i’m currently on hemo-dialysis but i’m considering going to home hemo with the new portable machine the only thing is i have two pets a cat and dog and i don’t want to get rid of my pets i was tryinf to find out if you can have pets around for hemo i know you arent suppose to have them around for pd or so i have been told
Hi Laticia, and welcome to Home Dialysis Central. Yes, you can have pets on home hemo. Folks here have had discussions about their various animals. I know several people have dogs.
When people do PD, they have an open tube that leads directly into the peritoneum, and any germ that climbs up the catheter can cause peritonitis. So, each time a connection is made, there is a risk. People on PD can (and do) still have pets–depending on their program–but must keep them away when they connect.
With hemo, the point of entry into the body is the needles going into the access–and it’s much less likely that pet hair or germs could get in when you clean your access off before it’s used. It’s important not to let pets chew or claw through tubing. If you did nocturnal dialysis, you’d have to assess if it would be safe to let a pet sleep in your room, especially on your bed. But with short daily treatments, it’s probably not a problem.
We have a cat and I have been on both PD and home hemo. As long as you keep the house and your pets clean, its ok. We bath the cat every so often. Not so much in the winter though as its too cold. Dont have the pets in the room when you are hooking up, unless you know they arent going to interfere. I have to keep my cat away because lately he has been jumping up on the bed and wanting to sit there while I put the needles in, which is just not safe. I have once had to set everything up again because when I went to recirculate the lines there was a cat hair right on the end of the connection part. I now make sure I check the end of connection before hooking up, because you do get dust and hair floating around in the air. Its impossible to clean up every bit of it.
I second what amba said 
Sure you can! …I been doing home dialysis since 2004 with my two small dogs…(chihuahuas)…each time I start setup they obediently sit on a nearby room chair just staring till I finish, then once on they jump the end of the recliner near my legs and just stay there till its over… :oops:
Awww thats so cute Gus lol
Our kitty knows when Im setting up as he comes in, has a look, then sits quitely at the door. He is actually quite good, I think he knows his boundarys. Sometimes he sits on the end of the bed while Im setting the machine up, but a couple of times lately he has jumped up on the bed and heading straight towards the opened dressing pack :shock: I think he knows now its out of bounds. He occaisionally sleeps on the end of the bed if its really cold, but not without having a good bite at my feet first lol He gets kicked out if he gets too rough.
My little dachshund sleeps in the bed with me. For setting up, I only let him up on the bed once I’m connected and on treatment. He waits on the floor in front of the machine and watches patiently until it’s time. When I’m taking myself off in the morning, he’s still on the bed, in no hurry to get up.
In over a year of doing nocturnal, he only caused an alarm once when he ended up lying on by bloodlines. I do keep him away from those as a rule, though.
My wife is much more dangerous to me overnight than the dog is 
Pierre
Pierre:
In over a year of doing nocturnal, he only caused an alarm once when he ended up lying on by bloodlines. I do keep him away from those as a rule, though.
My wife is much more dangerous to me overnight than the dog is
Yes, wives can be dangerous LOL!
LOL am I glad to see this thread! It has reasured me a lot…
I’ve got 2 cats, tho one of them acts a little like a dog…
I’m glad I wouldn’t have to get rid of them, tho the house IS gonna need cleaning up… If I go onto home haemo…
J
We had a lovely hairy Old English Sheepdog, called Wilfred. Unfortunately he got cancer in a hind leg & we had him put down just after I went onto P.D. My wife didn’t want to deal with it, as she’d “had enough trauma” dealing with me, she said So I was there on my own when the 2 young female vets came to ‘do the deed’. It was so nice and peaceful and quick. I told them I’d get them back for ME, when I was ready :lol: :lol:
My wife then got an equally hairy Mareema (Italian Sheepdog) called Bert.
Bert knows he’s not to come into my dialysis room. He will poke his head around the door for a look, but won;t come in unless called (e.g. for a biscuit, when I’m eating shortbread with a cuppa).
We still have one of our 2 cats, altho she’s “on her last legs”
I think having pets helps a person cope with dialysis. The only problem with dogs is that they don’t last long enough but I couldn’t do without one. Here is an old shot of when I first went home back in 2001:
Cairny (imagine an Australian Shepherd named after an Aussie city beisdes Sydney) was very happy when I stopped leaving him for five hours three days a week. These days he is less interested in what I am doing - we’ve both gotten use to the routine.
I LOVE this topic! Bill, Cairny looks like a beautiful dog. Gonna be very hard to replace :?
Nelson, our 10 year old ridgeback now refuses to come in the bedroom until Freni is back in the wardrobe and his comfy mat is put out. he goes quite weird and gets upset when he sees me on Freni. Sensitive souls. 8)
Aww such lovely doggies! One of my Aunts has 2 dogs, one is a minature poodle and the other is a very boysterous CollieX. They are both inside dogs, and all I can say is theres no way I would be doing dialysis in that house :? Cairny reminds me of my cat, likes to come up to have a look, like as if they are making sure you are alright hehe
thank you for everyones uotput it has made me feel much better i wes worried i would have to get rid of my boston terrier and cat :lol: