Allergic to Boxer

[Malmason]

Hello all,

My fiance is allergic to cats, and he has started having allergic reaction since last couple weeks to Buddy (my male boxer, approx. 2 years old). Last night he could not even sleep in a same bedroom with me and Buddy because his un-stopping sneezing, teary eyes and running nose. He told me that he can feel his nose starts twitching when he gets near Buddy, and his allergy starts kicking. He can not even play or touch Buddy now. :(

He does have seasonal allergy and time to time he takes some medicine which stops his allergy to pollen. He has a toy Poodle but he does not have any problem with him. We wash Buddy every week to keep him clean.

My questions are:
1. Why is he ok with Toy Poodle and not with Boxer?
2. What medicine do you use to stop allergy?
3. Any tip to stop allergy?

Please help.

 

[ssleighter]

Breeds like poodles and yorkshire terriers have a different kind of skin and hair, and they shed less which for some reasons make them less likely to cause allergic reactions in people. I don't have the real explanation, but this is what I've heard. My sister has severe allergies, as do I, and she has yorkies that don't bother her at all.

I would recommend that he try Zyrtec, Allegra or Claritin and see which one works best. His doctor should be able to give him some samples, I'd recommend at least 3-4 days on each one before making a decision on one. I live with two dogs and two cats and I survive by taking Claritin daily.

Sharon

 

[Laurie_Duke]

Tell him he is not alone....just as sseighter I survive everyday with Claritin, I get mine from my doctor as a perscription, which makes it a little easier on the pocket book !!! Some things are worth taking a pill a day for, good luck !!!

Laurie.

 

[rubysmom]

Zyrtec has worked wonders for me! I am allergic to both cats and dogs, so when we were thinking about getting a boxer, I visited an allergist (who recommended no pets--whoops), and I spent a lot of time playing with my friend's boxers to see how they would affect me.

Different breeds affect people differently. Sometimes it is the fur and dander that triggers allergies, and sometimes it is the saliva (which I think contains dander as well?). I use Zyrtec, Flonase and allergy eye drops (OTC). There are also products that you can get at Petsmart or the like that you put on your dog to supposedly keep the dander to a minimum. I think one is called Allerpet-D. I'm not sure how well they work, though.

We kept Ruby out of our bedroom for awhile until we were sure that she wasn't aggravating my allergies. Now, she barely ever bothers me, and I can pet her and snuggle with her (although I'm not sure that would be the case if I were to go off of my allergy medicines). I know it may be hard, but maybe you could make your bedroom "off-limits" to your pup?

Don't despair--it is manageable. Your fiancee may want to visit an allergist for testing and possible allergy shots if none of the other suggestions work. The allergy shots actually inject some of whatever you are allergic to, slowly increasing the quantity until your body develops an immunity to it. It is a long process and is not guaranteed to work, though.

 

[boxerpat]

:rolleyes: Hey, I am right there with your fiance! I take claritan and use Allerpet-D (for dogs) on Sophie. It works wonderful! I was really kind of scared to use the Allerpet on her, afraid she would have an allergic reaction to it, but thank goodness she did not! I pour some on a dry washcloth and rub her down with it until her fur is slightly damp. I found the Allerpet-D at a pet supply store, it's manufactured by Farnam Pet Products and a 12 oz bottle was $8.99. Hope this helps. Pattyappicon

 

[Alisha Mobley]

My husband is allergic to cats...my kids wanted a cat so we got two. My husband was fine with them for a few months but after a while it got to where he could hardly bare to be in the bathroom (where all the cat stuff was kept and the cats spent most of their time). It got to the point that he couldn't pet them and his eyes would start to itch if in the same room as them. I did some research to see what we could do...I came up with a few things that worked wonders.

First thing I learned was that a person with allergies doesn't have a reaction until they're "overloaded" so to speak. Rocky is allergic to other things besides just cats...if all other allergians were kept away from him would have been fine with the cats...but how do you keep dust, pollen, etc 100% out of your home?? So I quickly learned AND told him that the cats weren't the only cause for his reaction (so he'd quit blaming them) but that they were just too much on top of everything else he was/is already exposed to. So I tried to lessen the other allergians by much more dusting (bore!!) and vacuuming daily. This did help but Rocky was still itchy and sneezy!

Second thing I learned was that when someone says they are allergic to an animal it isn't the animal itself they are allergic to (most of the time)...it's the protein in the saliva which gets on the fur when they clean theirselves and gets spread all over when they shed. So...keeping the pet groomed and keeping hair cleaned up will help.

Third thing...someone with allergies needs at least one room they can go to that is "clean" (meaning free from allergians) which according to what I had read it's best if this room is the one they sleep in. From what I've read it's more important for the person to sleep in a "clean" environment...they have a better chance of living with the pet if the bedroom is dander free.

Air purifiers work great!! I bought one for about $100 for a small room. It cleaned the pet dander out of the air along with other nasties. Our cats were never allowed in our bedroom so that was no worry but since they spent most their time in the bathroom I stuck the purifier in there. It worked wonders and the purfier along with extra cleaning Rocky didn't have a problem with the cats again.

You can do a search on the net for more info...there's a ton but listed above is what worked for us...Good Luck!!

 

[ljnash]

Originally posted by Alisha Mobley
Air purifiers work great!! I bought one for about $100 for a small room.

We bought an air purifier at work because that's where my allergies are worse (I work in a library--lots of dust and mold), and it has really helped.

I also take Allegra and Flonase.

Lenore

 

[Cayenne's Mom]

I vote for Zyrtec. I have seasonal allergies and sometimes pet dander will help aggrevate them. I always dust my house once or twice a week and vaccuum nearly every other day. Also after the dogs have been playing I wipe them down with Pet wipes and brushing their hair a lot. I love my pets and doing these simple things helps me keep them.

 

[Tink]

Here are a few tips on allergies. My son was born allergic and/or extremely sensitive to almost everything! Food, the outdoors, animals, even ME it seemed on some days. I've done it all, except prescription meds. On very bad days we used benedryl to get over a hump.

Air filters and humidifiers work wonders. Remember to change filters often.

Since most animal allergies are from dried saliva and dander which become airborn, dusting daily with a damp cloth is best But dust after vaccuuming, wait about 30 after to let dust settle after doing it.

Carpet and curtains should be removed if possible, or at least keep carpeting a very low pile. Berber (sp?) worked best for us, and blinds. I take blinds down and wash them in the tub about every two weeks. Pain in the butt!

I wash all pet bedding and toys weekly. hard toys go into the dishwasher. Our laundry is put away as soon as it's dry to avoid letting anything fall on it. We had to put books and general junk on enclosed shelves. (books create and collect dust like crazy!)

On beautiful days I open windows to get air at certain hours of the day, and only for a short time. Pollen etc is at it's worst during certain hours. Check pollen.com for counts and times in your area.

It's tough to adjust at first, but the payoff is so worth it and it becomes part of life. ok, all but washing the darned blinds! LOL

Good luck.

 

[ljnash]

Originally posted by Tink
I take blinds down and wash them in the tub about every two weeks. Pain in the butt!
I

OMG!!!!!! You poor thing! I washed my blinds two years ago, and haven't gotten over it yet!! Isn't there something else to cover windows that doesn't require so much hard work?? I'm asking because I'm basically lazy and don't want to work that hard ever again!:D :D I've thought about getting window shades--they can be wiped off easier than blinds.

You are a saintly mom to be so careful about your son's allergies, and you do what you have to do!! My heart goes out to you about the blinds!!

Lenore