, quiet, familiar environment. If you are really concerned that your dog  may be too hyper or react badly you can have it on a leash so you have better control. Also, make sure to never leave your baby unattended with your pet. Have a crate or a gated off area where your dog can go to get some peace and escape from your child if needed. There were many times when my twins first discovered how fun it could be to chase my dog and cat that I had to take the animals to my room for a break from the kids.  When it comes to feeding your pets, keep their food in a place the kids can’t get to. This is for your pets, and for your sanity as well. Kids love to play in the water bowl and eat the dog food. I have had to dig some dog food from my son’s mouth on more than one occasion. He has probably eaten more dog food than I’d like to admit. More importantly, many dogs are very food aggressive or protective over their food and their treats and toys. This seems to be when most accidents and injuries occur to children.

Cats are a little easier because they tend to be pretty good at staying up and out of the way. My cat actually thinks it is fun to tease the kids and get just close enough to where they think they can get her, and then she runs away. There have been a few times that she was too slow and got dragged a little ways by the tail. She didn’t come back to play for awhile after that one. With cats, you will need to make sure that the litter box is in a place where the kids can’t get to it. The food and water can be put up where the kids can’t reach it, but the cat can hopefully jump up easily enough to eat and drink. Personally, my biggest concern with my cat and my babies was that she might snuggle them to death. She is a super sweet kitty and loves to lay right by your side. I was afraid that she might jump in their crib at night to snuggle and the babies wouldn’t be able to move, causing them to suffocate. Luckily, this wasn’t an issue but they do make netting to put over cribs for this very reason if needed.

You all know your furry babies better than anyone else and many of you may have absolutely no concerns about how they will react when you bring a new baby home. Some, however aren’t so lucky and have problems with the transition. There are even a few who are never able to make it work out. We are always here to answer any of your questions and to help counsel you through difficult times or decisions you may have to make.

As far as Lexi goes, she is still my little 4 legged baby but does not, unfortunately, get the attention she once did. I feel guilty sometimes when I see her laying off to the side watching, while I play with the kids. I try to give her extra attention in the evening once the boys are in bed, but even that is hard since I now have a 6 month old that would like some one-on-one time without her brothers around. Not to mention that once everyone else is asleep is the only time that the laundry gets done, toys get picked up and other house cleaning gets taken care of.  Life is not all bad for her. She still gets to go on walks, still comes to work with me everyday and she gets a lot more treats now. The boys have found out that it is fun to share their food with Lexi and they drop a ton on the floor. I’d say mealtime is Lexi’s favorite time of day now. I know that as the kids get older she will have some fun little playmates!

Happy New Year!!

Dr. Stephanie Bradley