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I was at the pediatricians office with annie and her granddaughter and the granddaughter had her check up mom is at work so they had asked annie to take her . So while we were sitting there I heard one of the pediatricians tell the parent that they must get rid of their animals because their child was being infected by the dog and the cat in the house . Then he proceeds to tell the parent that he hates animals around kids they are nasty and they are infection breeders !!! I kid you not , I almost hit the floor . Had that been my pediatrician my kids would not being going back there . Something wrong with someone who supposedly likes children but hates animals in my opinion . Annie said she is going to let her son in law and her daughter know how this guy acts and what he said . Knowing annies daughter and son in law like I do I think this pediatrician probably lost a couple of patients .
I wonder what this germaphobe thinks about healthy immune systems? People who spend most of their time and a lot of their money trying to disinfect the world just amaze me. Let alone corporations that spend millions trying to convince us that everything outside our front door is a threat, is filthy, is riddled with fatal disease. I pity the paranoid parents and sad intolerant kids this attitude might create. No mud pie baking for them.
I don't know who Annie is. I would be weary about over hearing anything and holding it too close. If the child had a suppressed immune system the doctor might be right to say that. I know people who had to get rid of animals because their kids had suppressed immune systems. Its not worth the risk. I have also heard doctors tell patients they "had to" get rid of pets because of allergies.
I know a lot of doctors that seem to have kind of random health fears. Esp ER doctors who see it all.
I would guess a ped would lose a lot of patients if they insisted all their patient's families get rid of pets because of fear of infection. But in some countries that is a totally main stream way for doctors and average people to think and talk about pets.
I dunno...seems weird but not the end of the world.
I went through the whole allergy bit. Boys tested as allergic to almost everything.
Got rid of the cat, got a toy poodle (non-allergenic), wrapped the mattresses and pillows in sealed plastic, vacuumed the house twice a day to minimize house dust, etc.
Then it turned out the boys reacted to the test medium, not the allergens!
If I had heard our family pediatrician say something like that, I would have a new doctor for my kids (grandkids, now) right quick like.
Was the child covered in flea bites? Having a problem with recurrent worm infections? Bartonella? Had the doctor already told the parents umpteen times that their child was being infected from contact with pets, and/or told them the pets needed vet attention? I'm happy to condemn the doctor for discussing patient care in front of eavesdroppers in the waiting area instead of in private, but we don't have enough info to blast him for his medical opinion.
When my first child was a baby, a young doctor told me very seriously that our having a dog and two cats in the house would give her allergies and asthma. I couldn't believe my ears. That nonsense was debunked such a long time ago. We kept the pets, and my three kids (now teens) are as healthy as can be and have no allergies/asthma.
I'm not saying children can't be sensitive to pets. But if anything, growing up around animals makes it much less likely.
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