HELP-CF and Pets any dangers??

[anonymous]

Hello, I need some help/advice. My husband is 40 yo with CF and has recently become immune to most of the antibiotics that Cfer's use. I know this is caused a lot of fear and maybe "paranoia" but I am not sure.? That is why I am asking for your help/advice.

We bought a puppy about 4 months ago. Tim is not allergic to dogs and has had dogs and cats in the past. He likes this puppy...........however he is making my like and the puppy's life miserable.

After his last round of IV therapy in Oct he learned that of his immunity to most of the antibiotics. Now he has become overly obsessed with the house cleaning, and esp where the dog is concerned.

Tim will not allow the dog on any of the furniture, esp. the couches and beds where we spend a lot of time. The dogs water dish is in the kitchen, after the dog takes a drink of water and Tim sees water on the kitchen floor he freaks out because he says there are germs and bacteria in the dog's saliva. The dogs opened cans of food that we keep in the refrigerator now have to be sealed in a ziplock bag because we can't mix dog and human food---more germs. If the dog sits on the couch he might rub urine or bm on the fabric and will hold germs................I even have to change my bed clothes at night before I can get into bed if the dog has been around me a lot when I get home from work.

Is my husband gone wacky or are there some real concerns here? He is even accusing me of "trying to kill him" by not keeping things as orderly and clean with the dog as he thinks they should be. We do not have kids and we both work. Our house is not even close to a mess. It always cleaned on a daily basis we are always wiping up and sanitizing our bathroom and kitchen esp.

Any advice or ideas here? Any CF doctors/nurses out there that can give me some advice on what to do. Is my husband being paranoid or is there a potential danger to his health and life from having this dog? WE have only been married a few years and i am still learning about CF, I am a business professional so I am not out there in the healthcare world at all and do not understand CF and germs and such so any advice will help.

Thanks.

Janet<img src="i/expressions/face-icon-small-confused.gif" border="0">

 

[mustangmousa]

Hi Janet, sounds to me like your husbands going a little overboard! Most CFers become resistant to many antibiotics, so I don't think that is uncommon. Also, dogs aren't harmful to people with CF. I grew up with dogs and cats. I worked at numerous vets for years and handled every kind of pet you can think of. And I've also been resistant to most antibiotics. I've never had any problems. I would think dogs pose the least risk as compared to other pets. Birds are the biggest no no for people with breathing problems. I have 2 dogs and 5 cats that live in the house with me. The dogs sleep in my bed, run all over the house and have for years. You might want to talk with your husband's CF doc, maybe he can reassure him that it's okay to have dogs (or not, it that's what he thinks). Good luck!

Martha CF, 30

 

[JazzysMom]

It seems to me like your husband might be OVERreacting. By no means should you not be careful about germs especially such that comes from animal feces. Not only can there be bacteria harmful to him, but also yourself. I would say that if take ordinary precautions and keep the house clean you would be fine. Treat it like you would an area that you have cooked/cleaned chicken in. Unless he has allergies there should be no immediate threat to his health. From what I read he might be having anxiety attacks over the fact his choice of antibiotics has been depleted. His concern about the animals being on furniture etc is a fair one to accept. The more areas the animals are allowed the harder it is to maintain the cleanliness. The waterbowl incident was a bit much unless he was just thinking of it being slippery. What he does need to do is accept the fact that you can not keep 100% of all germs/bacteria from every aspect of his life. You can do what is "acceptable" or a bit more, but not to the point where its impractacle or unrealistic. If you did not have the dog.......would his fears and actions lessen? I personally doubt it. I BELIEVE he is just directing his worries onto the dog because its an easier way to deal with it. I dont have any real answers to help you help him. All I can really do is assure you that you are doing a great job and unless you are leaving out details in your story, I dont think there is much else You can do. I personally have 1 dog, 1 cat & 2 parakeets. My hubby is looking for another dog. The only reason we havent gotten another yet is because we dont have the appropriate set up outside yet. My house is not a pig sty, but with my animals having such free range I bet your hubby would have a heart attack. The only place the animals are not allowed is our bedroom. The dog is allowed in the kitchen on the way to take her out & thats it. They usually hang out/sleep in my daughters room. Dog also isnt allowed on the couch, but thats because she is sooo big & quite clutsy. Good Luck!

 

[kybert]

your husband is overreacting. although i must say some of the things he is doing is actually quite good for the dog. not letting the dogs go on furniture is a good thing in a way. it sets boundaries for the dog and shows you are in control. putting the food in a ziplock bag is especially good. canned food goes off really quickly and can harm the dog so whatever it is in must be sealed [ziplock bag, can seal/lid, airtight container]. but the reason behind him doing that, mopping up water and drool, changing bed clothes and fear of the dog putting urine or poo on something is ridiculous. unless the dog has been eating something very nasty and drools or has diarrhea or incontinence then there is no problem whatsoever.

your husband sounds like my mum. you dont want him to get to the stage where he takes his frustration out on the dog because it made some kind of imaginary mess. thats what my mum does. my dog still loves her but doesnt trust her at all now because she yells at her so much for no good reason.

 

[anonymous]

Hi,

I think, there might be a misunderstanding:
Normally not the person does get immune to the antibiotics, but the germs which are already in his lungs(like pseudomonas) do get resistant/immune.
So the normal germs around you are not immune against antibiotics and if he gets in contact with such normal germs his immune system will fight them as before and they will also be killed by most antibiotics, if he takes any.
I agree, that a dog should not be on the couch or in the bed, thats not very hygienic no matter if someone has cf or not, but there is nothing dangerous in a freshly openend can of dog food (only the smell sometimes....), so I don´t see a problem putting it in the fridge.
Maybe he should talk to his cf doctor about this and maybe he even needs some psychological help, if he´s seeing "germs everywhere".

Uli,43,Germany,cf/cfrd

 

[anonymous]

I have a dog and I would not even think of letting him on the coach or bed. It would be lke allowing your shoes on the bed. A dogs paws are there shoes.