Safety Tips for Interacting With Pets

By: Drh. Joshua Wira Hardja, M. Si

Children are naturally attracted to animals. To help create a "man's best friend", your child's
best friend, it is important to take into account the guidelines for your child's safety around
pets.

Having a pet can be a very positive experience and beneficial to a child. Children learn
responsibility and caring through how to care for pets, also will get a tremendous friend. As a
parent, you must be a person who determines the appropriate time to introduce pets to the
family based on your child's age, behavior, maturity, and interest

In making a decision like that you need to determine how much responsibility the child for
animal care that you expect and / or how large your intention to take responsibility for it.

Mood Recognizing Your Pet.

The most important lesson is to teach your children to always treat animals gently and
carefully. Animals who are sick, scared, or feel threatened most likely to bite or scratch to
protect themselves.

Animals, like humans, have a time where they just want to be left alone. Help your child
learn how to recognize your pet's mood, and give him / some space when your pet prefers to
be left alone.

To ensure the safety of animals for the kids, teach your child never to pull ears, tails, or feet
of the animal when the play and did not wrestle in a rough with animals. Children should not
curb their pet desires.

Is Your Pet Family Members!

Family pets can adapt well with children when they are treated as part of the family. Dogs
should not be left chained outside the house - permanently chained dogs are more aggressive
and more likely to bite.

Castration or neuter your pets, pets that have been castrated (neutered) or less likely to bite
than neutered pets are not neutered. Consider registering ("send ') your dog in basic
obedience class - even well-behaved dogs can benefit from such instruction and that is
valuable experience between pet and owner.

Get immunizations (vaccinations), preventive treatment, giving de-worming, flea treatment

and regular check-ups to the vet. This is for the sake of the safety of animals and children to
prevent disease.

Use a microchip and / or identification (peneng) as a contact for updated information if your
pet is lost, probably to be found and returned home safely would be much greater.
Tips for Maintaining Security of Your Pets
• Avoid face and head area when stroking dogs and cats. Garuklah along the neck, back
and side. Cats, unlike dogs, can bite or scratch when rubbed against her stomach.
• Leave animals alone when they are eating, sleeping, chew toy, or caring for children.
• Watch for warning signs - an animal that growled or hissed want to be left alone!
• Explain to your child that animals may be startled by the sounds of a loud, shrill
screams or loud noises and sudden movements.
• Never approach animals that you do not know. Animals in pens and pages may
behave aggressively and have territorial area that can tend to bite. Always ask
permission from the owner before approaching the animal's animal friends, neighbors,
or acquaintances - even if you're already acquainted with these animals before.
• Never approach animals that appear injured or sick.
• Never approach a wild animal (dog / cat street).
• Teach your child not to run when approached by an unknown dog. Running may
provoke a dog to chase and attack. Teach your child to act like a "tree" by standing
still and staring straight ahead until the dog away or act like "rock" if you are sitting
or tumble to the ground with curled into a ball by hand to keep the ear. If the dog
attack, teach your child to throw something like a purse or coat to the dog to bite.
• If your child responsible for cleaning the animal cages, the box where the puppies, or
clean up the page where the pet dog, were required to wear rubber gloves and always
wash hands when finished.
• Keep the food dish and the box where the puppies are out of reach of infants and
toddlers.

Your Child Health And Pets

Children under the age of five are more likely to acquire the disease from other animals than
most people.

This is mainly due to the fact that children are less likely to wash their hands properly and
may like to insert hands or other dirty objects into their mouths him.
Children under the age of five should not be without supervision when interacting with
animals, hands should be washed after contact with animals, and they should not be allowed
to kiss pets.

Because of the increased risk of certain animal diseases, the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention (CDC) specifically recommends that infants and children under five years of age
should avoid contact with animals following: reptiles, amphibians, baby chickens, ducks, and
holding / stroked animals -animals at the zoo.

Tips for Choosing a Pet for Children

Some of the kids are like pets. However, do you know how to pick a safe pet for them?
Jenniffer Andrew, an educator is recommended to choose a dog who has lived and been
around a human life. Animals also should have a good track record with children.
If you decide to adopt a dog from an animal home, you will not know whether the pet had
previously been living in the midst of the children.
In addition, puppies are also good, as long as you have the time to train these animals. You
must be honest and ask yourself, "Do I have time to be devoted to train the dogs?".
If the answer is no, you better vote for a dog who has lived and trained. Of course, these dogs
can be invited to play with the kids.

Aged and trained dogs are often recommended because the behavior is still a small dog can
not be predicted when positioned near the children.

In addition to choosing a pet, you also have to train the child to interact with pets. Whenever
a dog or cat around, show children how to care for the animals.

Pets are Dangerous to Your Children

Identify some animals that are storing bacteria that could endanger the health of your child.
If you or your spouse eskotis hobby of raising animals, like iguanas, turtles, or even snakes,
the cage should not be placed near the small playground. The animals of this type can spread
bacteria to your baby, especially the age of five.

American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and the centers for disease control surveillance and
the United States (CDC) recommends that children under the age of five are not allowed any
contact with reptiles, amphibians, rodents, animals like ferrets, chicks, and ducklings.
Because nontraditional pets can cause disease in children because of bacteria in the body of
the animal. Check out the bacteria carried by animals and diseases that would cause the
following.
- Salmonella from reptiles and chickens. Salmonella is a bacteria that can cause severe
diarrhea. Symptoms such as abdominal cramps, and fever. Salmonella is rarely cause serious
life-threatening complications, but it's very dangerous for children, the elderly, and persons
who have low immunity.
- Herpes B virus that can be taken by the monkey (monkeys are often used to pluck coconuts)

- E. coli bacteria from animals such as cows, sheep, and goats. Such as salmonella, E. coli
bacteria can also cause diarrhea, and high risk in children.
In addition to harmful bacteria, other threats to children are bitten and injured, especially
when the animals grow larger and more aggressive. "For example, iguanas sold shortly after
birth measures just less than eight inches, but two or three years later, the length can reach
several feet," said AAP.

CDC issued a few tips to keep kids healthy in all animals around them. Here's how.
- Wash hands with soap after they come into contact with animals.
- Keep an eye on how to wash their hands of children under five years old. Wash baby's
hands with antiseptic soap.
- Never touch wild animals without supervision. Always supervise children, especially
toddlers, when they interact with animals.
- Do not let children kiss the animal or put hands or other objects into their mouths after
handling animals.
- Ask the advice of your veterinarian to help pick out a pet, and to prevent transmission of
disease from animals to humans.
- Keep your family pet is in good health, and give vaccines on a regular basis.
Daftar Pustaka:
1. Anonimus. 2001. Choosing a pet, A Guide to help people find and keep a new pet. The
Humane Society for Seattle/ King County. Bellevue, WA
2. Dharmojono. H. 2001. Penyakit Menular dari Binatang ke Manusia. Millenium Publisher,
Jakarta
3. Dharmojono. H. 2001. Kapita Selekta Kedokteran Veteriner (Hewan Kecil 1), Pustaka
Populer Obor, Jakarta
4. Dharmojono. H. 2002. Kapita Selekta Kedokteran Veteriner (Hewan Kecil 2), Pustaka
Populer Obor, Jakarta
5. Fogle, B., 2002. What’s up with My Cat? Dorling Kindersley, London
6. Fogle, B., 2002. What’s up with My Dog? Dorling Kindersley, London
7. Hatmosrojo, R. & Budiana N.S., 2002. Melatih Anjing Keluarga. Penebar Swadaya,
Jakarta
8. Kilcommons, B & Wilson S. 2006. Choosing the best pet for your family. Sb Press
Enterprise
9. Priosoeryanto, B.P. & Suseno, P.P (ed), 2004. Penyakit Eksotik Pada Hewan. Departemen
Pertanian Direktorat Jenderal Bina Produksi Peternakan, Direktorat Kesehatan Hewan,
Jakarta
10. Susetyo, B.R., 2004, Panduan Memelihara Kucing Persia. Agro Media Pustaka, Depok

Summarized from various sources by:

Drh. Jusak Wira Hardja, M.Si
Alamat Praktek Dokter Hewan :
Komplek Kanaan Indah Blok C / 12
Tlp. 0778 432554 / 08127036296
Email: jwhardja@yahoo.com