DH is fairly sure that’s he’s developed an allergy to our dogs, we really don’t want to rehome them it’s there anything we can do?

[ChangoMutney]

DH is allergy prone, he always been allergic to cats and feathers but not dogs. We have two 7 year old dogs that we’ve had since they were puppies, so they are loved by all five of us. The last few times DH has travelled for work his asthma has dramatically improved and then gets much worse on his return home. He came back a couple of days ago from a week away and says his eyes have been itching since he came back and he’s having to use his salbutamol a lot, so we think it’s the dogs.

We don’t know what to do, he says (and I agree) that getting rid of them would be like returning a child. However, his health is obviously very important has anyone got any advice for us?

Deep clean your house , don't let them on the furniture . Make sure you hoover daily and keep them out of the bedroom would help . When my childhood cat got older I was allergic to her but I struggled on and overcame it . Good luck

If you have carpets, replace them with wooden flooring in bedroom and living room - helps to keep it clean and hair freee.

I agree about properly deep cleaning the house and get rid of as much of the soft furnishings as you can bear as hard surfaces are easier to keep clean. He could be allergic to other things in your house that are new/changed, dust mite explosion with warm weather, pollen, a new cleaning product, air freshener. Does he take a daily antihistamine as well?

-Air purifier
-also check for any mold in the house, chuck out scented candles, plug ins as it might be that
-replace fabric furniture with leather
-anti allergy bedding and bed
-bathe the dogs as often as their skin/fur allows
-antihistamines

Sorry a lot of that is pricey!

If he was eating food that gave him similar symptoms, it breathing difficulties that were taking increasing amounts of medication to get under control, would you suggest he continued to eat the food?

His immune system is obviously under constant stress. You could try high doses of vitamin C, looking into desensitising treatments, or looking at dietary sensitivities which when treated can result in a reduction in sensitivity to other allergens. However... I think it is difficult to do this while continuing to be exposed to the dogs.

Does he have to keep travelling? I find exposure over time reduces symptoms but if he's in and out he's not going to get that.