Allergic to dogs...

[ladyjessica]

I went for my first round of allergy testing this morning, and discovered that I'm allergic to dogs. And cats. And dust. And numerous other things I don't even remember. The other stuff I can deal with, but I have 3 dogs. I fought for years and years to be able to get a dog, and they've all been my babies. They are my heart, a part of me. Getting rid of them is not negotiable. They've all been tossed around to so many people and spent time in shelters that I would never do that to them, and I don't know what I would do without them.

I was just curious if anybody else has this problem, being allergic to dogs but having them anyway. I don't sneeze or anything when I'm around them like I do with cats, but I'm constantly congested and I'm losing my voice and can't sing anymore like I used to. I didn't know if anybody had any tips for dealing with with dog allergies and having dogs anyway.

Thanks.

[Cynamar]

I'm not allergic to anything but one of my best friends is alergic to animals and has them anyway. She uses something called Allerpet (I think) on their fur and doesn't have many troubles.

[vaknitter]

yup - I'm allergic to just about everything too including dogs and cats. I have 2 dogs and one time had rabbits. Suprisingly I was not allergic to the rabbit himself, but his litter so I had to keep his litter box out of the "living area" of the house and tried to wear a mask when I cleaned his cage out.
I sneeze and get all congested and weepy eyes within 5 minutes of being with cats and cannot touch them without breaking out in hives.
The dogs don't really seem to be too much of a problem for me. I keep them brushed and give them baths every couple of months, keep the floors vacuumed (vac has a hepa filter) and took the carpet out of the master bedroom and replaced it with hardwood flooring. Both dogs sleep in the room and one is on the bed next to me. I could never live without animals.
I also installed furnace filters at all the intakes so the air goes through multiple filters instead of just one as it circulates throughout the house to try and keep the amount of dust circulating to a minimum. At the prompting of an allergist I put special dust covers on all mattresses and pillows which are then covered with washable covers. I cannot hang laundry out to dry b/c it collects sooo much pollen. During peak allergy season I keep windows closed and wear a mask or tie a hankerchief over my nose/mouth when I go out to mow the lawn and mess in the garden.
Best of Luck

[HollyP]

I can't imagine being allergic my dog or cats. I would be exactly like you and not be able to give them away!
Have you discussed options with your Dr yet? I am fairly certain you should be able to find something that relieve your symptoms. Could you get allergy shots ? My cousin gets them all spring and summer for her various allergies. She's allergic to everything including cats but still has one.

[lelvsdgs]

I'm so sorry to hear that. I have a friend who is in your situation and she takes some kind of medication so she didn't have to get rid of her pups. She had to try a couple of different ones but they found one that worked that she could tolerate and she's in puppy heaven now. Make sure you explore all your options!

[auburnchick]

My daughter has pretty bad allergies. She got pediatric croup until she was about 11 or 12, ir you can believe that. Each episode came on because of allergies. It was so bad that we had to give away our first dog. It devastated my son.

We've since gotten three dogs, and she saw a new allergist. The allergist has her on a "cocktail" of nasal spray and some kind of medicine. It really helps her out a lot. It's the first time that she can go into a house with a cat and stay for hours at a time.

Good luck. Keep trying different medications. You'll eventually find the right combination that will make you feel better.

BTW, I've also started changing my air filter more often. That has helped a bunch.

That and sweeping every day and doing away with most of our carpet.

[Krystal]

I'm allergic to my 3 babies too.. But mine are cats. I find I am accustomed to my own pets... but other cats make me sneeze and itch and overall useless where my eyes and nose is concerned. I don't care I pet them anyways.

I still get attacks when I have the urge to bury my face in their bellies... but for the most part just taking a regular allergy pill works for me.

[Cynamar]

My aunt is allergic to most animals and they are irristibly drawn to her.

[traceleighj]

I have 2 cats and I am allergic to them too (as well as many other things). DH wanted to buy an air purifier but I wouldn't let him- it wouldn't do me any good unless every room had one. I am on a nice cocktail of inhalers and pills and it seems to work very well. If I have more problems, my doctor said she would have me do all of the tests and then do the shots- but that was 2 years ago. Good luck!

[Abbily]

I'm terribly allergic to cats, but had them for years anyway. I got weekly shots and took daily meds (seldane, claritin, benadryl, zyrtec, allegra, I've taken them all...) and managed to be OK. However, once my last kitty left us, I didn't get any more and have been catless for several years now. My parents have cats, and when we go over there, if I don't take benadryl before we go I can barely function, my reaction is so bad. When I was around them all the time, my reactions weren't as bad.