Allergy relief wipes for dogs?

    • Gold Top Dog

    Allergy relief wipes for dogs?

    The other day in Petsmart I came across "Allergy relief wipes". My fiance is actually extremely allergic to dogs, they make his eyes and nose burn and sneeze like crazy, and if they touch his face, sometimes he'll get rash like symptoms. He takes his Zyrtec every day, washes his hands after playing with the dogs, and will wipe his face with a cloth moist with benadryl spray. Sometimes though, it just isn't enough. Yes, a very wonderful man to let me keep a house full of dogs when he has to go through so much trouble to be around them. He really loves his dogs :)  Obviously, I was pretty exctited when I found these wipes. Basically they are like a baby wipe you run over the coat of your dogs to cut down on dander. The ingredients are listed as: Purified water, conditioning agents, humectant, surfactant cleaner, anti-irritant, moisturizer and chelating agent. It says they are non toxic and everything, but after using one it left a weird film on the coat and I sort of panicked and decided not to use them until I learned a little more about them. Has anyone ever used them? Are they really totally safe and do they actually do what they claim?

    • Gold Top Dog

    All of us are allergic and have asthma.  I have nine dogs in the house.  There's a few things I do, which don't include rubbing, uh, whatever that is, on the dogs (some of whom have allergies themselves!).

    • Allergies operate on what my wonderful ped allergist called the "bucket principle."  Everyone's got a bucket.  By reducing your exposure to things within your control, you increase your tolerance for the things you can't.  In our house, we have no carpeting, upholstered furniture, or heavy window dressings.  All textiles are washable, including the area rugs.  The beds and pillow are all sheathed with dust-mite reducing covers.  I change all bedding several times a week, and all bedding can be washed in hot water (no dry clean only, no shrinkables, all clor safe).  Check your diet to make sure you are not offering challenging foods.  When pollen season is at its height, wash the dogs frequently, wash paws every time they come in the house, brush them outside once a day, and consider an air filter if you don't have one already.
    • The dogs are restricted to half the house, and when we are gone they are restricted to our bedroom.  Our bed is covered with a "dog blanket" and they know they are welcome to hang out there.  I clean our room every day.  You should see the vaccuum - it's a bagless and I empty it twice per room.  Especially now that Lynn is here - she's the Queen of Shedding.  The dog half of the house is vacuumed twice a week or more - and every day during pollen season.  The non-dog half is cleaned once a week.  The non-dog half is where the kids are, where we do school, and where the TV is.  That sounds bad, but you have to understand that the TV is on for exactly two hours a week, when the kids watch AFV and Extreme Home Makeover.  We literally watch no other TV.  So the dogs aren't cut out of our lives or anything.
    • When I clean I use Dr. Bronner's, which has no icky chemicals.  Adding chemicals to the living environment can harm your body's ability to repair itself.  An irritated system is one that is vulnerable to other irritations - and the tolerance level for allergens drops dramatically.  I was amazed at the difference simply changing to a chemical-free (well, mostly) lifestyle made for the kids especially, who haven't had a single problem this allergy season.  There are many "green" cleaners available now - I just like DB's
    • I wash my face a couple times a day, in addition to in the morning and at night, plus any time I'm exposed, or feeling those itchy, throat-closing symptoms coming on.  You'd be amazed at the difference this makes in one's comfort level.
    • All the dogs are on diets which promote healthy coats and skin, plus a fish oil supplement.
    • I take fish oil too, which (assuming one tolerates fish) supports immune function.  There are several other herbal supplements which do the same, plus taking a teaspoon of local, raw honey will increase tolerance for pollen-related allergies (and put "less in the bucket";).   Every year I do the honey, I have a good allergy season.  I didn't this year because my supplier ran out, and I've been fairly miserable.  the end is near, however!
    • I don't have much luck with Zyrtec and dog allergies (no matter what the commercial says).  The best pharmaceutical defense I've ever had was Singulair.  Flonase is excellent as well (and I take Flovent for asthma).
    Good luck!
    • Gold Top Dog

    Fish oil is also an anti inflammatory, and helps with allergies in that way.  

     

    I am a dog groomer, and mildly allergic to most dogs (very allergic to a few). The product I've found that works best is BioAllers tablets. I get the ones made for pet allergies, from the health food store. They're homeopathic, so the way they work is... beyond me. I absolutely do not understand homeopathy. It's just something I don't grasp, but I know that it works. They clear up my symptoms quickly, and if I remember to take them often enough, I don't have symptoms. 

    • Gold Top Dog

     Rather than using the wipes, along with as many of Brookecove's steps, you can just wipe your dogs down with a wet wash cloth.  It will remove some of the allergens that get stuck in the fur from saliva.  With one dog, you get lots of saliva on legs, feet and genital areas.  With dogs like mine, and more than one, the ruff gets the most saturated....ugh...  But Saliva is the number one source of allergens in dogs.  It makes up the biggest part of the dander.

    BTW Becca, thats about the best list I've seen for controlling allergies so far.  Especially the part about not using chemicals for cleaning.