Help! DS allergic to dog

[LadyBarlow]

So, we've found out that DS(10) is allergic to our beautiful Labrador who we've had for nearly 3 yrs. DS is an anxious child & there's no way we want to rehome our dog as it would distress him terribly & obv we love our dog!
Is it manageable to keep the dog? I need your best tips

[ilovepowerhoop]

can he take anti-histamines for it? What reaction does he have to the dog?

[ilovepowerhoop]

www.allergyuk.org/allergy-to-domestic-pets/allergy-to-domestic-pets

[LadyBarlow]

Sorry! I posted & had to go out. Thanks for the link ilove that all seems like useful advice. DS doesn't have runny eyes nor does he rub his eyes, he coughs loads but Docs had said that as he was a prem baby & had lung problems, illnesses/viruses manifest themselves as coughs.
He also suffers from hay fever & takes Piriton for that.
Should I give him anti histamines all yr round?

[LadyTurmoil]

Hard floors not carpet wherever possible so you can hoover and mop as much as possible, damp dust when you can, make sure DS isn't sitting on a sofa which the dog has previously been on, wash dog's bed/bedding as often as possible, brush dog outside, keep dog to downstairs and make sure upstairs is hair free.

Has your DS been diagnosed with asthma or is it "just" allergies - not downplaying allergies, you understand, but wondered if he's been tested for asthma?

[Lonecatwithkitten]

Have you actually had an intradermal skin test confirming allergy to dogs. It is amazingly common for doctors to blame the pet and once the pet is gone the household thoroughly cleaned the allergy still exists and clearly was not the pet in the first place.

[Scuttlebutter]

If asthma/allergies are an issue the housekeeping points raised by Lady Turmoil will help. We used to do these before we had the dogs as DH is asthmatic and allergic to various things. Hard floors, damp dusting, and regular washing of soft furnishings at high temps all make a big difference, along with airing and minimising the amount of fabrics/soft surfaces to "hold" allergens whether that is dust mites or dog dander.

[mrslaughan]

Do you have air filters? We used those and make amazing difference to the air quality in the house.
We have filtrete ones.

[mrslaughan]

oh and does your vacuum have a hepa filter?

[LadyBarlow]

Thanks for all the advice. We're in the process of doing a peak flow diary & he's been given an inhaler as he's had 2 bad viruses (sp?) over the winter & the GP felt this was a good idea. We're due to go back this week.
The allergy test happened as a result of me having a hissy fit in the surgery a couple of weeks ago after being fobbed off for ages! He went for a blood test & I assumed they would test for lots of allergies....but when the results came back they had only tested for dog dander allergy I'll be chasing that up this week. Is that an intradermal test lonecat?
I don't have air filters but we'd been looking at them yesterday so will sort that.
We have carpet upstairs & wooden floors downstairs & I have a Panasonic super amazing pet hair sucker upper vacuum!
It's so reassuring to hear this may be manageable as poor DS would be devastated if the dog had to go. Thank you

[LadyTurmoil]

Sounds like you're doing loads to help already, with the floors and your vacuum etc. Googled and found this about intradermal:

Definition: An intradermal skin test is a method of allergy skin testing that involves the injection of a small amount of allergen under the skin, resulting in a raised bump (wheal) and redness (flare) within a few minutes if allergic antibodies specific to that allergen are present in the skin.
Intradermal skin testing can identify more people with allergies than a scratch test, although may also lead to false positive results

I had the same thing with the allergy test! Thought they'd test for a whole range of things but, in the end, I had to specify what I wanted tested - so went for dairy, nuts, soya, tomatoes and dr suggested we do thyroid, cholesterol at the same time.

Having eczema/allergies/asthma myself and knowing what a bugger it is, all I can say is good luck and sending you best wishes.

[mrslaughan]

our dog is restricted to downstairs which is a small open plan living area, with hard floors.
Family of asthmatics, so its the way we manage it.

[mrslaughan]

oh and the other thing is DS has had chronic ear infections and asthma - the thing that has "cured" him is a nasal spray every day - pirinase (antihistimine I believe). Prescribed by his audiologist, for his ears, but has improved DS asthma dramatically. This is interesting as Dsis asthma specialist in Zurich told her the most common trigger for asthma is a post nasal drip, and he put her on a nasal spray.

Unfortunately our GP is clueless about this, maybe you need to see an allergist or specialist.

[NeedHoliday]

I use the shampoo from here. They have some great air filters too.

www.allergycosmos.co.uk/shop/pet-allergy

I am allergic to fur but keep a dog , he is a poodle cross so he doesn't moult but I can tell when I need to shampoo him again.

Good luck - hope you get it sorted.