My 3 year old girl seems to be allergic to cat hair/dander. She also has wound up 2 times in the ER for an asthma attack this year (one in spring, one in November). Change of weather and severe colds are her asthma trigger, but I don't want her allergies to become a trigger as well. Whenever I know we're going to be somewhere that may have cats, I give her Zyrtec (prescribed by our Ped.), but she still seems to sneeze when around the cats. Is there something stronger I can be giving her? Any other suggestions? Other than staying away from places with cats altogether, which is not always an option...
FYI I always have her wash her hands constantly when we're in places that have pets....
Why is it not an option? I am very allergic to cats, and I do not ever have that problem unless I am at the vet's office.
She needs a specialist to manage her allergies and asthma. You can have allergy induced asthma. I hope she has an inhaler or updraft machine for attacks. Yes they can do allergy shots, oral medications and the like.
Washing her hands has no effect on this type of allergy. Cat dander is in the air, it's on the furniture so it's on little ones clothes as soon as she walks in the house, it's in her lungs as soon as she walks in the house, it's in her hair and on her skin everywhere.
My brother can walk in my house and not touch anything but within minutes his eyes are starting to swell shut and they are running like crazy. He starts itching in about 5 minutes and he still may not have sat down yet. Maybe only standing in the doorway.
Animal dander is in the tiniest bit of air and there is nothing you can do except not go there in the future or just rely on the allergy med.
Ask your doctor about Benadryl to take when on travel. I use it at night as an adult if I have to sleep at a house with cats, and it really helps. And I know how frustrating it is to try to keep kids with asthma healthy!
Hi, M.;
I just answered another of your post.
With these two posts, I have a concern that you may
be having anxiety attacks about mothering your children.
I would suggest you take some parenting classes given in your
area.
Another suggestion: check out the web for probiotics and digestive powder for your daughter at: www.enzymedica.com
Good luck.
D.
