CF and pets in the home

[jdprecious]

We got a family dog last year in March of 2009. He is a black lab that stays inside full time. He plays outside alot and sheds in the house even more. It is this same time last year that Jaelyns cultures went from clear as a whistle to culturing anything from Pseudo, Yeast, Regular Staph, etc. She has not had one clean culture since last March and every culture is different. She never cultures the same bugs from visit to visit.

Now, today, I found she has cultured MRSA. Of course, in normal fashion, they never called to tell me, I had to call down there and get the results myself. I immediately went into hysterics at work and was sent home for the day. Now, all I can do is wait and worry while the docs are deciding on a treatment plan. They have never treated her yeast or regular staph( I vehemently disagree with them on that but what can I do?) , and she takes regular tobi every other month for the Pseudo. I am at a loss as to why all of a sudden she is culturing stuff out so much. She is on top of treatments and we are extremely involved in her care, actually pushing her docs to do more for her than what they do.

At this point, I dont have any more ideas and they have no conclusions or explanations for me,surprise surprise. Could all these lung infections she is getting be from our dog??? At this point, I am willing to do anything to keep her lungs clean, I just cant figure out why she cant catch a break lately. Any ideas or suggestions, I'd love to hear it.

Thanks all,
Jess

 

[jdprecious]

We got a family dog last year in March of 2009. He is a black lab that stays inside full time. He plays outside alot and sheds in the house even more. It is this same time last year that Jaelyns cultures went from clear as a whistle to culturing anything from Pseudo, Yeast, Regular Staph, etc. She has not had one clean culture since last March and every culture is different. She never cultures the same bugs from visit to visit.

Now, today, I found she has cultured MRSA. Of course, in normal fashion, they never called to tell me, I had to call down there and get the results myself. I immediately went into hysterics at work and was sent home for the day. Now, all I can do is wait and worry while the docs are deciding on a treatment plan. They have never treated her yeast or regular staph( I vehemently disagree with them on that but what can I do?) , and she takes regular tobi every other month for the Pseudo. I am at a loss as to why all of a sudden she is culturing stuff out so much. She is on top of treatments and we are extremely involved in her care, actually pushing her docs to do more for her than what they do.

At this point, I dont have any more ideas and they have no conclusions or explanations for me,surprise surprise. Could all these lung infections she is getting be from our dog??? At this point, I am willing to do anything to keep her lungs clean, I just cant figure out why she cant catch a break lately. Any ideas or suggestions, I'd love to hear it.

Thanks all,
Jess

 

[jdprecious]

We got a family dog last year in March of 2009. He is a black lab that stays inside full time. He plays outside alot and sheds in the house even more. It is this same time last year that Jaelyns cultures went from clear as a whistle to culturing anything from Pseudo, Yeast, Regular Staph, etc. She has not had one clean culture since last March and every culture is different. She never cultures the same bugs from visit to visit.
<br />
<br />Now, today, I found she has cultured MRSA. Of course, in normal fashion, they never called to tell me, I had to call down there and get the results myself. I immediately went into hysterics at work and was sent home for the day. Now, all I can do is wait and worry while the docs are deciding on a treatment plan. They have never treated her yeast or regular staph( I vehemently disagree with them on that but what can I do?) , and she takes regular tobi every other month for the Pseudo. I am at a loss as to why all of a sudden she is culturing stuff out so much. She is on top of treatments and we are extremely involved in her care, actually pushing her docs to do more for her than what they do.
<br />
<br />At this point, I dont have any more ideas and they have no conclusions or explanations for me,surprise surprise. Could all these lung infections she is getting be from our dog??? At this point, I am willing to do anything to keep her lungs clean, I just cant figure out why she cant catch a break lately. Any ideas or suggestions, I'd love to hear it.
<br />
<br />Thanks all,
<br />Jess

 

[BaylorCrew07]

Aw, I'm sorry Jaelyn cultured MRSA. And I know how frustrating/annoying it is when your clinic never calls back with test results, but I'll try to stay away from that tangent.

Hopefully they will come up with a very effective treatment plan.

In regards to pets, I grew up with a dog - 1/2 dachsund 1/2 poodle (imagine a black lab puppy; that's what he looked like, except he was full grown). I never had any problems with him that I know of. My current roommate has a pug and a cat, who just had kittens, so I guess technically right now we've got 5 cats, a dog and a fish.

I would think the main issue would be if there was a pet allergy. Other than that, just making sure everyone washes hands immediately after playing with/petting animals would be my only suggestion; I don't know.

 

[BaylorCrew07]

Aw, I'm sorry Jaelyn cultured MRSA. And I know how frustrating/annoying it is when your clinic never calls back with test results, but I'll try to stay away from that tangent.

Hopefully they will come up with a very effective treatment plan.

In regards to pets, I grew up with a dog - 1/2 dachsund 1/2 poodle (imagine a black lab puppy; that's what he looked like, except he was full grown). I never had any problems with him that I know of. My current roommate has a pug and a cat, who just had kittens, so I guess technically right now we've got 5 cats, a dog and a fish.

I would think the main issue would be if there was a pet allergy. Other than that, just making sure everyone washes hands immediately after playing with/petting animals would be my only suggestion; I don't know.

 

[BaylorCrew07]

Aw, I'm sorry Jaelyn cultured MRSA. And I know how frustrating/annoying it is when your clinic never calls back with test results, but I'll try to stay away from that tangent.
<br />
<br />Hopefully they will come up with a very effective treatment plan.
<br />
<br />In regards to pets, I grew up with a dog - 1/2 dachsund 1/2 poodle (imagine a black lab puppy; that's what he looked like, except he was full grown). I never had any problems with him that I know of. My current roommate has a pug and a cat, who just had kittens, so I guess technically right now we've got 5 cats, a dog and a fish.
<br />
<br />I would think the main issue would be if there was a pet allergy. Other than that, just making sure everyone washes hands immediately after playing with/petting animals would be my only suggestion; I don't know.

 

[BaylorCrew07]

sorry, one more thing...in regards to culturing bugs, etc. I have only cultured PA(psuedo) and aspergillus (sp?).

I've been on TOBI for psuedo, and have not cultured it in the past 4 years; aspergillus is not being treated b/c I am not showing symptoms, and this one has also not shown up for the past few years, so past 3 years or so I've just had normal flora.

I guess they could be from pets, but who really knows where I picked them up from.

 

[BaylorCrew07]

sorry, one more thing...in regards to culturing bugs, etc. I have only cultured PA(psuedo) and aspergillus (sp?).

I've been on TOBI for psuedo, and have not cultured it in the past 4 years; aspergillus is not being treated b/c I am not showing symptoms, and this one has also not shown up for the past few years, so past 3 years or so I've just had normal flora.

I guess they could be from pets, but who really knows where I picked them up from.

 

[BaylorCrew07]

sorry, one more thing...in regards to culturing bugs, etc. I have only cultured PA(psuedo) and aspergillus (sp?).
<br />
<br />I've been on TOBI for psuedo, and have not cultured it in the past 4 years; aspergillus is not being treated b/c I am not showing symptoms, and this one has also not shown up for the past few years, so past 3 years or so I've just had normal flora.
<br />
<br />I guess they could be from pets, but who really knows where I picked them up from.

 

[jdprecious]

I found a few recent articles that specifically mention pets and Mrsa. To say the least, this DID NOT ease my fears as it specifically named dogs, cats, and fish (we just got a fish tank last month also-- smacks head on the desk).

For now, Jeff and I have decided to completely replace the carpets in our home, put down hard wood floors through out in hopes this cuts down on any alleged germ transfer. I cant give up Dexter. Not only does Jaelyn love him, but I have three other children to raise and I cannot punish them for things that are out of our control. Our family would be crushed and I just can't bare the thought of having to give him away. For now, we keep the dog and upgrade the house. Hopefully, that will keep dander and such to a bare minimum and we can get a handle on these cultures. Now what to do with that spiffy new Dyson I just bought??? LOL

 

[jdprecious]

I found a few recent articles that specifically mention pets and Mrsa. To say the least, this DID NOT ease my fears as it specifically named dogs, cats, and fish (we just got a fish tank last month also-- smacks head on the desk).

For now, Jeff and I have decided to completely replace the carpets in our home, put down hard wood floors through out in hopes this cuts down on any alleged germ transfer. I cant give up Dexter. Not only does Jaelyn love him, but I have three other children to raise and I cannot punish them for things that are out of our control. Our family would be crushed and I just can't bare the thought of having to give him away. For now, we keep the dog and upgrade the house. Hopefully, that will keep dander and such to a bare minimum and we can get a handle on these cultures. Now what to do with that spiffy new Dyson I just bought??? LOL

 

[jdprecious]

I found a few recent articles that specifically mention pets and Mrsa. To say the least, this DID NOT ease my fears as it specifically named dogs, cats, and fish (we just got a fish tank last month also-- smacks head on the desk).
<br />
<br />For now, Jeff and I have decided to completely replace the carpets in our home, put down hard wood floors through out in hopes this cuts down on any alleged germ transfer. I cant give up Dexter. Not only does Jaelyn love him, but I have three other children to raise and I cannot punish them for things that are out of our control. Our family would be crushed and I just can't bare the thought of having to give him away. For now, we keep the dog and upgrade the house. Hopefully, that will keep dander and such to a bare minimum and we can get a handle on these cultures. Now what to do with that spiffy new Dyson I just bought??? LOL

 

[Keepercjr]

Growing up we always had cats. When I was 12 we got a dog for the first time. And a year later my brother also got a dog (he had CF too but died in 1998). Way before we ever had a dog my brother had pseudo and staph. I didn't get pseudo till I was 20 or so. And I didn't culture staph till I was 16 or 17.

Currently we have 2 dogs, lots of cats (strays adopt us), 2 fish tanks, a snake, and 4 chickens. My health has been stable for the past 7 years or so with little to no PFT change. We recently got rid of the carpet in our living room and let me tell you - I can't believe the amount of crap that I never knew about. I have to sweep just about every day (my microfiber sweeper is great)! Pet hair, dirt, dust, etc. We don't wear shoes in the house, which helps, but there is still so much dirt. I'm glad the carpet is gone and we will replace the rest in the future. And it was scary what was under the carpet on the concrete - to think I was breathing all that in. So now I can be on top of it and get rid of it. Carpets are bad for everyone especially those with lung diseases. Oh and I use our Dyson on the floor - just turn off the brush. I keep throw rugs at all the doors that catch a lot of dirt and then I can wash them.

just fyi we replaced our living room carpet with tile and bamboo. An option I considered was plank vinyl. It is waterproof (ie you can mop it) and is probably the most cleanable and sterile flooring. It was just out of our budget. A lady I consulted said that they install it in a lot of families who go to children's hospital (I had told her about my lung disease). It looks just like hard wood flooring.

 

[Keepercjr]

Growing up we always had cats. When I was 12 we got a dog for the first time. And a year later my brother also got a dog (he had CF too but died in 1998). Way before we ever had a dog my brother had pseudo and staph. I didn't get pseudo till I was 20 or so. And I didn't culture staph till I was 16 or 17.

Currently we have 2 dogs, lots of cats (strays adopt us), 2 fish tanks, a snake, and 4 chickens. My health has been stable for the past 7 years or so with little to no PFT change. We recently got rid of the carpet in our living room and let me tell you - I can't believe the amount of crap that I never knew about. I have to sweep just about every day (my microfiber sweeper is great)! Pet hair, dirt, dust, etc. We don't wear shoes in the house, which helps, but there is still so much dirt. I'm glad the carpet is gone and we will replace the rest in the future. And it was scary what was under the carpet on the concrete - to think I was breathing all that in. So now I can be on top of it and get rid of it. Carpets are bad for everyone especially those with lung diseases. Oh and I use our Dyson on the floor - just turn off the brush. I keep throw rugs at all the doors that catch a lot of dirt and then I can wash them.

just fyi we replaced our living room carpet with tile and bamboo. An option I considered was plank vinyl. It is waterproof (ie you can mop it) and is probably the most cleanable and sterile flooring. It was just out of our budget. A lady I consulted said that they install it in a lot of families who go to children's hospital (I had told her about my lung disease). It looks just like hard wood flooring.

 

[Keepercjr]

Growing up we always had cats. When I was 12 we got a dog for the first time. And a year later my brother also got a dog (he had CF too but died in 1998). Way before we ever had a dog my brother had pseudo and staph. I didn't get pseudo till I was 20 or so. And I didn't culture staph till I was 16 or 17.
<br />
<br />Currently we have 2 dogs, lots of cats (strays adopt us), 2 fish tanks, a snake, and 4 chickens. My health has been stable for the past 7 years or so with little to no PFT change. We recently got rid of the carpet in our living room and let me tell you - I can't believe the amount of crap that I never knew about. I have to sweep just about every day (my microfiber sweeper is great)! Pet hair, dirt, dust, etc. We don't wear shoes in the house, which helps, but there is still so much dirt. I'm glad the carpet is gone and we will replace the rest in the future. And it was scary what was under the carpet on the concrete - to think I was breathing all that in. So now I can be on top of it and get rid of it. Carpets are bad for everyone especially those with lung diseases. Oh and I use our Dyson on the floor - just turn off the brush. I keep throw rugs at all the doors that catch a lot of dirt and then I can wash them.
<br />
<br />just fyi we replaced our living room carpet with tile and bamboo. An option I considered was plank vinyl. It is waterproof (ie you can mop it) and is probably the most cleanable and sterile flooring. It was just out of our budget. A lady I consulted said that they install it in a lot of families who go to children's hospital (I had told her about my lung disease). It looks just like hard wood flooring.

 

[PatrickM]

Hi,

I am sorry your daughter is having a hard time. I understand your worry. In terms of the dog we have 2 golden retrievers that shed, go outside, etc and my son hasn't cultured anything too abnormal. I don't think this is from your dog and unless she is specifically allergic to dogs I think pets are a good thing. Some studies have actually shown that kids having pets from a young age is beneficial and can help prevent allergies and asthma, go to cnn.com/health and look it up, I couldn't figure out how to put the link to the article here. Good luck and just do your best to stay on top of all her treatments. If you don't think the doctors are doing enough definitely get a second opinion. It may put your mind at ease. Wish you the best.

Tara

 

[PatrickM]

Hi,

I am sorry your daughter is having a hard time. I understand your worry. In terms of the dog we have 2 golden retrievers that shed, go outside, etc and my son hasn't cultured anything too abnormal. I don't think this is from your dog and unless she is specifically allergic to dogs I think pets are a good thing. Some studies have actually shown that kids having pets from a young age is beneficial and can help prevent allergies and asthma, go to cnn.com/health and look it up, I couldn't figure out how to put the link to the article here. Good luck and just do your best to stay on top of all her treatments. If you don't think the doctors are doing enough definitely get a second opinion. It may put your mind at ease. Wish you the best.

Tara

 

[PatrickM]

Hi,
<br />
<br />I am sorry your daughter is having a hard time. I understand your worry. In terms of the dog we have 2 golden retrievers that shed, go outside, etc and my son hasn't cultured anything too abnormal. I don't think this is from your dog and unless she is specifically allergic to dogs I think pets are a good thing. Some studies have actually shown that kids having pets from a young age is beneficial and can help prevent allergies and asthma, go to cnn.com/health and look it up, I couldn't figure out how to put the link to the article here. Good luck and just do your best to stay on top of all her treatments. If you don't think the doctors are doing enough definitely get a second opinion. It may put your mind at ease. Wish you the best.
<br />
<br />Tara

 

[bethylove]

As a young child, before I was diagnosed we had a family cat or two. Then we got a 'hypoallergenic' dog (one that has hair instead of fur) because we found out my sister was allergic. I had 3 hamsters at one point in time, and now I have 2 ferrets. I haven't noticed any difference with the animals.

I think hardwood floors/tiles/anything but carpet is always a safe bet in general for CFer's. I also believe you're more apt to clean a hardwood floor vs. carpet, because you're able to see dust and dirt more on hardwoods, where as in carpet you have no idea how dirty it actually is.
When we were gearing up to sell our house, we pulled up our blue carpet so we could refinish the hardwood floors underneath. This carpet had been down for 10 years or so. You would not believe the stuff GROWING under the carpet. The carpet pad was FULL of mold. MOLD! I used to lay on this carpet all the time, just breathing in that mold from the carpet pad. EEK! There was dirt, sand, grime, and just plain old grossness. So in my opinion hardwoods/tile is the way to go.

Good luck, hope your daughter starts to feel better soon!

 

[bethylove]

As a young child, before I was diagnosed we had a family cat or two. Then we got a 'hypoallergenic' dog (one that has hair instead of fur) because we found out my sister was allergic. I had 3 hamsters at one point in time, and now I have 2 ferrets. I haven't noticed any difference with the animals.

I think hardwood floors/tiles/anything but carpet is always a safe bet in general for CFer's. I also believe you're more apt to clean a hardwood floor vs. carpet, because you're able to see dust and dirt more on hardwoods, where as in carpet you have no idea how dirty it actually is.
When we were gearing up to sell our house, we pulled up our blue carpet so we could refinish the hardwood floors underneath. This carpet had been down for 10 years or so. You would not believe the stuff GROWING under the carpet. The carpet pad was FULL of mold. MOLD! I used to lay on this carpet all the time, just breathing in that mold from the carpet pad. EEK! There was dirt, sand, grime, and just plain old grossness. So in my opinion hardwoods/tile is the way to go.

Good luck, hope your daughter starts to feel better soon!