What Would You Do?

If its an issue of the kids health being poor and keeping the dog OR the kid being healthy and getting rid of the dog.......

I;d get rid of the dog, I'd hate to do it, but if it's between my kid being happy and healthy - I'm taking that.....because nothing sucks more then a sick baby

 I wouldnt get rid of my dog(s). Sorry cant do it.

For one there are other people out there with dogs that my kid is going to come into contact with. There are medicines now for allergies. I would keep my house sqeaky clean and brush the dog(s) regularly. If that didnt work I would build a nice setup outside for my dog(s). I would watch my hands,change clothes,etc before coming in contact with my kid. 

kle1986

 I wouldnt get rid of my dog(s). Sorry cant do it.

For one there are other people out there with dogs that my kid is going to come into contact with. There are medicines now for allergies. I would keep my house sqeaky clean and brush the dog(s) regularly. If that didnt work I would build a nice setup outside for my dog(s). I would watch my hands,change clothes,etc before coming in contact with my kid. 

Sometimes thats not enough thou.....sometimes allergies are so bad that med's can't control it. Even with all that work, if the allergies are bad enough it just wouldn't work.

IF meds and a REALLY clean house kept my kids allergies under control - then yes, I would keep my dog(or dogs).

I have a cuzion that can't even come into my house because we had one dog in the house. He can't come into our house at all. He did one time - when we first moved in, before we had inside dog(s).

Do everything you can to prevent the problem, and if that doesnt work you have to rehome the dog.  Tragic, but life is tough.

My dog gives me asthma - albeit mildly. She's worth it though. But Im an adult and can make my own choices.

That's a really hard decision. I know it's not always just simple respiratory allergies. I once met a kid who was allergic to dog saliva. He would break out into hives if he even touched a drop.

I don't think I could give Rupert away. I would probably just keep them separated. 

janobonano

I once met a kid who was allergic to dog saliva. He would break out into hives if he even touched a drop.

I'm allergic to SOME dogs that way - not all, but some.

I have pretty  bad allergies myself - I take daily medication so I can keep my pets. I would never dream of giving them up - I would even take the dreaded shots if it meant keeping my 'kids' (and I HATE shots/blood work of any kind- I have panic attacks).

I personally have no sympathy for the phone calls I get about people with supposed allergies. I deal with it, and I wont feel sorry for you if you refuse to try and work through it.

Couldn't they rehome the kid? Just kidding of course..........I would try every medical option, and work from there.

I've seen ads on CL for owners' rehoming due to baby's allergies.

Now, as an adult I'd be more than willing to take medications to try and get a handle on it. I'm not so sure I'd be willing to experiment with allergy medicines with a newborn though, especially if they were dependent on them for being comfortable. I'd talk to my pediatrician and see what options are available or what he thinks is best.  I'd see if we could find a way to make it work, we live in NH and it's much too cold for outdoor dogs here, plus I don't know that I'd want my beloved dogs living outside and not with people all day. I'd rehome if I had to. It would break my heart and possibly be the hardest thing imaginable, but human children MUST come first.

Of course, we're assuming that "allergies" is the real reason, right? It sounds like a more reasonable excuse than "we just don't have the time anymore" or "the dog was practice caring and now that we have a baby we can do real caring."

erica1989

Couldn't they rehome the kid? Just kidding of course..........I would try every medical option, and work from there.

Erica that was my  first thought too!!  But as others have pointed out some allergies are profound.  When you bring a child into the world your world has to change for the safety of that child.  If it was simply an older dog who was cranky we would all agree keep them seperated. If it was a younger aggressive dog with "issues" would you trust seperation to protect your child?

I would work with meds first and that means the child would have to undergo some intensive testing. You would need it pinned down,  is it an inhaled allergy causing respiratory issues? or a contact one saliva and dander pop to mind that creates rashes, itching and discomfort?

As others have said allergies can be controlled and sometimes they are simply Life Altering .  I am allergic to Tomatos,  I can not imagine my life without salsa, catchup and marinara sauce but I know if I eat too many I will have gastric and respiratory distress,  plus some rashing and itching.   Would I take shots to allow me to eat them everyday? Nah, I just savor them make them a treat and monitor how much I injest.

can't do that with a dog, they are either family or not, house dogs or yard ( kennel) dogs...  If my child's SAFETY was at risk I would rehome the dog. If they are just going to have to learn to deal with snot and up to an inhaler.......     well Kid we all have to learn to cope with "stuff" You may as well learn young....

Bonita of Bwana

I'd try every medical option, make sure the child really WAS allergic to the pet (and not react on a doctor's usual immediate suggestion to rehome the pet), try management techniques like getting rid of carpet, etc.  I'd be more likely to go to management..I can't see rehoming my pets.

I do think it is important to really make sure a child is allergic to the pet though. We had clients at work who were very sad about having to rehome their two cats. They had a very young baby who had been very sickly since being born and the doctors said it (cannot remember if the baby was a boy or girl) was allergic to cats and would have to go.  They were very distraught.

We put the cats up for adoption, that they needed to be rehomed together, and so on. But not many people want to adopt adult cats, it seems. So, they were with us for weeks. After about three weeks, the owners called. The tests the doctors had run had shown that the baby wasn't allergic to cats after all. They were thrilled to come and take their pets home.  I assume the tests had shown what the baby was actually allergic to.

yup, i'd try other options first, of course but with severe allergies, that cannot be well controlled i would rehome my dogs. i know of people who can get severe respiratory reactions to their allergens, and especially in kids that can be a very very scary thing!

bottom line though, is it would need to be a good home. and if it really is a good home, i would not feel guilty. dogs can be so flexible and adjust to new situations...

but yeah, my sister for example is allergic to most animals to varying degree. but she is planning to eventually take one of my dogs (the details will have to be worked out). i know she will be able to handle it because since she has been around my dogs regularily, her allergies have been getting better on their own... again though, she is old enough to make this decision on her own!

I have heard that allergy story so many times.  I'm sure it's true sometimes but I know that it is just an excuse in many cases.  No point in arguing with people about it, they aren't going to be good owners if they resent the time and effort required to own a dog and a child. Best for the pet to be rehomed.

Yet another box to check on my "reasons to not have children" list.... 

I think more often than not "allergies" are used as a catch-all excuse.  I know of many people who got a dog early on in their relationship/marriage because they were bored and/or wanted to have something to practice their parenting skills on (and make sure they were ready to be responsible for something besides themselves).  Once the child comes along they have no need for the dog anymore and it gets pushed to the side.

Those people, IMO, are not real "dog people" and the dog deserves to go to a home where s/he will be loved.  I can't imagine how hard it is for a dog to go from being the center of attention to being completely ignored when the baby comes.  People who behave like this should have never gotten the dog in the first place.

I can't say "what I would do" because it would be different depending on the circumstances - so I would never know until I got to that point.  It depends on the severity of the allergy, the age of the child and ALSO the temperament of the dog.  One thing is sure - the kid will always come first (sorry Fido). 

If the child was too young to have any input as to how they felt about being a human guinea pig for allergy meds, or even young enough that the meds themselves posed a risk....  Then management might be tried, depending on the severity of the allergy.  If "management" meant mistakes COULD NOT happen - I would not take the risk with my child's life - the dog would go.  If management meant the dog was unhappy - then again, the dog would have to go.  If the child was old enough to be ASKED for their input, then it might be that the allergy is severe and the meds tiresome but the child WANTS to keep the dog anyway!  Or conversely that he is very unhappy and would rather the dog were rehomed.

I see some people posting saying "oh I couldn't give up my dog - I would rather manage the situation."  If keeping the dog meant he had to be segregated from the family for the most part how much do you (general) think he would like that?  Are you keeping HIS best interests in mind - or your own?  I don't deny that people give up pets left right and centre for very selfish reasons - what I am suggesting is that people on the other end of the spectrum KEEP their pets for very selfish reasons.  Cuts both ways.

I'm also skeptical of anyone who says they would "never" give up a dog for the sake of a child if they have never had a child of their own.  Some here do have kids AND dogs and have still said they would not give up the dog unless it was VERY serious and management didn't work.  But NO ONE knows FOR SURE how they will react to or cope with being a parent until they arrive there themselves.