Rabbit

Question

Excuse me, my daughter has CF. She would like to have a rabbit. Is this possible?

Answer

Dear ECORN-CF reader,

Thank you for your question. There are no specific recommendations for children with CF in families with pets. Of course standard hygienic and safety rules are recommended like for example: do not allow a pet in the bed or bedroom of your child, make sure your pet is vaccinated. The safety of the child must be guaranteed because a pet can scratch or bite, wash the hands with soap and water (or disinfect) before eating and do not allow contact with sick animals.
Rare cases have been described of germs passing from animal to people, but this is rather unusual and has mainly been described in sick adult patients with cystic fibrosis.
Of course, allergies to animals also occur in children with CF. However, those are not more frequent than in other children. When a child is allergic to a specific pet, of course having such a pet is contra-indicated. Symptoms suggestive of allergy are: sneezing, tearing eyes, shortness of breath, wheeze, cough,…. In case of doubt please contact your doctor.

On this website you can find more questions about having pets, hygiene and other subjects. Have a look around.

Best regards,
Prof. K. de Boeck

02.06.2014