Iwill be going on PD within the next month and Am concerned I have a 2 year old Boston terrier and a very small home 1 bedroom. My dog has the run of the house. She has been abig help with deprssion and keeping my spirits up and now Iam told I have to get rid of her !! Can anyone give me input on this Do others on PD have Pets?
Thanks for any input
Greg
Hi Greg,
Yes, others on PD have had pets and been okay, and a pet can be very important to your mental health. Lisa (http://www.homedialysis.org/resources/stories/lisa/) had a one bedroom apartment and a cat, and did just fine on PD. Even though your terrier has the run of the house, it should be possible to clean your bathroom really well and keep him out while you connect and disconnect. Once you’re hooked up, you should be okay unless he bites through your tubing, which would expose you to his germs. It is possible to get infections from the germs pets carry, but if you’re willing to be really careful, it can work.
Hi Greg
PLEASE do NOT get rid of your dog!!!
My friend, Sheila Shaw did PD for 5 years and kept her pets. She recently wrote a E-book about it. Check out this site before you make a decision. You need all the help and support. I agree, my animals have seen me through many dark days.
Hope the sun shines on you today.
http://tinyurl.com/6x94vq
Linzie
Thank you for the input I will have to be extra careful with keeping things clean.I go in to see the Surgeon on the 30th and then set up the surgery. Thanks again for the good info
Greg
Hi Greg
I’ve been on PD for almost a year now, had a little dog for awhile (he didn’t like my granddaughter so he had to go) but I never got an infection. Keep your dog!
Surgery is a breeze, go home the same day. Trust me, once the PD kicks in, you will feel SO much better! and it seems complicated at first, but it isn’t.
Patty
I started PD in May. I have six dogs and three cats. I washed down my bathroom…and shoo anything out that can’t put a mask on the nose and face and so far so good…enjoy your dog. Even my most persistant dog knows he can’t go in the bathroom with me when I’m doing my PD and waits patiently for me right out side the door. I really like the spray cleaners with clorox in them to “wipe” down everything with paper towel.
SInce this post is so old I am sure you already made a decision and hope you kept her …
As for last poster I am sure that is not an animal person and just doesnt like them… For anyone reading this keep your pets…IT has been proven pets to help with you mentally, and physically …I have 2 very large dogs who have run of house and sleep at the foot of bed and I have had no problems…
My dr nor my surgeon have ever told me to 'get rid ’ of my dogs for a pet person that is same thing as saying…'oh kids have germs get rid of them…" come on
Thanks, Unregistered. I deleted the previous message due to spam, so now the post ahead of yours agrees with you. (Just didn’t want to confuse anyone).
I just wanted to add that I also have an apartment and a cat (when I had been on PD however I had a 2 bedroom apartment which the 2nd bedroom was ALWAYS closed and ONLY used for my medical supplies for PD). I kept the cat out of the bedroom at ALL times because people don’t seem to consider shedding. You clean but if your energy is low you might miss some fur and all it takes it one hair to land on the connection. Close all windows and don’t fluff any blankets or move anything too fast (clothes, blankets or whatever) 15 min before doing any connections with PD. Keep doors closed. Just good practice.
But don’t get rid of your pet! I didn’t and I am just fine! I did PD from Feb 2001 til the end of July 2005!
I am just starting PD as well. I have a 2 yr old Keeshound and an older cat. My PD nurse knows and has said it is fine to keep them as long as I keep my exchange area clean and the animals are in a different room when I do the exchanges. I would talk with you PD nurse and care team and find out why they want you to get rid of the dog and see if there isn’t a better solution to your problem.
hello!
I live with four cats, and I never has have any problems of infections etc…
[QUOTE=Unregistered;16161]Iwill be going on PD within the next month and Am concerned I have a 2 year old Boston terrier and a very small home 1 bedroom. My dog has the run of the house. She has been abig help with deprssion and keeping my spirits up and now Iam told I have to get rid of her !! Can anyone give me input on this Do others on PD have Pets?
Thanks for any input
Greg[/QUOTE]
He said that our bedroom must be immaculate, coz that is where my husband will be doing his PD. NO DOGS in bedroom, but he said the rest of the house is ok!
Sounds like good advice! People who bring a baby into the house often have to train their dogs not to sleep in the bedroom any more, and the dogs are able to make the change. You just want to be sure that there is no dog hair or dander while your husband is connecting or disconnecting, to help prevent infection.
Thanks for your reply. My daughter has asthma(mild) and allergies, so I generally keep the rest of the house very clean as well. When my husband starts PD at home, I will be extra meticulous to keep our dog well groomed and clean, and the house very tidy. I work in a dental office, so I am familiar with infection control as well.
My husband is concerned about the tubing etc. around the soon to be abdomen catheter. I reassured him that he would get used to it, just like his upper chest port. I hope I am right about that!!
If you’re okay with it–and you let him know that you are–he will be, too. You might read the Sexuality and Fertility module of our Kidney School (http://www.kidneyschool.org to get a better sense of the body image issues that can occur with any type of dialysis–and with PD catheters in particular. Keeping the lines of communication open between you is key.
I was on PD ( CAPD ) for 13 years. We did have pets but they were totally off limits to my exchange area. I did my exchanges in my bedroom. When I was not in the room, the door was always kept closed.
Now that I am on Home Hemo, the same rule applies - no pets in the room and door is to be closed when room is not in use to ensure they do not enter.
//MM
Interesting, MM. I know folks who do home HD with their pets on their laps and it doesn’t seem to be a problem. As long as you don’t get pet hair into the blood vessel when you’re putting in HD needles, it shouldn’t matter otherwise.
This may be a bit off topic but I offer it anyway. We really don’t have “pets” due to my animal hair allergies, but the kids keep a few things outdoors in cages (we live in a mild climate). The one exception is an “indoor” pet, a small hedgehog that is allowed move about the house in the mornings inside a plastic ball (think: boy in the bubble) Many mornings I wake to sound of him knocking into things at the foot of my bed as he moves about. Sometimes he get caught by the drain tubbing and can not get away.
In the course of over a year on PD, the Baxter cassette has “failed” twice on me. Once due to an inability to pump fuild well and another time when it got confused by the residual air in a bag and refused to work in mid cycle. In talking with the rep at the 800 number, they seems very concerned by the animal presence and thought this was a typical source of disrupting the lines while you slept. We concluded that the hedgehog could be the culprit here, but the general impression I came always with was that animals/pets often disrupted the cycle by knocking about the tubbing.
I REALLY would love to see a photo of the hedgehog in the ball. Do you have one? 
I have a pic done and post it up.