Dog Community

Help with allergies PLEASE! (Mine, not my dog's)

Mary

Posted : 8/27/2006 7:09:00 PM

Ok, so here's my story: I've had my dog, Oscar, for 3 and a half years now, from the time he was 8 weeks old, and have always been mildly allergic to him. He was raised an inside/outside dog (which I'm sure accounted for some of the allergies because I'm allergic to grass) and slept in my bed with me and gave me a stuffed up nose every morning and the occassional itchy throat, but I put up with it because I loved him so much. It really wasn't that bad, anyway. Well, about 4 or 5 months ago I moved to a new area and didn't have a good place for him to stay with me, so he stayed at a friends in their backyard the entire time and I just now have been able to move him into my new apartment with me. Well, when I picked him up, my allergies instantly started going crazy, but he was in need of a bath from being outside so long so I blamed it on that and gave him a bath later that day. But, now here's the problem. That bath seemed to do nothing to help with my allergies. It's been about a week now and this week has been completely miserable because of my allergies. This morning I woke up because my eyes were hurting so bad and they were nearly swollen shut. And, well, I don't know what to do because I don't want to give up my dog, but I can't very well live like this and I don't know why I'm so allergic to him now when I've had him for 3 years before. I heard somewhere that if you get a dog when they're under 3 months old you're unlikely to develop allergies toward them, so I'm thinking maybe that's what happened but by spending so much time without him I broke that magical anti-allergy bond? Well, if anyone has any ideas or advice or reccommendations or thoughts or anything at all, PLEASE let me know. I will be very, very, very appreciative.

Aina

Posted : 8/27/2006 7:19:34 PM

Isn't there a shot you can get for allergys? I know there is one for cats. Go see you doc and see if they can get you something to take care of it.

Mary

Posted : 8/27/2006 7:24:04 PM

Well, I'm not sure if I can afford allergy shots (probably not). I got them before for food allergies and it cost $100/month, and I know I can't do that. That was with insurance, too, which I no longer have. I'm just starting out on my own so I don't have a lot of money, so my solution has to be cost efficient.

Katie M.

Posted : 8/27/2006 7:53:04 PM

Do you take antihistamines? Zyrtec is good for animal allergies. Also, a product called AllerPet-D (D for Dog) is applied to the dog to help control the dander. I'm allergic to some dogs, but not my own. Mine are double coated and shed alot, so I'm not sure exactly WHAT I'm allergic to, but have problems when I attend events with lots of dogs.

Edit: I see that you don't have insurance. Maybe try one of the over the counter antihistamines (Benadryl, ChlorTrimaton, Tavist, Clariten). Try them all, one may work where the other doesn't. I'd go that route before giving up!! Good luck to you!

ladiebug

Posted : 8/27/2006 7:57:23 PM

This may sound a bit off the wall & I can't garauntee it'll work for you, plus you can only try this IF you are NOT allergic to honey. Since you had a reaction to the dog when he went outside as you were allergic to the grass, chances are you're more sensitive to the vegetation in the area than your dog.
I went through that a few times & was about to lose my mind the last time we moved. My husband bought me a bottle of local honey & told me to start taking it everyday. So, the first morning I put a teaspoon into my tea & had an allergic reaction, took a Claritin & made it through the day. At dinner I told SU a thing or 2! so, he suggested starting with a much lower dose. The next morning I took a drop, after 2 weeks I increased to 3 drops, etc. By 6 months I was up to 1 teaspoon w/o reaction & my outdoor allergies had subsided. I built a tolerance to the local allergens. I have a few bad days here & there, but nothing like I used to. I continue to eat local honey about twice a week to maintain my tolerance & I buy Claritin when I travel. I hope this helps, I know how miserable allergies can be, good luck.

jones

Posted : 8/27/2006 8:12:44 PM

Just a thought, what if you're not reacting to your own dog but to something in the new house you're staying at? A pet they once had whose dander is still on the furniture or carpeting. I have cat dander allergies and have reacted to a couch that hadn't had a cat on it for at least 10 years!

For OTC remedies I've found Claritin is amazing. Prescription Zyrtec was devastating physically for me... I had to take it because of severe allergies but my fatigue and drowsiness made life almost as unbearable as the allergies - I would force myself to wake up at 1pm but felt doped up until I went to bed again at midnight!

Mary

Posted : 8/27/2006 9:07:17 PM

First of all, thank you all for helping!! Um, next... yeah, I guess I should try some OTC antihistamines. I always have Benadryl around and know it works wonders and has even saved my life numerous times (I have severe reactions to some foods), but I don't see it as practical for taking daily because it knocks me out. There's no way I could go to work on that stuff. I'd been told in the past that other kinds would still knock me out and would not work as good, but I guess I should try and find out.

About the honey, that sounds like a good idea and I'll definitely try it. I'll just have to find out where I can find local honey...

It sounds very possible that my sudden allergy to him is because of vegetation, but I thought that bathing him would've taken care of that had it been the case? I bathed him really well with the specific intention of removing allergens from outside and he hasn't been outside since except for quick potty breaks. Maybe that's not good enough? I don't know, but I'll try the honey thing regardless because I think it may have benefits regardless.

Oh, and also, I am sure that it is my dog that I'm reacting to because I stayed in this new place for a little while before moving Oscar in and was fine. It all started the day I moved him in.

Erica

Posted : 8/27/2006 10:42:46 PM

I take claratin for my allergies (cats, dust, and grass). It really seems to work for me. It doens't make me drowsy either. Everyone is different, so you may want to try a few until you find one that works for you.

jennie_c_d

Posted : 8/27/2006 10:46:47 PM

Go to Petsmart or Petco and get some Simple Solutions Pet Allergy Relief. That helps, a little. Also, make sure you're feeding Oscar a top quality food, and give him a fish oil supplement. You don't want his coat to be dry, at all.

I take BioAllers Pet Allergy pills. They're homeopathic, and available at health food stores. They work great, for me, and I can still function on them.

calliecritturs

Posted : 8/27/2006 10:50:31 PM

I take Benedryl at night and I use homeopathics during the day. The non-sleepy stuff tends not to help me much but it would certainly be better than doing nothing. Claritin is a 12 hour drug. So one of those during the day (Zyrtech is the same time frame I think) and then take the Benedryl at night if you need to if the others aren't effective enough when you are actually 'with' the dog.

Boiron's Sabadil is a good allergy formula. A Voght has a good "allergy" formula too. These won't make you sleepy at all -- they are homeopathics (completely different from a pharmaceutical). But you DO have to take them more often (and you let them dissolve under your tongue).

The local honey is actually a naturally occuring homeopathic -- it puts the tiny bit of allergen left in the unfiltered honey in the body so the body can formulate response. It prods the body TO respond. But for a pet dander thing honey probably isn't going to help much -- simply because it's a different allergen. Won't hurt -- just the wrong homeopathic trigger. I've suggested honey on here a zillion times.

BTW - you find "local" honey at a fruit stand or vegetable stand usually -- SOMETIMES you can find it at a health store.

Good luck. Callie

Soph_n_Sas

Posted : 8/28/2006 12:08:55 AM

For what it's worth, a combination of OTC Claritin (the once a day, generic version) and Rx Flonase (also generic) work wonders for my animal allergies. I have three furry creatures at home and I work at the Humane Society a few days a week, and I only have problems with allergies when I run out of my meds. Benadryl works, but puts me to sleep.

Hope this helps! Good luck.