Looking for Advice on How to Manage Dog Allergies and Keep Dog

We have two dogs and both kids have allergies to them. We do a few things that help, no dogs in their rooms, we give the dogs baths every week and the kids know that after they play with them, rough house with them, hug them, whatever they need to go wash their hands. It helps. They also have other allergies as well (dust mites, sagebrush, all that) so it is not just the dog.
Good luck to you

We have a very allergic household...we do have a dog, but he gets into a lot of allergens outside. I rinse him off almost every night....I'm not talking about a full bath...I don't use shampoo, I just run a little water over him. But....we have a medium size dog that fits into the utility sink.
So far...no problems here.

My husband is allergic to dogs - we currently have 4. The type of dog can make a big difference, as can the type of allergy.

My husband is more allergic through contact - so he bathes the dogs weekly & changes the sheets at the same time (dogs sleep in bed). Hands are washed after petting the dogs before touching his face. We also have a short-haired breed (Rhodesian Ridgeback) that doesn't have an undercoat, so the hair that sheds falls down to the floor, instead of floating around.

Many people have pets & allergies... sometimes the pets need to be carefully selected, and medications carefully managed. But there are also cases where the allergies are extreme, or there are other underlying conditions on top of the allergies such as asthma which make having pets a health hazard for the person affected.

So have a frank conversation with your allergist - find out how severe the allergy is (if it comes back positive) & what the best way to manage it would be. Given that your son is only 4, there will be a lot more management on your part than his until he gets older. You didn't mention what breed of dog you have (or if it's an "american purebred", what type of coat), but you will probably need to make sure it gets weekly grooming/bathing, and your house will need to be well-maintained for dusting & vacuuming, both of which should not be done around your son.

In the event that it is not going to work out for the health of your son due to severe allergies or other complicating factors, contact your breeder about returning the pup, or get in touch with the shelter you bought it from. As hard as that would be, the wellbeing of your son is most important. Best of luck. T. :)

Here is how I feel. All of my childhood from about 7 on, I was allergic to dogs and we had a dog. My life was miserable because of it. Always sneezing, itchy eyes, itchy skin. It was a terrible way to live. It never occurred to me to not have the dog around. When I began living on my own in dog-free homes, my life was so much better.

Allergies can cause more than just allergies. Allergies can cause asthma!

It's funny because people say all the time to me that their dog is allergy-free. Never the case. For example, Poodles are supposed to be hypoallergenic - they make me itch like crazy.

Do you son a favor and get rid of the dog if he allergic to it. I agree with JB wholeheartedly.

Keep in mind that it might not be any one thing that is the problems. People who have allergies are likely to have multiple allergies.

Personally I am highly highly allergic to dust mites, and moderately allergic to dogs. So, your child could have both, and to get his allergies under control you may need to change more than 1 thing.

I grew up with dogs, and things that helped were: If you have a 2-story house, the dog stays downstairs only; if you have a 1-story house, the dog stays in the living room/kitchen area and doesn't come down the hall to the bedrooms (yes, this means putting up a baby gate). A HEPA filter air cleaner in your child's bedroom, and keep the door closed so it can really work. Run the vacuum daily or as often as possible. If it helps, you could get a roomba or other robot to keep up for you, but you need to empty the filter trap really often, because it will fill up with dog hair fast and then be ineffective. Your child should wash his hands after petting the dog.

On the plus side, the HEPA air cleaner and frequent vacuuming will also help with the dust mite allergy, if he has one, so you'd be getting 2 birds with one stone with each of those.

Good luck.

I became allergic to cats when I was 10. By my early 20's I developed asthma as a result of my cat allergy. Now I am in my 40's and seem to have lost my cat allergy although I would never risk petting a cat again.

Allergies are no joke. The fact that the dog is short haired means nothing. I am so sorry this is happening but you should prepare yourself to find a new home for the puppy. Obviously, your son's health must come first. Hopefully though he will not be allergic and you can keep your puppy.

(I am still allergic to dogs. I have also never met a dog I don't react to...even the dogs that people claim are hypoallergenic.)

" His symptoms worsened prior to the new puppy's arrival. " is the line that makes me think that its not the dogs fault. and keeping the dog and using Daine B.'s advice will help.
when we moved my son got super bad allergy issues. and now i can tell you when hes going to be stuffed up and draining from allergies. finding a cause is the first step. for ds its environmental. (every time the farmers are out in the fields near our house ds gets snotty.)
did your neighbor plant new flowers right before the alleryies got worse? was it at the peak of spring when everything was in bloom? does he go to a home daycare that has a cat? has he been in school where there could be mold present?
if you look for other causes you may find them and be able to keep the dog and have your child be symptom free.

I'm very allergic to cats and have owned cats for 30 yrs. If your son has an allergy then the best way to manage is to restrict the dog from certain areas of the house. My cats aren't allowed to sleep in my bedroom so that I can get a good night's sleep without having trouble breathing. I vacuum the rugs often and wet mop the floor a lot too.

Make sure he washes his hands and face after playing with the dog. Brush the dog outside as often as possible. I'm sure the allergies are acting up now because a new dog brings new allergins which his body isn't use to yet. Every time I bring in a new cat I have a period of time where I have to adjust to their dander.

I wouldn't dump the puppy since your son probably have multiple allergies so getting rid of the puppy will still leave him with other allergies to other things.

I'm allergic to practically every environmental thing you can think of. I'm even allergic to tumbleweeds...I mean, they are DEAD...lol!!!!

I have tried a ton of things to help with my allergies and none work 100%. I just deal with it. I'm not allergic to all dogs but can tell right away if I touch them because I will get hives. So I tell people right away to not be offended if I don't pet their dog. And I do try to stay away from houses that have multiple dogs because that just turns me into an itchy mess and isn't fun at all.

I do have a dog but he's part Chinese crested, which is the hairless dog, so he doesn't shed and I'm luckily not allergic to him.

I don't know what to tell you since you said already you were not willing to give up the dog. So try some of the things the doctor suggests and see if it works. You can also get shots that specifically give the dog allergy so you build up resistance against it. I wasn't willing to go to that extreme but maybe you will have to in order to keep your son well and still keep the family pet. Good luck.

I certainly hope that it is not the dog. That would be a difficult situation to deal with.

I will say, that sometimes allergies don't fully manifest until around age 4-ish. My own son had no obvious allergy symptoms as a toddler. But when he turned 4, (or right around then) he started sneezing a lot. Multiple sneezes (3-5 times in 10 seconds). Several times a day, spread throughout the day. He started preschool that August, and his teacher asked me if he was allergic to something in her room, because he sneezed all the time. It progressed to drippy nose and stuffy sinuses, over time. By 2nd grade, we took him in and he was diagnosed with allergic rhinitis (seasonal allergies). He tried a few medications (side effects, had to discontinue) and a nasal spray (then his doctor moved and we did shortly after and it got pushed to the back burner).
He was older then, so we started on OTC daily meds (recently available on the market OTC).. Allegra, Zyrtec, etc. It seemed to help some. But it stopped helping over time, and you wouldn't even know he had taken anything. The floorboard of the back seats in my car was covered in used tissues, constantly. It was awful.

By the end of 6th grade (age 11, almost 12) he had blood drawn for I-ge (?) tests. He had all sorts of environmental allergies. But the dog we acquired when he was 6 was in the clear. It was all mold and grass/weed pollens. He began immunotherapy for his allergies (injections) and now he is mostly symptom free, without any medications at all.

All that to say that It might not be the dog. I mean, obviously, it might. But it might just be coincidental that they have worsened, due to age more than anything else. OR, it could be spores/pollens that are being carried on your dog's coat if he is outside much or likes to wallow in the grass. But he might just track it inside. If he gets on furniture, or your child's bed, he could be leaving outside allergens there for your son to be exposed to them.

Hopefully it isn't the dog. If it is, I don't have a lot of advice, except to consider (or at least not rule out) immunotherapy. My husband's cousin has had asthma all his life, and cat allergies, but he went through the process for cat allergies and he has 2 cats at home now. And he does well.

Good luck, and fingers crossed.

Pet allergies are caused by 'dander'. The way it was explained to me is dander is the dried saliva in the fur after they have cleaned themselves. If you give the puppy frequent baths it will help with his allergies.

My ex was allergic to cats and we had eight of them. He loved cats and decided that he just needed to suck it up and take daily antihistamines.
On a side note, be aware (if you aren't already) that giant breeds such as Great Danes tend to have shorter life spans. Seven is old for a Dane.

get rid of your carpets, curtains, keep the dog off all furniture and out of the bedrooms. Wash bedding and linens daily. Invest in a scooba/ roomba to get the floors daily. Brush the dog daily and bathe hime weekly. Use heap filters. Finally encourage your son to wash his hands and face.

Best to all
F. B.

I'm allergic to dog dander
Dander is the skin beneath hair that sheds as new skin is built. Even people have dander. The diagnosis for when dander falls on our shoulder is called dandruff. Perhaps there is a shampoo for dogs as there is one for people, that would help.

The allergist will probably discuss the with you. There are some breeds that are considered to be safer as far as allergies go. Short hair helps to reduce reactions to allergens. Perhaps because they are easier to groom. A standard poodle is considered to be less allergenic. There are other breeds recommended for owners with allergies.

If he tests allergic to dogs, I suggest talking with a groomer and/or a veterinarian.

My cousin was allergic to cats. She kept the cat out of the bedroom and this worked for her. My granddaughter, who lives with me, is also allergic to dust. My house is more than just dusty. She only has a reaction when the dust is stirred up. I have to vacuum when she's out of the house for a couple of hours. She takes an allergy pill every morning.

You sad his symptoms got bad before you got the puppy. Obviously not the puppy.

Osohapi, my daughter is allergic to tumbleweeds too! I know - they're dead, right? It's weird.

Anyway, here's my two cents.

First, if your son's skin prick test shows an allergy to dogs, or other things, it will also show a degree to which your son is affected by a particular allergen. For example, my daughter's skin test showed a fairly mild allergy to cats and dogs, but an extreme, clinically significant allergy to dust mites, spinach, beets, quinoa (all members of the amaranth and chenopod families), and tumbleweeds. So it's possible that your son might have a mild allergy. It might be quite manageable. Don't despair yet.

Second, if your son is allergic to dogs, this could be an important lesson about health. I think that to say "you're medically impacted by something that seems simple and quite normal - a family dog - but we're just going to overlook it", there are implications that could develop down the road. To say "your health is less important than a pet, or an ice cream cone, or working out too long in dangerous heat just to stay on the team" is to endanger our kids. Your son's allergy, if there is one, is not his fault. It's not as though you have to get rid of the dog because he bit your son because your son kept abusing him. I think it's important to teach our kids that their health is important, and sometimes it can mean having to give up something.

Third, be sure that your son has had adequate and complete allergy testing. Besides the skin prick test, there is a blood test for the 26 most common food allergens (corn, dairy, soy, wheat, etc). It's very simple (well, for the patient at least - it's just a blood draw).

There's a more in-depth test called "patch testing". My daughter just had it done. She's already had the blood test and the skin test. But they were looking for more. The patch test involves sticking a series of sticky pads onto the back of the patient. They don't hurt. Each pad has about 6 or 8 little dots on it, infused with substances. The pads are matched up with a grid in a chart so that the allergist knows which dot corresponds with which substance. For 5 days, the patient does not shower or exercise or swim (a basic sponge bath is fine, as long as the back is untouched). The pads are peeled off and the allergist looks for a reaction, such as blisters, extreme redness, etc. The substances that the test looks for are not so much grasses, trees, foods, etc, but metals, common additives in medications and lotions and soaps, dyes, things present in soils, all kinds of things. My daughter was tested for 48 substances. She tested mild (fairly insignificant) to two, but severe (clinically significant) to one, and from that we have identified an important source of one of her medical problems. So you might consider the patch test since it appears your son has allergies that aren't just explainable by the dog.