Allergies and living with dogs?

[moutonfou]

Has anybody with a dog allergy found a breed which genuinely reduces symptoms?

I have heard schnauzers are good due to the upper layer of hair and not shedding which keeps the skin dander at bay, and I have done some very unscientific tests in terms of touching them whenever I come across one. I don't seem to react in the same way as I do to touching other dogs.

I'm basically taking a steroid inhaler, antihistamine and nasal spray for life anyway due to other allergies, so not expecting to have no symptoms at all. But if I could live with a dog and it be manageable with those medications, that would be the dream.

Any experience of schnauzers and/or other breeds which trigger fewer symptoms?

I have an allergy to dogs and also asthma and hayfever. I have a Golden Retriever and a Black Lab and grew up with dogs. I use an antihistamine everyday and vacuum the floors (laminate) twice a day. I seem to have built up an immunity to my two.

Dd has a pretty awful allergy to animal fur and dander. We have Eric who is a shih tzu poodle cross. He has a poodle coat and doesn't shed. For the first month she needed an anti histamine daily but doesn't need one at all now (some three years later) for Eric. She still can't touch other dogs and cats and rabbits or spend time in places they live without a severe reaction though even if she is dosed up on anti histamines. For dd her reaction shows itself as sudden eczema (any exposed skin looks like it has been burnt) and hives and facial swelling.

It actually is the dander (shed skin) and saliva of dogs that most people are allergic to, which all dogs have, not fur.

Indeed LilCamper, but I think (if I've heard right) that the way the coat is constructed and how heavily they shed can affect how much of that dander is on the coat and how much gets into the air/on you, I.e. that certain coats can act as a (partial) shield?

Single coated dogs like poodles moult less.

If you're allergic to dogs then you're allergic.
You may react less to certain breeds but there is no guarantee.
Please please don't get suckered into a poodle cross believing the fur has some kind of "shield". You may well end up unwell and having to rehome it.

My husband has allergies but is fine with our Shih Tzu / Bichon Cross.

I wish there was more research on this but I believe that removing all possible triggers is better for the immune system overall.. I only have the experience of my son to go by but by making his immediate environment as free from the things that cause him problems as possible, he has been able to cope better when he does come in to contact with animals. The ups and downs of medication, asthma, recovery, tiredness etc are not worth it for us. I know there is some research on exposure and reducing the severity of reactions but I would like to see how that compares to excluding all potential allergens and how both of those factors impact long term health.

In general the less a dog shed the more grooming it needs which would obviously involve close contact with the dander in the coat.

It doesn't necessarily always follow that non-shedding breeds are best for people with asthma. DH has asthma/allergies and does best with breeds with very short, fine single coats like whippets.

I'm really badly allergic to dogs, if I'm in the house with one I will have itchy/watery eyes, sneezing, struggle to breath (I have asthma) and now I have two Samoyeds who I'm not allergic to at all, it's amazing for the first time ever I've been able to hug dogs! I went to spend time with Samoyeds to see if I was allergic after I read they were hypoallergenic so I'd suggest you do the same so not to have to regime a dog.

*re-home