Mary Allen
Pregnant women do not have to do without pets as long as hygiene measures are observed. It is also advisable to prepare the animal for the addition to the family.
The two lines on the pregnancy test aren’t just life-changing for expectant parents; they also turn their pets’ everyday lives upside down. With the first pregnancy, many pet owners automatically have all sorts of fears: Do we have to give the dog away? Can you still pet other people’s cats? And does the hamster possibly transmit diseases that could harm the unborn child?
Even with a short search on the net, many a mother-to-be should get scared and anxious. There is talk of all kinds of bacteria and viruses, of the ominous parrot disease, of meningitis caused by guinea pigs, and skin diseases caused by fish. There is hardly a pet, it seems, that cannot potentially harm the pregnant woman or the unborn child.
Hygiene is the Be-All and End-All
Barbara Stocker doesn’t think much of the scaremongering that sometimes prevails on the Internet and unsettles expectant parents. She should know: the President of the Swiss Association of Midwives has rarely encountered health problems in pregnant women due to keeping pets.
The most well-known threat is toxoplasmosis, an infection with flu-like symptoms that basically leaves lifelong immunity. If a woman has antibodies against the pathogen before the start of pregnancy, the unborn baby is also protected. If a pregnant woman is infected for the first time, it can lead to a miscarriage or, rarely, to severe malformations in the child. The pathogens can be ingested primarily by touching the cat’s excretions. Pregnant women should therefore either keep their hands off the litter box or wear plastic gloves for cleaning, according to the often-quoted appeal.
“Twenty years ago, toxoplasmosis during pregnancy was a big issue, and all pregnant women were tested for antibodies,” says Stocker. The cases in which unborn children actually suffer damage are so rare that antibody tests are only carried out if an acute illness is suspected. The examination is only paid for by the health insurance company in these cases. “If you pay attention to hygiene by washing and disinfecting your hands regularly or using gloves when cleaning the litter box, there is hardly any risk from cats for pregnant women,” says Stocker.
The midwife from Strengelbach AG has never met a pregnant woman who caught one of the diseases mentioned in the network, which parrots, rodents or aquarium fish can transmit. “It must be an extremely rare case,” she suspects. She, therefore, does not consider it necessary to explicitly point out such rare dangers to pregnant women. “Especially since these cases can also be prevented by complying with hygiene measures.”
Children’s Room Becomes a Taboo Zone
According to Stocker, if she found out during a home visit that there was a lack of hygiene when dealing with a pet or that a pregnant woman had bite marks from a cat or a guinea pig, for example, she would of course address it. In the wake of the corona pandemic, however, women now know more than ever what it means to pay attention to hygiene. And this ultimately applies to all areas, from the prevention of communicable diseases to the preparation of meals. “If you use common sense when dealing with animal roommates, there’s nothing wrong with keeping one or more pets during pregnancy,” says Stocker.
In addition to uncertainties about the health risks of pets, Stocker is occasionally confronted with questions about the behavior and training of dogs and cats during pregnancy or in childbirth. “Of course, I refer the pregnant woman to specialists,” says Stocker with a laugh, “because I’m not responsible for animals.”
Behavioral veterinarians offer a wide range of advice on how to best prepare pets for the arrival of a newborn: from playing taped baby sounds for acoustic preparation, to carrying stuffed animals around as baby dummies, to bringing full diapers home from the hospital. However, the most important difference that pets notice with the new family member is that the master and mistress will then have less time for them. The animal must be prepared for this during pregnancy. For example, by declaring the children’s room a taboo zone and the dog is accustomed to more flexible walk and feeding times.