StoneMtn Posted November 11, 2004 Report Share Posted November 11, 2004 My girlfriend and I have been fostering a 7-month-old puppy from our local animal shelter. We have her because she was found in Mt. Currie, BC with a broken leg from being hit by a car and was brought in to Whistler's animal shelter. My girlfriend is a physiotherapist, so we have her to do some rehab work on her leg. She has never lived in a home before, having been born "in the wild", but is adjusting well to being a pet. She had an eye-infection when she was found, mange, and was nearly starved. Now she looks great. I have grown pretty attached to her, and want to adopt her, but, I have a problem. It took me most of a week to admit it, but I'm allergic to this puppy. I can't get a good night's sleep with her here, and my eyes periodically puff up and I get other flu-like symptoms. I used to also be allergic to cats, but after living with a number of cats (one of whom inspired a smash-hit-song by The Tummies) my allergies went away. I am hoping this might also happen with this puppy. Has anyone else ever had allergies to dogs that went away after living with a dog for some time? If anyone has tried this without success, I would appreciate hearing from them as well. I really want to keep this dog, but the current situation is really unbearable, and I might have to return her to the animal shelter when her leg is back in shape. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fendermender Posted November 11, 2004 Report Share Posted November 11, 2004 I have recently moved to a home with two huskies and a Siamese cat. At first my allergies were inflamed, but as weeks have passed I seem to be steadily more immune. I am, however, still allergic to other peoples' pets, but maybe a little less than before. I noticed this same phenom when I moved away from home (3-cats...)and would only visit my folks. All of a sudden, I became noticibly more sensitive to my own cats' dander. Hang on, and be positive! Terry Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StoneMtn Posted November 11, 2004 Author Report Share Posted November 11, 2004 When I was young I was given allergy shots, but they don't seem to have really worked. I am currently taking antihistamines every day, but my girlfriend has made it clear that I am not going to be allowed to do that every day for the life of this dog. (Or my life, whichever ends first.) I will definitely talk to an allergist about that, but I suspect they will say, "What are you stupid? Get rid of the puppy and get a hypo-allergenic dog." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StoneMtn Posted November 11, 2004 Author Report Share Posted November 11, 2004 Hey, thanks FenderMender! That provides some hope! She'll be here for rehab for a few weeks anyway, so I do have some time to see how it goes, but I do appreciate stories from people who have had (at least, limited) success as you did! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RayRay Posted November 11, 2004 Report Share Posted November 11, 2004 There is a chance that your immune system will compensate over time and you could become desensitized to this particular pet and definately talk to an allergist/respirologist about allergy shots. By the way it's not a good idea to be taking antihistamines everyday, it suppresses the immune system. Good Luck with the puppy, it's a good thing that you're doing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jared Posted November 11, 2004 Report Share Posted November 11, 2004 bro, i was allergic to my dog when i got him, but he was just so cute, i was constantaly sneezing and cold barly sleep at night, i found that whn it was really bad i would take a allergy pill, but i also noticed that vacuming and chaing my sheets and stuff more often really made a difrence. now i don't even notice any more ( 2 years later ) and on a side not,, your bors cats used to kill me and after a few months i was fine Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StoneMtn Posted November 11, 2004 Author Report Share Posted November 11, 2004 Right on! Thanks guys. I'm going to try toughing it out, and will look into shots. (I hate needles!) RayRay: Welcome to the board! I dig the new name. Too bad the "Sunshyne" thing didn't work out. :: Thanks for the positive words, guys. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bokonon Posted November 11, 2004 Report Share Posted November 11, 2004 i had the opposite happen. i moved out from my parent's six years ago and now i can't even stay for more than a couple of hours because of their cat. i used to live with this cat and now i can't breathe at all, my throat and lungs get all tight and i wheeze like i need a traecheotomy. but when i go camping where i am not used to the plants i have allergy problems for the first day and it gets better the longer i stay. i also haven't taken anti-histamines in several years, i think they weaken your body's natural ability to fight the allergens. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StoneMtn Posted November 11, 2004 Author Report Share Posted November 11, 2004 Thanks for your comments Bokonon. When you said you "had the opposite happen" I was afraid you were going to say that your allergies developed after living with a dog. Your story, though, is really the corollary to the others and still gives me optimism! In case anyone is interested, here's a link to the profile for the puppy that is living with me right now: "China" (aka "Franti" around our house) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AdamH Posted November 12, 2004 Report Share Posted November 12, 2004 I've had cats all my life, and as such am not allergic to mine or others. But my friends' rabbit sends me spiraling in an allergy-induced nightmare. It hits me right away and my eyes get scratchy as hell. it's only happened with this rabbit. All other pets are fine. Wierd eh? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jared Posted November 12, 2004 Report Share Posted November 12, 2004 sweet cute dog, hey cory emial me and i'll teach you waht to do if ia dog eats weed,, its always good to know if you living in be Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dave-O Posted November 12, 2004 Report Share Posted November 12, 2004 Hey StoneMtn, I've been through a similar situation, terrible allergies all my life, fell in love with girl with a dog, better chance of her getting rid of me than the dog I went to see my doctor. She said there's nothing you can do and pushed a bunch of samples of over the counter drugs on me. I went to see a homeopath/naturopath who didn't see things so bleakly. He said that living with the dog would be just as effective as allergy shots - all they really do is give you repeated exposure to the stimuli. He also prescribed a Homeopathic Preparation called Adrisin. It's a generic antihistamine without all the upper/downer/whatever bullshit they put in Reactine, or the like. 1 Adrisin has about 1/3 the level of antihistamine as 1 Reactine, so you can regulate how much you're putting into your body. And it's much cheaper. Anyway, not to be an info-mercial for the stuff, but I'm a success story of "sticking it out". I used to take about 1 pill a day, months later I'm drug and allergy free. And hey, the dog is my avatar, so that says it all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StoneMtn Posted November 12, 2004 Author Report Share Posted November 12, 2004 Awesome news Dave-O! Based on your recommendation, I plan to speak to the friendly people at Gaia Gardens in Vancouver about Adrisin. (Those people know everything about homeopathic meds.) You guys are all making me really optimistic! J-Roc: I already know what to do if my dog eats weed. I just throw on some Bob Marley, turn on my lava lamp, and the dog and I bake out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bouche Posted November 12, 2004 Report Share Posted November 12, 2004 I looked into Allergy treatment when we had a cat. I went to an allergist and he laid out the needles treatment. It's a 4 year commitment, but if you pull it off, you'll apparantly be free of allergies. You can't miss one needle, and they are fairly frequent at first. For a few months, I was on prescription versions (higher dosage) of Reactine. That controlled my allergic reactions quite a bit, but not fully. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarcO Posted November 12, 2004 Report Share Posted November 12, 2004 My girlfriend's family has a little Pomeranian doggie I'm in love with, and my allergies to her subsided quite a bit. Unfortunately, they also recently got a bunny, and that's the end of that for me; damn thing makes my eyeballs bleed and my head feel like it's expanding into the cosmos. Trouble is now, the dog has bunny hair on it, so I can't even play with her anymore. Last time I saw the dog for 5 minutes, I was sick for the rest of the day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AdamH Posted November 12, 2004 Report Share Posted November 12, 2004 MarcO you speak to my experience. Within 5 minutes I am crawling towards the window for fresh air. I'm really allergic to Ragweed but the bunny is far worse than any farmer's field I've frollicked in. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arcane Posted November 12, 2004 Report Share Posted November 12, 2004 Multiple allergens have a cumulative effect (this is what I've ben told by an allergist). Usually I can tolerate being around *some* short-haired cats for limited periods, but not during ragweed season. I also get more grief from our rats at that time. (Apparently there is a correlation between rat allergies and cat allergies, and mine didn't show up until months after we got the rodents.) I've had the Cold From Hell this week, and The Mercenary and The Boy Wonder have had to deal with the rats on my behalf. (On a related note, supposedly strep throat can be transmitted to rats, and it's fatal to them. Aside from my nasal passages and eyes going whack with my cold and allergies, I just didn't want to take any chances with the ratties. Their lives are already too short as it is.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dave-O Posted November 12, 2004 Report Share Posted November 12, 2004 Hey Mike, my sis did the allergy shot needle treatment for about 6 years with zero results. They work for some people but are not guaranteed to have any effect. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DevO Posted November 12, 2004 Report Share Posted November 12, 2004 my girlfriend says she's allergic to cats, but she has a cat and seems to do just fine. (?) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarcO Posted November 12, 2004 Report Share Posted November 12, 2004 That bunny was the funny bunny. Now the bunny is not so funny. "Unfunny bunny." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paisley Posted November 12, 2004 Report Share Posted November 12, 2004 was told I'm allergic to any animal with fur (pretty much any dog or cat) as a kid... have had animals all my life and feel I've gotten over my allergies to them... used to get stuffed up but loved animals more than I felt the need to get rid of the discomfort... if you work in the forest for an extended period of time, mosquito bites (which usually cause an allergic reaction in 99% of people) stop swelling and itching eventually I'd say have animal ok areas and not ok areas (your bedroom) and if possible let the animal spend a fair amount of time outdoors... odds are you're alergic to the dandruff of the animal so if its not where you're laying most of the time it won't bother you too much have a 20 year old cat who's lived in my folk's garage almost the whole time (its stayed inside during the winter for the last few years as its starting to get on in years, though it still goes outside to do its business and eat)... now have the cat and a beagle living in the house with me and they don't bother me at all any more... have never taken allergy medication or shots, in the summers my eyes used to go beet red if I walked through a field but they don't anymore was also told I have an allergy to dustmites and hayfever and a bunch of other ones (all pretty severe as a kid)... took an inhaler for about 6 months then stopped (for athsma)... only allergy I still notice is one that I think I've actually developed over life to chemicals in things like fabric softeners, some cleaning products and air fresheners just sharing my own experience, listen to your body and see if you can figure out something that works for you particularly Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarcO Posted November 12, 2004 Report Share Posted November 12, 2004 sometimes I think I'm allergic to myself...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paisley Posted November 12, 2004 Report Share Posted November 12, 2004 ah MarcO... another allergy I've developed you going down to Raisinhill tonight bro? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarcO Posted November 12, 2004 Report Share Posted November 12, 2004 no man. sorry. I'm going to sit on my couch and drink beer and wonder what it would be like to have money. And bigger, hairier balls. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StoneMtn Posted November 12, 2004 Author Report Share Posted November 12, 2004 sometimes I think I'm allergic to myself...... I know whatcha mean. Personally, I'm allergic to Velvet; but I think that's just his overpowering odour... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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