When I gave birth to my first and only human baby, questionably well-meaning individuals offered plenty of unsolicited opinions – everything from what kind of diapers met the greenest standards to how I might best prevent my nipples from cracking. (Needless to say, the latter advice came from those whose good intentions seemed most suspect.)
But the most contentious round of suggestions had to do with the whole family bed thing. Is it best to keep baby close in bed, or will you crush the wee thing while in the throes of bad night's sleep? In the end, my need for sleep overcame my fears, and the creature finally slept soundly in my bed. And he's none the worse, unless you can attribute his prepubescent, pain-in-the-rear status to six months of bed-sharing.
So you know, the issue's a big deal in the veterinary community, too. Which is why my clients often ask me to help settle their family disputes on the subject. Want an example? Here's a typical scenario:
Dr. Mother-in-Law claims the family pets will spread diseases to the children if they sleep on their beds. Meanwhile, Dr. Google, always happy to oblige with any opinion you might prefer, claims this is an old wives' tale.
So what's the truth? Here's my version:
It's been reported that up to 79% of pet owners allow pets to share beds with their human family members. Despite the popularity of the practice, physician and veterinary groups have taken turns speaking out against human/pet bed-sharing for a variety of reasons. (But don't worry, none of them involve the dreaded sudden infant death syndrome – much less any sort of crushing or suffocation.)
In the case of some physician groups, the warnings are based on human health. Confirmed transmission of MRSA skin infections and H1N1 influenza, for example, gives fodder to the speculation that humans who share the covers with their furred family members are more likely to become ill.
While this is certainly more of a possibility with immunosuppressed humans (HIV-positive, transplant recipients or chemotherapy patients, for example), the
U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention offers no explicit warnings on this issue beyond the standard warnings for these immuno-compromised groups of people.
In fact, when it comes to infectious disease transmission, physicians and veterinarians agree there is scant evidence that healthy, well-cared-for pets are detrimental to human health under these circumstances. Indeed, human family members are much more likely to transmit diseases to each other during bed-sharing than our pets are.
Though infectious disease transmission may be rare between healthy humans and pets who sleep in the same bed, veterinarians don't always agree that allowing dogs to sleep on human beds is a good thing, behaviorally speaking.
Puppies predisposed to dominance or aggression may develop these behaviors when allowed to sleep with humans, some veterinary behaviorists explain. Housebreaking may also be affected if beds take the place of crates, for example. That's why bed-sharing should always be delayed until training is complete and social maturity is achieved, they suggest.
House training and temperament issues aside, some pets are actually better off not sleeping with humans because of their own health issues. This is most important for older pets or for breeds predisposed to jumping injuries or back troubles – especially when beds are sky-high enough to tax even athletic pets.
It's also argued, however, that pets confer significant psychological and personal safety benefits when they sleep with their human family members. Some sleep studies even suggest that pets can help insomniacs sleep more deeply. Meanwhile, others question whether the tossing and turning pets sometimes do can distract humans with similarly sleepless tendencies.
I'm not sure I ever help out with these intramural disputes beyond distributing plenty of ammunition widely. In the end, it's always up to my clients to make of it what they will.
For my part, however, I can't imagine banishing my pets from the bed. I figure that even if it's not what's best for my body, at least from a security perspective, the needs of my pack are being well met with my bed-sharing ways. And that's an opinion I'll never foist upon you unless you ask me for it or otherwise seek out my advice (as when you read my columns). Promise.
By Patty Khuly, Special for
USA TODAY