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Pets

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Original poster

i had decided this was a no no

28 replies

festiveface · 06/07/2006 14:01

but...i so want to get a dog. mainly for ds1 who adores dogs. he has looked after mil dog for the last 3 years, she lives next door but is moving to spain and taking the dog with her.
he is a bit of a loner really i know that sounds awful) and i think it would have huge benefits for him but...
ds2 is allergic to dogs, some much worse than others. i think it is posssibly the saliva as well as the fur and comes up in hives. he also has asthma.
i keep toying with the idea of one of these dogs that are supposed to be less allergenic but maybe it would be a really stupid idea.
what do other people do? do they just accept it and buy a goldfish?

OP posts:

expatinscotland · 06/07/2006 14:03

i dunno. dogs are out of the question for us b/c 1) i find them mingin' 2) landlord forbids it.

but i want a hamster. badly.

especially when dd1 capers about saying, 'i want a hamster spinning round and round on a wheel.'

yeah, i want to get you a hamster, little one.

but for pepsi, our playful, 6-year-old, tuxedo (black and white) cat.

GeorginaA · 06/07/2006 14:06

You could go more exotic...

... and have tropical fish (honestly, much easier to keep than goldfish...)

I'm asthmatic and allergic to fur and feathers which pretty much rules out most likely pets. It's so rotten and scary when you have an attack and can't breathe, I probably wouldn't even risk it tbh.

Even if he doesn't react really badly, low level constant wheeze or itchy eyes and nose are really horrible - and I find with my asthma that I need 2 triggers to set off a really bad attack (eg. cat hair then exposure to cigarrette smoke, or stress then a really bad cold etc) so having a dog around that he may be allergic to could make him more susceptible to other things?

I know some people do manage to keep pets when asthmatic, but if you've discovered ds2 is actually allergic to dogs, then I wouldn't chance it, sorry Would be heartbraking for them if you got one, ds1 fell in love with it then you had to rehome after a few months.

Blu · 06/07/2006 14:06

You can't possibly get a dog if your other child is allergic! What if he had a really serious allergy-triggered asthma attack?

Very sad that the dog next door is going, could he take care of someone else's dog? Take on a regular local dog-walking responsibility?

I do think your poor ds2 could be very uncomfortable if you get a dog. I am allergic to cats, and once the itching and reaction get going, you just feel miserable, and can't be 'yourself' or think properly.

GeorginaA · 06/07/2006 14:07

heartbreaking even...

Original poster

festiveface · 06/07/2006 14:20

yes your'e right

OP posts:

2labs · 06/07/2006 14:29

I have a friend who is allergic to most dogs but who is dog-mad and owns a poodle (much less likely to cause a reaction). Even with that she has to bath not only the dog but the dog's collar/lead/bedding etc every week without fail otherwise her symptoms start to play up. It really is a big commitment - poodles may not shed but they need an awful lot of grooming.

There are a few other supposedly less allergenic dog breeds but not the same for everybody. I know of several people who got labradoodles (poodle cross lab) because they couldn't face having a poodle and had been sold the line that labradoodles are non-allergenic - total rubbish in most cases as the coat types vary enormously because the cross is a relatively new fad and there is no 'breed standard'.

Sorry to be negative, but personally I wouldn't risk it, especially if ds2 is allergic to the saliva as well as the fur - all dogs have saliva!

GeorginaA · 06/07/2006 14:31

What about a pet you could keep outside once both children are a bit older and ds2 is more aware of his asthma symptoms and knows how to control them himself?

When I was a young teen we had a rabbit that lived outside in a hutch. I was responsible for looking after it - sometimes he used to set off my asthma, but I knew the early warning signs myself (well before an adult would hear a wheeze) and could self-medicate.

He was washed fairly regularly to minimize dander (is rabbit fluff called dander as well?!) and he was outside too so there were no lingering allergens on furnishings etc.

Failing that - a tortoise?

Iklboo · 06/07/2006 14:33

A snake?

GeorginaA · 06/07/2006 14:36

Wasn't someone talking about Giant African Land Snails on another thread? See - LOTS of options

GeorginaA · 06/07/2006 14:37

(although I still object to fish getting a bad rep - just cos you can't cuddle them or take them for walks. You can get them to do tricks though

Hattie05 · 06/07/2006 14:39

I have all the 'lurgies' pet allergy, asthma, excema and a zillion other allergies. Have always had pets also.

As a child had hamsters cats and guineas. NOw have a cat and dd just got guineas.
Being short haired make them all much easier to manage and i simply have to keep my house clean and well hooverd, wash my hands straight after petting animals and i don't suffer too bad. As a child i reacted very badly - swelling of neck and face, sneezing etc. the question is have i grown out of it? or have i learnt to control it better?

When we first got our cat i used petalcleanse on it for two years. Every week i massaged petalcleanse (from chemists) into its skin and it seemed to help - i think it cleanses away the allergens.

I appreciate people telling you you're mad to do it because of your son, but we can't live life wrapped up in cotton wool and provided you do the sensible thing of mixing your son with a dog you are considering in advance to judge how bad his allergy is - and then be extremely careful with hygiene in your house and with your son handwashing after petting i don't believe its such a bad thing. In fact it may help.

I have never had a dog, but find i don't suffer at all when stroking friends dogs, the only thing that does affect me is that 'wet dog' smell in the home if its not kept really clean can make me sneeze.

Good luck in making your decision!

wannaBe1974 · 06/07/2006 20:47

do you have a local rescue centre nearby? could your ds go there to walk some of the dogs? they're generally always looking for people to help walk the dogs so they're not cooped up in kennels all the time. he'd get the best of both worlds - contact with the dogs, but without the commitments of feeding/grrooming/alergies.

expatinscotland · 06/07/2006 20:48

hamster AND cat?

can they co-exist?

ooooo. a 'amster, as DD1 calls it. spinning round and round. on a wheel.

i like, i like!

Hattie05 · 06/07/2006 23:19

They can kind a co-exist, provided they are never allowed to socialise

SparklyGothKat · 06/07/2006 23:34

I have 2 Roborovski Hamsters they are smallest hamsters in the hamster family. I also have 2 cats but the hamsters are in dd2's room, where the cats aren't allowed, just have to make sure that the door is shut, coz my female cat looks at them longingly!!!

muffinmum · 06/07/2006 23:52

Hamsters are the worst pets for children altho v.cute. They are nocturnal and not big fans of being handled!Used to think it was gross but the more i see at work the more i realise that rats make absolutely fantastic pets for children, can get lovely colours and children seem to get more interactive with them than hammies. Other good ones are ferrets but personally cant stand the smell, maybe better if asthmatic as can keep outside?

my asthmatic friend has a curly coated retriever, same principle as poodle and bichon frise in that they do not moult as other dogs but have hair like ours that grows continuously and needs cutting. with cats black cats are less allergenic than white cats!

there will probably be someone near you that works in the day and would love their doggy to be walked after school perhaps so that your son can have regular doggy contact. I waited 32 years for my doggy and got him when 1mth pregnant, I love the fact that DD will grow up with him.she loves watching him running around park and is only 4mths old.

bubblerock · 07/07/2006 00:14

Budgies are brilliant, they don't smell, easy for a child to feed & look after, they have individual personalities and they can be tamed very easily. My blue one will quite happily sit snuggling into DS2's neck for hours!

tensing · 07/07/2006 09:30

Are you 100% sure your son is allergic to dogs, I say this as when I was a child we had a dog and a cat and I had allergic rhinitis, the doctors (GP and Speacialist) both said get rid of the dog and cat she is allergic to these, anyway had allergy testing, and I wasn't allergic to either.

mia84 · 07/07/2006 11:36

Ive been allergic to dogs all my life, and ive got REALLY bad asthma. I got a siberian husky, because their fur is supposed to be a lot better for people with allergies. Ive now got 3!! For the first week or so i sneezed a bit, but to be honest theyve made me better with other dogs too!! if theres fur on the floor sometimes it plays up with my eyes / chest, but as long as i hoover twice a day and keep them relatively clean i'm fine. A friend of mine who keeps huskies also has asthma which isn't affected by them.

mia84 · 07/07/2006 11:38

forgot to say i have 3 ferrets and although they have a terrible reputation they are fab pets!! if you get them as babies you can train them not to nip and they are sooo funny and resiliant. can live indoors or out!!

Original poster

festiveface · 07/07/2006 11:48

thanx, this is all very interesting. Tensing, ds2 started coming up in big lumpy rash a few years ago whenever he went near mil german shepherds. sometimes just the clothes ds1 has been wearing in her house causes it.

now, i have to say it isn't a very clean house and i know the dog isn't bathed much.

when he has stroked my friends labrador though he hasn't seemed to have a reaction but i do wonder if things would be a problem even with her dog if he lived with it all the time iyswim.

he had to have blood tests once for his low immune system and was also allergy tested which showed highly reactive to dogs and grass pollen.

OP posts:

magnolia1 · 09/07/2006 15:38

To be honest if tests show he is actually allergic to dogs I would be very careful. It would be such a shame if you bought a dog home and couldn't keep it because your sons allergies flared up

PinkTulips · 09/07/2006 15:53

do you have a big enough garden to have an outdoor dog? he could have a nice shed to live in and maybe be allowed in the kitchen on really horrible days but never further in the house and ds1 would have to be completely responsible for making sure he's kept clean and dog fur isn't being dragged through the house. lots of people i know who have dogs wouldn't allow them in the house at all anyway, allegies or not.

magnolia1 · 10/07/2006 20:22

Not much of an existence though is it, living in a shed in the garden!!!
Sorry but I don't see the point in having a dog for a pet and have it outside

tensing · 11/07/2006 09:56

Festive Face,

Is it possible that your Mother in Laws dog has fleas, as it could be the fleas your son is allergic to, in which case all you would need to do is keep a dog flea free.

I agree with Magnolia, make sure your son isn't allergic before getting a dog as they wo;d be haertbroken to get one and the have to get rid og it a few months later.

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