Can you be allergic to one dog and not the other?

[ladawn]

I am dreading this possibility, but ever since we got the new terrier Toby, I have had hives of varied severity (last night was worst--emergency room for epinephren shot). It started two days after we got Toby and hasn't ended yet despite steroids and antihistamines. I switched to frangrance free detergent and was extra careful with known allergens (onions, apples, dustmites (bought a hepa filter vaccuum for that one). If anyone has had a similar experience, I would love to hear from you.

[TrishB]

It could have been something that Toby has been in contact with or maybe the diet he was on before he came to you.

Try taking him to the groomers and have them to an "Allerpet-D" bath for him. While he's out, vaccum the entire house, wash everything down, etc. Be sure to throw out the vaccum bag.

That way, when he comes home, you'll be starting from scratch. Hopefully that will help.

Some dogs have higher allergans than other dogs (i.e. Huskies have more of a chance of causing a reaction than a Poodle). So it could be something specific with Toby that isn't present with your other dogs.

I'd give the bath / cleaning a chance. Now that he's in your home, it might be what you both need to start out.

If not, and he's causing you to go to the emergency room, you sadly may have to rehome him. It isn't fair to either one of you. :(

Please let us know how you two are doing. All the best of luck.

[ladawn]

I cannot stand the thought of rehoming this dog. It's only been a month and I LOVE this puppy. Daisy LOVES this puppy. They are really attached. He's been groomed twice since we got him (he was definitely looking and smelling like a pound puppy) but not with the allerpet so I'll try that. I wonder if eventually my allergy symptoms will subside with continued exposure, isn't that the nature of allergy shots? Yesterday prior to the emergency room visit, I was really snuggling with him, had him in my lap on laying on my chest. These aren't things I have done in the past (but he is so sweet and cute I couldn't help myself!). He also doesn't shed (which Daisy does constantly) so I would be extra suprised if I am allergic (although you mentioned dander which I presume has nothing to do with shedding). Ugh! :(

[RottiMomCT]

...I have five dogs here...no problems with allergies.

However, when we go visiting to Mom's house and hang out with her two dogs, I get a stuffy nose and end up taking Benadryl or something to combat it. Different foods are fed, different dander et al...

My mom is much better about keeping the house clean than I am as well...

[Birdie'sMom]

I am allergic to dogs and get hives from them - some more than others. When we first got Birdie I got hives from her, but not as bad as from most dogs. Now - after I've had ber for 8 months - I only occasionally break out in a few hives if she licks my face - so I try not to let her do that. My dad is also allergic to dogs, but has not had any reaction to her at all. I'm pretty sure that you can be more allergic to some breeds than others - at least from my experience it seems that way.

[Carolina]

Well, let me tell you about my experience..

I'm allegric to cats, dogs, certain polen, pennysilin (sp?), lamb wool, dust, etc etc.. and I can tell you that with my 29 years of dealing with allergies, I believe that the specific cat/dog can or cannot cause allergies.. as some people have stated, some dogs cause more allergies than others (breed specific) but also individuals vary from each other..

When you are allergic to a dog or cat you are not allergic to their fur as commonly thought.. but to their saliva and dandruff.. that may be why only when your puppy licked you, you got that allergy attack so severe.. I know that I can get a really bad rash where my friend's husky licks my arm, but not from my neighbor licking-chihuahuas.. nor from my Iby, she cause me no kind of allergy whatsoever :D

Also, as stated before, the kind of food you give, vitamins and baths play a very important role.. the same dog can cause you totally different reactions when feed with different foods, and bathed with different shampoos..

Allergies are over-reactions from your body to certains things, and yes, daily exposure to that "allergen" can cause that your allergy be less severe with time, just don't expect an overnight change..

Holistic medicine is absolutely great in treating allergies.. sometimes the treatment will last all your life or sometimes only for a couple of months, but it's worth the try..

Hope this helps :)

Carolina :)

[TrishB]

I know of some people who swear by their HEPA filters. If you're going to try to live with an animal you're allergic to, I'd highly recommend it. Or at least get a vaccum that has a HEPA filter in it. It will help to pull the allergans out of your home to keep them at a manageable level. Sadly, you may also have to vaccum more often now.... ;)

Is Toby on the same brand of food as your other dog? If not, I would suggest changing him.

Allerpet D is the only product that I know of that will help with dander (dandruff) that I've seen work for people (other products which say the same but don't work :p). It's not permanent, but it's a treatment that is safe for your pup and may help.

Do avoid the licks if you can. Best of luck to you both! :)

[ladawn]

Got the HEPA filter vacuum the week of Christmas. I need to vacuum more anyway so that won't be all bad. They both eat Canidae. Toby did lick me on my face yesterday--I never thought of saliva! Good grief.

[Carolina]

Originally posted by ladawn
[B Toby did lick me on my face yesterday--I never thought of saliva! Good grief. [/b]

Well, that's the main reason why people tend to be more allergic to cats than to dogs.. cats "bath" themselves with their tongue leaving all the saliva in the fur, when it dries it "floats" all around, so the air is filled with "saliva dust".. on the other hand, dogs don't lick themselves too much (they do lick their genitals from time to time) so there is a lot less "saliva dust" in the air.. :)

Carolina :)

[Jen]

ladawn -
What kind of terrier mix is Toby? I have been around all sorts of dogs and never had an allergic reaction. About 16 months ago I rescued a Pit bull terrier. Both myself and my husband are allergic to him. At first we thought it was his short bristly hair that bothered us. But his saliva also annoys our skin. We found that if we bathe him weekly it helps. We still have to wash every time after playing/petting him. We are not sure what to do either. We are very attached to our Pitty and would find it difficult to trust anyone to take him.

Jen

[ladawn]

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/...0/fd01e3eb.jpg Here is a horrible picture taken while he was at the pound. The picture is a month and a half old and he looks MUCH better now. I've heard chinese crescent, polish something else and I think he looks like one of those scottish terriers (can't think of the name). I'm pretty sure now that I am allergic to him. I've been limiting close contact other than petting and washing my hands like crazy afterwards and i haven't had hives in a few days. Last night, I tried my hand at grooming him by brushing him and checking ears and teeth and stuff. I washed my hands afterwards and everything, but still a few hives popped up (I medicated as soon as I saw the first one). My allerpet still hasn't come in yet, I bought it over the web cuz it's cheaper than my vet. I'm not going to get rid of him so I've got to find a way to cope.

[Jen]

He kind-of looks like a Scotty. His fur is very different my my Pits (Aiden) fur. Aiden's is very short and bristly. Toby's looks soft. Let me know how the Allerpet works for you. We feed both of our dogs the same food, bathe them the same, etc. We were stumped. You do get used to washing all the time and itching . ;) I just found it very strange, since I have never been allergic to a dog before. I worked in rescue for a while, so I was around lots of dogs. Let me know if you find out anything else.

Thanks,
Jen

[TrishB]

I'd say that he's a West Highland White Terrier cross, or just simply a bad example of the breed (I've known of many 'purebreds' which barely looked like the breed they were). They're called Westies for short. :)

http://www.akc.org/breeds/recbreeds/westie.cfm

Good luck with the AllerPet - let us know how it goes!

[CarolineS]

I have allergies and asthma. When I'm really allergic to something, I have trouble breathing. I am definitely more allergic to some dogs than others.

I got Maggie originally as an 8 week old puppy. We had her in the house for two days and I got a horrific asthma attack. I had to return her to the breeder who was luckily a good friend of mine and knew there was a possibility this might happen. Maggie was a good-looking pup so the breeder decided to keep her as future breeding stock.

Two years later the breeder and her husband divorced and they asked me if I wanted Maggie. She'd always lived outside at the kennel, so I put up a large run and a winterized dog house and was ecstatic to have her.

As the time approached for her to be spayed, I didn't want her to be outside in the middle of winter after major surgery, so I started to bring her in the house for a little while each day. As soon as I started to wheeze, I'd put her back outside. It took about two months, but I finally got to the point where I stopped wheezing when she came in and she could live in the house full time.

From my experience, it would seem there is some truth to you becoming desensitized to something you're constantly exposed to. Only thing is, I did it in short stretches and gradually built up my exposure. I don't know if that made any difference or not. When I got Dresden last year I was worried I might be allergic to her, but I didn't have a problem, maybe because she's the same breed.

I'm also allergic to cats and there was never anything I could do to overcome that allergy.

[Birdie'sMom]

Right before I got Birdie I went to an allergist. She wanted me to start on the allergy shots, which I knew I wouldn't keep up with so I didn't bother. I told her that I wanted a dog and I knew she was going to say not to, but I already had my mind made up and so I just wanted to know if I would eventually become de-sensitized to the allergen. She said that over the course of a couple months that I would become de-sensitized, but only to that particular dog. Meaning, if I get another dog, I'd have to go through the same de-sensitization period. SHe also said that if you have children that are born after you have a dog or cat, they may not show any signs of allergies, even if they have them. But, when the child grows up and say, goes to college or is away from the house for a long period of time and then comes back to the house with the dog or cat in it, they may show signs of being allergic. I thought that was interesting. A friend of mine has had her cat for as long as she can remember. She was never allergic until she came back from college and now she is. Just another spin on it - I know this has nothing to do with your allergies, but I thought it was interesting!