A Message From Dr. Crowley

Mia Update Greetings! Mia and I have been back in the office catching up on patients and paperwork. I will be back seeing patients at the end of this month. Mia is doing great. Getting bigger every day. The scale at the office comes in handy to keep tabs on her growth! Pet Tips for Expectant Parents In this issue A Message From Dr. Crowley Mia Update Read the article. Pet Tips for Expectant Parents Read the article. Homeopathy Read the article. In Memorium News Archives All of our animals are doing great with Mia (four cats and one dog). For the expectant parents out there, you will get lots of advice on what "to do with" your pets when baby arrives! What I recommend is that you follow your instincts and common sense. There are many articles about pets and babies in many prenatal magazines, web sites as well as pregnancy books. I recommend doing a few things to help your pets get ready. I think it is helpful to solidify your dog’s training during your pregnancy. We finally got Madeline to do a "down-stay" after months of trying. Yes, there was a french fry or two involved.... Go ahead and put together all the baby paraphernalia such as baby swings, crib, etc as soon as possible. The pets can get used to seeing these items in their environment. Turn on the music, the mobile, etc. If at all possible, invite any family and friends over that have children so you can introduce your dog to children. Always have the pets supervised as well as the children. Madeline also had a baby doll but once she met a friend’s true to life baby, she knew the doll was a fake! It was amazing to see her reaction. Once the baby arrives, let the dog smell the first outfit from the hospital. It is helpful to have the new daddy carry the baby in while you get to greet your dog. You may want to prearrange a dog-sitter or neighbor to help walk the dog the first week or so. Madeline has free access wherever the baby is when she is supervised. This includes the nursery. I feel it is really important to let her be included in activities with the baby. Some may recommend keeping some areas off limits to the pets but with our "cozy"home, so many pets and so many diapers to change in the nursery, but it doesn’t work for us to keep them out of the nursery. Again, do what works best for you with your environment and you. Your dog’s reaction will dictate boundaries as well. If you have cats as well, you really can’t train them but there are a few things to do for them. Make sure the litter box is clean and you are stocked up on kitty litter. It will be one less thing to worry about in the first few weeks. Some cats may be offended with the new arrival and show that by urinating or deficating outside the litter box. This will be less likely if you have been able to keep it spotless. Also, cats tend to have numerous places to sleep. Try to introduce them to all the new baby gear as well. Many baby bassinets and cribs have mesh netting which is helpful to keep the cats out. I feel that Mia’s world is greatly enhanced by growing up with the animals. They can provide entertainment, comfort and peace to her world and she will learn care and compassion as she gets bigger and becomes more involved in taking care of them. If you have concerns about your pet and baby’s arrival, please set up an appointment to discuss your concerns with your veterinarian. We can help you with behavior concerns as well as hygiene issues, training, etc.