Daughter allergic

[duke212]

Hi!

I am not sure if this is where I should be posting this...

My 2 year old daughter has been diagnosed with a severe dog allergy.. I truly was shocked by this and do not see any daily symptoms of allergies with her. We got her allergy tested bc of a peanut allergy and sure enough she is severely allergic to peanuts, but they tested dogs and cats too and those are severe too.

Anyway, obviously our sweet boxer and cat will not be going anywhere... But they suggested bathing our dog 1x weekly. This is our 2nd boxer and we NEVER bathe them and they are beautiful clean smelling dogs. So I'm not sure I trust that advice.

Ay experience with this????? Thank you so much for your help!!

 

[Stub]

My opinion: don't fix what isn't broke. If she isn't showing signs of allergy, why change what you are doing? I have read that children who grow up with animals are far less likely to be allergic or have severe allergies to them as an adult. And really, what is an allergy except a bodily reaction to what one is allergic to? She might end up being allergic to some other breed of dog or cat, but apparently she is not allergic to the ones she lives with.

 

[MorganBaby]

I myself am allergic to dogs and cats. I knew the cat part, and wanted one anyways. But never imagined the dog part; I've had dogs my entire life and never had any symptoms around dogs. I've found with my cat, I'm not to bad around him for some reason as other cats but I do bath him once a month. I am doing allergy shots though since I have a lot of outdoor allergies also. But my stepdaughter has some allergy problems, mostly from the cat as well but I think maybe from the dog also. So to help her we cover the furniture with sheets and wash them, along with all of our bedding once a week, and frequent vacuuming with a good HEPA filter. Perhaps brushing your dog outside more often than the bathing, or even just use warm water, no soap on the dog so as to not dry his skin out to much might help also. Hope these tips help!

 

[chrystel]

i agree.. if she is not showing any signs.. then i wouldn't change a thing

 

[samsons]

when my grandson was born ( he lived with us ) we discovered the wonderful world of allergies ! since sam was NOT going to go any where , we : tore out all the carpets in the main rooms , installed wood flooring , ( br's still have carpet ~ we just didnt let sam in any where the baby would be ) vac & dust ALOT , and i would TRY to brush sam a few times a week ( really didnt happen alot , to busy cleaning everything else , working , n caring for new baby ) ....

Lukas now is almost 2 and we really dont have any issues with this anymore ... mind u , all other dogs brings on a reaction , but not the horses .. go figure. So like what had been said already , dont fix what isnt broke !!!

I would not bath my dog once a week unless the problems started to get really bad ~

so maybe they ( allergic ppl ) really do build up a tolerance for a specific animal's dander

 

[GunnersMum]

We too are going through the same thing at the moment, only difference is that my Son has asthma. Which of course is triggered by the dog and cat. We also did allergy testing and he was only allergic to 4 things, of course the 2 out of 4 had to be cat and dog, which we won't be getting rid of either.
Since she is 2, it could be likely that since she is so young that she will eventually gain an immunity the longer she is around the cat and dog. Like everyone else said if she isn't having issues, then I wouldn't be concerned yet. But once the ear infections, sinus infections etc. start then you might want to talk to your pediatrician about allergy meds. We started our Son on prescription allergy meds when he was a year old.

You could also look into allergy shots. I am not sure about her being so young if that would be appropriate. But that was our last resort with my Son and his asthma being so severe. He is a trooper and dealing with them well, but it is costly and a nuisance to go twice a week. The over all outcome is worth it since he will be immune at the end of this treatment.

Good luck!

 

[Gatorblu]

I wouldn't bathe your dog. Doing so may dry out his/her skin causing more dander and then it could become a problem. My grand-neice recieved a boxer pup for her birthday this year and she has severe allergies. As long as she washes up after playing with the pup she is fine. Keeping the dog out of her room and good housekeeping is a must as well.

 

[Roge]

Yes I agree with the above , the housekeeping is first and formost the most improtant factor and bathing you dog weekly is way OTT ,I find with Roge that he sheds a lot more the first day or so after a bath, I think a good brushing would be better.

 

[SherylM]

Your daughter may have already built up immunity to the dog since she has always been exposed. My step daughter used to be allergic to dogs and every time it was her week with us we would give her an allergy drug that masked the symptoms so she would have relief (our dr. said that would be okay) I was also super careful about house keeping and vacuuming, also ripping up carpet and installing wood floors. I don't remember how long it took but over a course of time she built up an immunity to the dogs and never has a problem anymore. Thirteen years later she is still fine with our dogs.

 

[duke212]

Thank you all so much for your replies!!! Much appreciated!!!!

I think I'm just going to leave well enough alone like you suggested and hope she continues down the same path and doesn't start having allergy symptoms. Thank you!!!!