When I first became pregnant, in late [name]November[/name], we noticed no change in our dogs. Then, for the three weeks I had morning sickness, one of our dogs woke us up in the middle of the night, needing to go out, and had many accidents in the apartment. Not realizing the connection to my not feeling well, we took her for a bunch of tests (she’s also on the older side at ten and a half years) - everything was normal.
We went away for a week, and my brother-in-law stayed with the dogs: no accidents or any problems. Then, when my husband and I got back - I was still feeling so sick - the accidents, etc. started up again. When my nausea went away after about three weeks, the problems with the dog stopped.
Now I’m concerned again because today she urinated all over inside the apartment. I feel fine, but my tummy is beginning to show, and I’m wondering if there could be a connection again. She’s a very sweet, affectionate dog (she’s a therapy dog) - and very smart and astute as well. In general, also, she’s been more needy and pushy since I’ve been pregnant.
Has anyone experienced anything similar with their dogs (or cats?)? What about after your baby was born? Any similar stories or advice would be really appreciated!!
Aww, I’m so sorry one of your furbabies is having trouble! I’m glad you got her checked out at the vet to make sure there’s not a physical cause.
My dog hasnt been acting out during my pregnancy, but he has definitely been more needy–wanting to be attached to my hip all day and whining more when he has to be alone. No accidents, but he has been waking up to go out in the night which he never did before. I’ve been attributing it to the fact that I’M up in the middle of the night, so he may not be sleeping as deeply or thinking it’s morning when he hears me getting up to use the bathroom (all. the. time…)
My friend’s dog was very upset by her nausea, she would sit outside the bathroom door and cry whenever she got sick (so sad!). I would think a therapy dog in particular would be very sensitive to “something is not right with my human” and could get nervous about it. That in itself could explain the earlier accidents in my mind.
Have you recently brought new baby stuff into the house that could have spurred the latest marking? Or she very well could know exactly whats going on and be nervous about change coming to her pack.
Adjusting to baby…I’ve heard bringing home a blanket with the baby’s smell on it for the dog to sniff before the actual homecoming can be helpful. If you have friends with babies, you might have them over as a trial run. I’ve also heard of people carrying around a babydoll to get the dog used to the idea beforehand. Obviously you want to be carefully supervising interactions for awhile. There may very well be jealousy, but most dogs do adjust just fine in the end. Make sure you stay consistent and keep giving them their normal amount of attention, walks, and playing when baby is down for a nap so they know they’re still important to you.
Lineska, thank you for your reply. We haven’t purchased any baby stuff yet at all (not due till [name]August[/name]), so that’s not it…but I do wonder if she is somehow aware of the impending change.
I’m not worried at all about potential aggressiveness toward the baby - neither dog has an aggressive bone in her body. I am worried, though, about potential accidents and bad behavior and that sort of thing. As we get closer, we’re definitely going to get them used to the smell of baby powder and such, and then, when the baby comes, before we come home from the hospital, we’ll have someone bring home a blanket or something with the baby’s smell.
I’ll have to look into the possibility of getting a doll or something - I’ve read that elsewhere, too.
My dogs have always been able to tell when someone was pregnant, and now that I’m pregnant one has become extra needy, the other extra protective. So basically neither of them leave me alone. It’s been an adjustment for them. I’m not sure they even know exactly what’s going. But they’ve needed a lot of reassurance and extra time. We lost our 17 year old dog last month, so these two have really been through it lately.
We started taking them on little mini field trips once a week or so. A walk in the park, or to the pet store to pick up a new treat. It’s helped a lot.
Dogs can be amazingly empathetic. My sister’s would get sick anytime my sister was sick or upset. You never know how in-tune they are to your feelings. And a therapy dog is certainly going to be extra sensitive.
I’ve read about dogs who can predict seizures before they happen, so who knows what they’re sensing with a baby. Maybe they can sense the baby moving or hiccuping.
If it were me, I’d give her some extra reassurance–especially when you’re not feeling well. [name]One[/name] thing we’re doing with my little needy one, is my husband has taken over feeding her and taking her out, because when the baby comes she won’t be able to rely on me as much. So far it’s not working–she runs back to me as fast as she can–but we still have 4 months.