Allergies, asthma & pets

[Tournesol]

If a child is allergic to one animal does it generally mean they are allergic to most?

DS is 3 and was diagnosed as allergic to cats (we had two at the time) when he was a baby, he is also allergic to milk, eggs, sesame and nuts and is under investigation for asthma as he often gets wheezy.

He has just been stroking and cuddling dogs in the park and is now coughing away (but this could have been just running around) but he also seemed wheezy after stroking guinea pigs recently

Really don't want him to be allergic to more stuff, especially as he loves animals....

Is it usual for allergic children to be affected by all animal hair?

deff possible to be allergic to lots of diff furry animals, tho also some people are only allergic to one thing

though by sounds of it seems he could b allergic to most furry animals

DS is allergic to cat, dog and horse. Its possible to get tested at the allergy clinic. We are having to rehome our dog because of this.
Consultant explained animal allergy is pretty serious when it effects breathing.
I was also told its more likely to be animal dander and/or saliva as opposed to hair.

Eek! Right I'd better keep him away from all furry blighters then.

Only see allergy specialist once a year so will have to wait until Dec for confirmation but will mention to GP when seeing them about asthma.

Thanks for all your responses!

Contact your consultant and ask for an earlier appointment if you are worried. We were told to get in touch with others if dd had any reactions especially to anything we don't know she is allergic too. Thankfully we have not had to make contact with the consultant in between appointments this time but I would not hold back from calling to check.

Yes it is possible to be allergic to all furry animals, some can be worse than others. My dd is anaphylactic to horses only but is very allergic to cats and dogs (some breeds are worse than others!) we had rabbits for 6yrs and she was ok with them for 5 of those years and cuddled them all the time and then suddenly in the last year she reacted very badly to them and couldn't go near them!! It's quite common for new allergic reactions to appear over time and is termed the 'allergic march'!

yes, def contact consultant. ours is very good at fitting in appointments when we have allergy issues. Its a serious business so I don't hesitate in letting them know

I am only allergic to cats but used to react to my ILs' dog I assume because they have a cat too and she had cat dander on her coat. Could these dogs be the same perhaps?