How many of you are allergic?

1660 Views 23 Replies 21 Participants Last post by Thracian, Jun 8, 2009

Thracian

Discussion Starter · May 28, 2009

I was surprised when reading this thread to see a number of people who are allergic to their dogs. I thought I was the only one.

I got Cupid for a seven-day trial period. I was desperately in love with him after a few days, so I knew I would make it work. My allergies are not severe, just an occasional sneeze and my nose is stuffed up at times. I have to get low-shedding breeds, though, because I have a stronger reaction around other dogs. I have a Lhasa Apso/miniature poodle mix and a toy poodle, and I do pretty well with them.

So who else is allergic, what symptoms do you have, and how do you manage them?

1 - 20 of 24 Posts

Cheetah

· #2 · May 28, 2009

I think I am allergic, because my dogs cannot sleep in my bed with me or I itch really bad and break out. To solve this I simply give them their own beds.

Binkalette

· #3 · May 28, 2009

I'm not allergic to dogs, but I'm TERRIBLY allergic to cats. Still love em to death though.

Jen D

· #4 · May 28, 2009

I am allergic to dogs and did a rescue for years having many around. I get shots every week to help with it. I get itchy eyes, skin, and mostly the nose drives me crazy. I would never give up the dogs the people in the house would go first!

mandymmr

· #5 · May 28, 2009

My 6 year old son is allergic to about every animal except birds. Remarkably though he isn't allergic to my dogs (1 just passed away), nor my cat. The allergist said it was probably because when he was born I already had them for many years and he built up an immunity to them...but them only. If we go to anyone's house that has dogs or cats he is a mess! I find the hole thing pretty amazing! He takes allergy meds. He also has severe asthma, but my pets don't bother him one bit...just other people's do!

Sonn84

· #6 · May 28, 2009

I have a slight allergy to my dogs make me stuffy but medication deals with it.

MissMutt

· #7 · May 28, 2009

I'm not allergic (thank doG) but my sister, father and mother all have allergic or asthmatic type symptoms. My sister goes for immunotherapy shots (my dad used to) and my mom's isn't really bad enough to warrant regular management. She has used an inhaler in the past though. Not really sure how much any of them are allergic to the dog but I'm pretty sure all three are moderately-highly allergic to my cat. So she stays mostly confined to two or three rooms.

LeRoymydog

· #8 · May 28, 2009

Ask me what I am not allergic to. I take allergy shots, I'm on 3 different antihistamines and I take 2 inhalers. But I love my dogs and I would never live in a home without them. Oh, It's not just dogs I'm allergic to tho.

mandymmr

· #9 · May 28, 2009

LeRoymydog said:
Ask me what I am not allergic to. I take allergy shots, I'm on 3 different antihistamines and I take 2 inhalers. But I love my dogs and I would never live in a home without them. Oh, It's not just dogs I'm allergic to tho.

you sound just like my son. He is allergic to about EVERYTHING! Foods, pollen, mold, mildew, animals, dust, dust mites, etc. it is an endless list!

Laurelin

· #10 · May 28, 2009

Thank doG I'm not! I'm mildly allergic to cats but I can live without cats.

LeRoymydog

· #11 · May 28, 2009

mandymmr said:
you sound just like my son. He is allergic to about EVERYTHING! Foods, pollen, mold, mildew, animals, dust, dust mites, etc. it is an endless list!

Yeah, it's crazy. The thing that gets me most is I'm allergic to all fresh fruit. It kills me (literally).

ThoseWordsAtBest

· #12 · May 28, 2009

Thankfully I'm not allergic to my dogs. Unfortunately, I am very allergic to guinea pigs, another huge love of mine. I break out and itch like crazy and get watery eyes/stuffed nose. I have Clariten and that combats a lot of it, minus some itchiness. I love them enough I can deal.

Lacey

· #13 · May 28, 2009

I'm quite badly allergic. When I worked with groomers, life was mighty unpleasant during coat-blowing season. That doesn't stop me from keeping dogs and cats though. I just keep a steady supply of Claritin and Benedryl on hand and wear a surgical mask when I brush anyone.

melgrj7

· #14 · May 28, 2009

I'm allergic to dogs and cats and have both. My own dogs and cats I don't react to very badly, sometimes the cats I do though. My eyes get red and watery, my nose stuffs up and my eyes and nose itch really bad. I take claritin, wash my hands a lot and keep the animals clean. Most dogs don't bother me to much but once in awhile there will be one that does.

misty073

· #15 · May 28, 2009

My husband is allergic to dogs and has been ever since he was a kid (kittens too, but not cats) When our oldest daughter wanted a dog she ended up getting a Yorkie and he has been fine with it. We just recently (about 2 months ago) got a Jack Russell and he had mild asthma and itchy eyes when she first got here. He no longer has any issues with her at all, and he holds her all the time. I was talking to a groomer one day about raw and how we switched her food when we got her and she said thats probably the reason why he is no longer allergic to her. (we just joke and say its because he actually found a dog he likes LOL)

But he still gets asthma from other dogs when we go to other peoples houses.

RonE

· #16 · May 28, 2009

We were 17 years without a dog because my new wife was violently allergic (as in asthmatic) to dogs. I found that out when we were getting serious and it was nearly (but not quite) a deal-breaker.

She went through years of shots and, probably to some extent, just outgrew it and we eventually got a dog. We didn't just get a dog. We got a 115# lab. That's like having TWO dogs.

Now we do have two dogs and for the next few days, we'll have four. She does pretty well with them but has occasional bouts and, a few weeks ago, had to be taken to the ER and spent a few days in the hospital.

Most people here say they would NEVER give up their dogs but, if I ever had to decide between my wife and my dogs, my wife would stay. I don't think it'll ever come to that.

rosemaryninja

· #17 · May 29, 2009

I am allergic to my dogs. Antihistamines take care of it, and I've trained them to stay out of bedrooms and off furniture.

crzy_brunette77

· #18 · Jun 8, 2009

I've always been very allergic to cats but fine with dogs. A few years ago I started reacting to my friends Golden (who had lots of skin conditions and allergies causing him to lose more dander than normal) so I went and got tested by the allergist. On paper I'm not allergic to dogs but I still get the symptoms (runny nose, itchy eyes, hives). However, we just got Sam (PB Yorkie) and although I did get hives the first couple days I'm almost perfectly fine now. I still take Claratin every once in awhile to stop the occasional sneezing but it's worth it for him

I suggest keeping your dog out of your room. As much as I love to cuddle with him, when the allergies get really bad you need to be able to retreat even for a bit to a room where there is no dog dander. If not your own room, pick a room in your house where he can't go. Also if you have the money get a HEPA air filter. I have bad seasonal allergies to grass and pollen as well as dust allergies and the air filter has almost eliminated them inside ( I used to live with a Kleenex box tied to me at all times, now I'm fine). It also helps immensely with dog allergies. Lastly get a hypoallergenic dog shampoo! I wash Sam only once every month but the shampoo I use helps reduce dog dander and I've found it really works!

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CoverTune

· #19 · Jun 8, 2009

Yup, I'm allergic. Nothing too bad though, it's almost exclusively a skin reaction and more to Corona's saliva than her hair or dander. If it gets "bad" I just pop a benadryl! lol

ioreks_mom

· #20 · Jun 8, 2009

i am allergic to pretty much anything with fur. i get itchy/watery eyes, sneezing, and a runny nose. i live with it. i don't like to take meds too often but if it is bad i take reactine. i also get hives if one of the cats scratch me by accident. frodo is the worst and if he touches a part of my skin that is not normally touched by his fur, like my belly or my face i will get hives there too. i am also allergic to my ferrets, if they scratch me i get hives. my husband is allergic to cats and has asthma symptoms. he was on 2 inhalers for a while but i think the combination of hardwood instead of carpet and time has relieved a lot of his symptoms. now he uses his rescue inhaler maybe 2-3 times a month and the other one has been given up all together. something that is really nice though, is that neither of us is allergic to iorek!! never were, not even right when we first got him with all the puppy fur

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