I think I'm allergic to my dog! Now what?

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#1
Okay I don't know for sure but I think I might be allergic to my dog. I've been having an allergic reaction on and off over the last few weeks and been treating it....but now its back again. It seems to be a contact allergy.

Well my dog has been shedding more in the last 4 weeks than she ever has and she is a very loving dog so she is always in my lap or laying next to me.

Her fur is everywhere and I am vacuming a couple times a day. Tonight my husband is going to by one of those deshedding brushes.....whats it called...I think its the furminator.

Anyways is there anything else you can suggest we do to help with this?

I want to rule her out as whats bothering me.

I'm also going to go to the doc again and get this under control and then I'm going to set up an allergy test.

It seems like the older I get the more things I become allergic to.
 
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CaliTerp07

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#2
Allergy shots are lifesavers. My mom was so allergic to cats that if she went in a house that had one, she couldn't breathe. Now, she still can't pick up cats, but they can be around her without too much trouble.

Furminators are great. We gave one to my in-laws for christmas for their lab, and my MIL says she went from vacuumig 3x a week to once a week (brushing him twice a week).

Not sure what you're feeding, but people on here seem have had experiences with higher quality food helping to reduce shedding.

As a last resort--we used to vacuum my lab mix! We'd put the soft brush on the end, and suck it directly off him :) Hehehe.
 
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#3
Well all I know is its a contact allergy and I didn't want to acknowledge it could be her. She only sheds during the month of may but this is a bad year for shedding (I mean she sheds a little year round but its never bothered me)

I'm hoping its not her at all. Allergy shots never worked for me though I'm going to talk to the doc about it. I was on them as a child....I was allergic to grass, pollen, ragweed, cats, mushrooms, shellfish

As a teenager I developed allergies to Peanuts, and now I have to have hypoallergenic laundry detergent.

I'm also allergic to most medicines.

I've never been allergic to dogs

So I pray I'm not allergic to her.

By the way this is her forever home so even if it turns out I'm allergic to her she stays. I mean its not like this is a year round thing.


By the way we feed California Naturals.

(its the best thing for my one dogs tummy)
 

grab01

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#4
Have you changed any shampoos, products you've put on her, anything in the environment lately? Have your neighbors used anything new, etc. I think I'd assume something like that before I'd suspect a dog allergy popping up all of a sudden
 

drmom777

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#5
I have a contact allergy to my dogs. If I bathe them fairly frequently it is not a problem. I am actually allergic to canine saliva, which builds up on their coats between baths. They make me break out in hives.
 
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#6
Have you changed any shampoos, products you've put on her, anything in the environment lately? Have your neighbors used anything new, etc. I think I'd assume something like that before I'd suspect a dog allergy popping up all of a sudden
Nothing new except for the massive about of fur coming off her. Her coat got real thick over the winter.

I don't know if our neighbors are doing anyting different (I hate my neighbors we live in an apartment)
 
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#7
I have a contact allergy to my dogs. If I bathe them fairly frequently it is not a problem. I am actually allergic to canine saliva, which builds up on their coats between baths. They make me break out in hives.


I woke up last night covered in hives and that is the kind of reaction I keep having is just hives but its annoying
 

BlackPuppy

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#8
I once thought I was allergic to Doerak. Then I stuck my nose in his fur and ... nothing. It was just seasonal allergies.
 
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#9
I once thought I was allergic to Doerak. Then I stuck my nose in his fur and ... nothing. It was just seasonal allergies.
Seasonal allergies are different than contact allergies. Contact allergies tend to cause skin irritation where seasonal is normally sneezing, runny nose, watery eyes.

This is breaking out in hives.

I just hope its not her
 
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filarotten

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#10
I'm allergic to pretty much everything.:rolleyes: I'm allergic to everything the dogs lay in, walk in, or pretty much touch. I have to bathe mine once per week, and vacuum, mop and dust everyday. If they have been out rolling in the grass I wipe them of with a damp cloth or rinse them off with the water hose.

If your breaking out in hives, it may not be the dogs. You might consider a food allergy. I'm allergic to soy, not only did I have hives, but also ended up in the hospital eventually from it. The allergist was the only one who found out what was wrong with me.

I had one doctor tell me I itched because I scratched...it was psychological. He was a real jerk.

You really should see an allergy specialist.
 
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#11
I'm allergic to pretty much everything.:rolleyes: I'm allergic to everything the dogs lay in, walk in, or pretty much touch. I have to bathe mine once per week, and vacuum, mop and dust everyday. If they have been out rolling in the grass I wipe them of with a damp cloth or rinse them off with the water hose.

If your breaking out in hives, it may not be the dogs. You might consider a food allergy. I'm allergic to soy, not only did I have hives, but also ended up in the hospital eventually from it. The allergist was the only one who found out what was wrong with me.

I had one doctor tell me I itched because I scratched...it was psychological. He was a real jerk.

You really should see an allergy specialist.


I don't have insurance until the 1st of june. So its going to strain us just going to the regular doctor which I'm doing in the morning.

I know for a fact I'm allergic to Peanuts, Shellfish (luckily I don't eat seafood), mushrooms, grass (especially freshly cut), pollen, ragweed, I'm actually allergic to honeysuckles and the blossoms on the Bradford Pear tree.

I'm allergic to Horses, Cats, small rodents such as Gerbils and Hamsters.

I've never been allergic to dogs but then again this is the first shedding dog I've ever had. I mean I have been around my dads dogs (beagle, lab, and Lab mix) but never long enough to really react to them. I grew up in a home with Poodles and Shih Tzus. (My parents havent been together since I was 4 months old)


Its just funny because the break outs started when she started shedding the way she is......but I don't want it to be her. She is my best friend and my little snuggly girl.

I'm going to the doc tomorrow and once insurance kicks in I'm getting an allergy test.

(By the way I had a doc that said that too about the hives....what a moron....I mean if they weren't there we wouldn't be itchy. Allergies are so scary)

Now I have come in contact with Peanut oil so that is why I'm going on to the doc.


Basically I can't use anything with perfumes and dyes in them (thanks dad) and laundry detergent and fabric softner we have to be real careful with.

It could be a mix of several things but it just can't be Sasha. (my husband didn't even want to bring that up because it would upset me but he promised we'd find a way if it was her to make things work because she is our girl and she is a very important part of our family)
 
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#12
I had a reaction like that for a period of about two weeks. I was under a good bit of stress -- well, more than usual, lol -- which made me more susceptible, but the trigger was a set of sheets I had that were manufactured with a heavy dose of sizing! Got rid of the sheets, made sure I never bought any that had a lot of sizing (usually lower thread count sheets have extra sizing) and I haven't had any trouble since.

Since you woke up with the hives I'd tend to suspect something in your bed is the final trigger.
 
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#13
I had a reaction like that for a period of about two weeks. I was under a good bit of stress -- well, more than usual, lol -- which made me more susceptible, but the trigger was a set of sheets I had that were manufactured with a heavy dose of sizing! Got rid of the sheets, made sure I never bought any that had a lot of sizing (usually lower thread count sheets have extra sizing) and I haven't had any trouble since.

Since you woke up with the hives I'd tend to suspect something in your bed is the final trigger.
thanks you know my husband and I both think its kind of weird that they pop up at night.....I think I'll try a new set of sheets as well.....thanks I never would have thought of that and I will definatly ask my doc
 

Fran27

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#15
I doubt it's the dog too... I have dogs and cats allergies and it never gave me hives. That being said, even if it's her... You DO get used to your animals. I had treatment for 5 years to get rid of my cat and dog allergies, it worked for the dog but not the cat... but the doctor said I would be fine with my cat, just not the ones I'm not in contact with (although I do get allergic to my cat occasionally too, I just make sure to wash my hands when I put her etc).
 

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#16
I have a contact allergy to horses; as best I can tell, it's their sweat that does me in. Leaning any part of my skin against a sweaty horse causes hives within a minute or two.

Obviously it's easier to deal with because he isn't in the house with me, but showers are my best friend during the bad times of year for me (mostly winter, because I can't just hose his sweat off like I can when it is warm out.

If you have a big cuddle session with the dog, I'd hop up as soon as you are done, take a quick shower, and put on some clean clothes.
 

Barb04

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#17
Go talk to Kristy at Ma & Paws pet store off of Indian Lakes Blvd. next to the new Walmart. She's knowledgeable and has lots of products.
 

milos_mommy

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#18
There are plenty of ways to deal with this, especially if it's a pretty mild allergy.

Brush her (or ideally have someone else brush her) daily.
Bathe her weekly.
Vacuum daily.
If you have carpet, consider getting hardwood flooring.
Try and keep her off of carpeted floors.
Don't allow her in your bedroom. It might be tough if she usually is, but it will help.
Don't allow her on furniture.
Wash her bed and toys and things weekly.

As Drmom said...if it's hives it's probably a saliva allergy and not dandruff or fur. Bathing should definately help. Don't let her lick you.
 
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#19
Okay I went to the doctor this morning and they said if I haven't been allergic to dogs then suddenly at 23 it is highly unlikely that that is the case. We looked at my records over the past few years and it seems every spring I get a reaction like this (this one has just been the worst). I didn't have Sasha last year when I had the reaction. They said it could be anything from the grass to something I ingested (ex. something made in peanut oil)

They said I have a better chance of reacting to Zack than Sasha. And not because of him either. But because he is a poodle and pollen and grass has the tendency to get stuck in his coat and he could bring it in.

She told me to go all natural with all cleaning products and detergents....you know the environmental friendly ones. People with allergies tend to do better. She said with as many things as I am allergic to it could be a combination of many things.

And the fact I live in an apartment makes it worse. It could be something the neighbors are doing. It could be what the landscapers are treating the grass with. Its really hard to know.

Once the new insurance kicks in I am seriously considering getting allergy tested (the last time I had that done I was 8 years old)

Anyways thank you for your tips and I am relived that it isn't my baby that is causing me to break out.


By the way I have been hive free for 3 hours now......
 
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#20
Weirdly, yoga breathing helps with hives. It calms you and lowers stress levels and toxin levels in your system :)

Good luck!

Oh. Have any of the nearby apartments/common areas been sprayed for bugs lately?
 

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