Help!! My boyfriend's allergic to my Pomeranian!!

 Keep the dog and just visit him at his house!!

Is there medicine out there these days doctors can prescribe? 

With dog dander allergies I thought you had to touch the dog then touch your eye. But I guess if you have severe dog alleries you could have a reaction due to maybe hair on things or via air...

He should get allergy test (if he hasn't all ready) and they do have a series of medication they can give people to "stop becoming" allergic; pretty much they just expose you to the "allergy" in small doses to larger doses untill you system "adapts." If you are around animals long enough you can actually grow out of the allergy.

Yeah, if he really likes me he'll look into it. If not, it was nice knowing him! LOL!

SnickleFritz's Woman

Yeah, if he really likes me he'll look into it. If not, it was nice knowing him! LOL!

Jacqulyn I'm glad to hear you say that.  The commitment to the dog came first -- and some 'significant other' who asks you to give up an animal 'for them' doesn't know you very well.   If he cares he'll try to overcome it. 

Hi. I'm new here and just learning my way around this great website.  My brother-in-law is allergic to doggie dander and I have 10 GSDs.  When he's coming over he takes an antihistamine like Chloratripalon (sp) and that really helps.   One of my doggie books suggests that you wipe the dog down with a damp cloth to help remove the dander and that the allergy sufferer should really keep his/her hands off the dog.  Especially touching the dog and then his/her own face.  The boy friend could possibly overcome the allergy if subjected to the dog in small doses little bit by little bit. Gradually building up his immune system.  Doesn't always work but has with some allergy sufferers.

Best of luck

Carol K.

Some things that might help people who have allergies to dogs:

Leather is your friend - avoid upholstered furniture

Tile floors are your friend for the same reason - easy to clean and dander doesn't stick

Get a vacuum and an air cleaner, both with a HEPA filter 

Wash bedding a couple of times per week

Cover the dog's bed with a sheet that you can take up, wash, and replace with another

Replace heater and A/C filters more often

Keep the dog out of the person's bedroom

Bathe the dog more often, and wipe down with a damp cloth or pet wipe daily 

Get an allergist who is sympathetic with the idea of keeping the pet and will help you learn to manage the environment as best you can 

Keep the dog from being stressed (which leads to excess shedding)

Wash the dog's toys & bowls frequently (saliva is sometimes more significant than dander) 

I'm sure there are more, but these were just the ones I could think of off the top of my head. 

Honestly, allergies are NOT the end of the world. I am highly allergic to cats, dust, grass, tomatoes, bubble bath, amoung other things. Cats being the worst for me. I have 4 cats (currently, had 5, but my old man passed away a year ago in March). I also work daily with cats (in an animal shelter). I take Loratadine 10 mg, from Sam's Club. I have also taken Claratin - it's a bit more expensive, and can make me drowsy. Just one little pill, once a day - and all is well.

I highly, highly recommend Allerpet products! I had to live with someone deathly allergic to cats (if he was within a 20 foot radius of my cat he would tear up, sneeze, swell up something awful) - I used their cat formula and it worked like an absolute charm. They have a dog formula and a general allergen formula. It is a cleanser that binds to the dander/saliva complexes that cause allergies.

 http://www.amazon.com/Allerpet-D-Dogs-12-Oz/dp/B000M5HLH8/ref=pd_bbs_sr_3?ie=UTF8&s=home-garden&qid=1202473301&sr=8-3

 It is just a liquid you can spray or dab on, and brush into their coat. I did it daily and never had a problem. Usually I don't believe in stuff like this....but I was quite amazed (and my roommate quite relieved) with the results.

 Thorough, frequent grooming is also a big help. Fatty acid supplementation may help coat quality and reduce hair shedding/dander, but it is really the saliva and saliva/dander/hair complexes that cause the allergies, not just the hair by itself. It's worth a shot, just don't over do it and make sure to give Vit E with it (too much fish oil, which is the biggest source of omega fatty acid supp, can cause Vit E deficiency)

 Just a thought - what about having your dog wear a doggy T-shirt or something when the BF comes over? It might help control shedding and dander.

The allerpet products are good.  They work well for my son, but I find that keeping the enviroment clean is better.  Likely your boyfriend is reacting to your house rather then your dog.  I mean, the dog is small part of your house but he has affected most of it.  If you brought the dog to his house he likely wouldn't react nearly as violently.  Know that pet allergens cling to fibers all over the house.  So furniture, carpets, bedding, all harbour tons of allergens.  Even if you don't allow your dog in your bed, the allergens will be there from your feet and you lap and whereever else your dog has touched.  You can't eliminate them, but you can keep them at bay.  Like previously mentioned, bathing the dog eliminates the allergens on the dog, but only temporarily.  Even wiping the dog down with a damp cloth once a day will help immensily.  The Allerpet is great.  I put mine in a spray bottle and make sure the feet get covered well with it.  Damp mom hard floors daily, especially before he comes over.  Wipe down lower walls occasionally.  I also use the Allergen Reducing Fabreeze.  I don't know how well it actually works but its the only Fabreeze I can use on my furniture that doesn't make my son react.  Plus it smells good.  Good Luck.  Keeping allergens at bay is hard work, but if you really like this guy, its worth it. 

Thanks everybody for your insight!! I've actually looked into Allerpet before, it sounds like it is a good product. The Febreeze idea is good too, I use that all the time, but I didn't know that they had the allergen kind. One big problem with my apartment is that it is ALL carpet, expect the tiny kitchen. I did just buy a Dyson, and that is awesome! Sometimes, I even vacuum Fritz! He doesn't mind. :) Luckily, my BF is not violently allergic, so it should work out. Plus if he came over a lot, he could take a Claritan like you guys said. Thanks again, and please keep posting any other suggestions!!!

 Likely the more he comes over, the better his allergies will get. 

One thing more.  I noticed a post you made in Nutrition about feeding Iams.  Not meaning to criticize here, but feeding a higher quality food can really cut down on the allergens and dander produced by your dog.  Iams used to be a good food, but it was bought out by a bigger company and had to start producing for Walmart.  Therefore the quality went drastically downhill.  Something like Innova or Canidae, Orijen, theres lots, just check out the nutrition section a bit more for ideas on things you can get near you.   

huskymom

I noticed a post you made in Nutrition about feeding Iams.  Not meaning to criticize here, but feeding a higher quality food can really cut down on the allergens and dander produced by your dog.

Natural Balance products all the way! www.naturalbalanceinc.com

Wow! I didn't know that about Iams! I've been feeding that since he was a pup...Hmmm...makes you think. I'll have to check out Natural Balance. Is it really expensive??