Pets in Your Bed, Good or Bad?

When Ingrid and armor Shea has brought their new Weimaraner puppy, Cooper, at his home in August 2006, were determined to keep out of their beds. They bought a niche with a soft bed and blankets to make sure it is warm and comfortable place to sleep.

Cooper, however, had other ideas.

The first night, complaining, growls, screams, and crying. The Armory is six hours before its establishment and broke the little Cooper was out of the window and into his bed, where he spent the next two years.

"We were sleeping under the covers with his head on the pillow," says Ingrid Armor. "I thought it was the man."

# Who sleep with their pets?

Sleeping with pets is not uncommon in this country. A recent survey of pet owners by the Association of American products in PET, almost half of the dogs sleeping in the bed of their owners. The survey revealed that 62% of small dogs, 41% of medium sized dogs, and 32% of large dogs sleep with their owners.

The survey also revealed that 62% of cats sleep with their owners for adults and 13% of cats who sleep with children.

# Is it safe to sleep with animals?

So what is healthy for your dog sleeps in his bed? Derek Damin Kentuckiana Allergy, Asthma and Immunology in Louisville, Ky., said that people with allergies or asthma should not sleep with a pet dog or cat, or even allowed in the bedroom.

"Use a HEPA filter and keep them out of the room to give the nose a couple of hours a day to recover," said Damin.

But Damin says most pet lovers do not throw bed Fido, even if they find that their pets are causing allergy problems. For these people, who recommends allergy shots to build a tolerance to the pet hair that causes allergic reactions.

"But if not allergic, there's really no big deal to have a dog in bed," said Damin, who for years has shared his bed with his miniature dachshund. "This is good because it does not disturb your sleep.

Snoring, kicking, Cover-Crusher Animals

This highlights another problem with sharing his bed with a pet - which can disturb sleep. A study published by the Mayo Clinic Sleep Disorders Center has found that about half of the patients in the study had a dog or a cat, and 53% of pet owners said their pets sleep disturbed in some way every night.

"I have had patients who have spent the visit after the visit during their sleep problems, trying to understand what is happening, then I know who has a dog that scratches all night," said Lisa Shives, MD, medical director of Northshore Sleep Medicine, sleep center outside Chicago.