Dog Allery

[ClaireBear1986]

Hi all,

Does anyone have any tips for living with a dog while suffering with a bad dog allery please?

Im pregnant so dont want to take any medication and I feel like I have tried everything but nothing works.

Im currently a prison in my own bedroom because of this dog and would be so grateful for any advice of what I can do.

Thanks all.

Have a good weekend

Most people are allergic to the dander (not the hair) of a dog so anything that reduces the dander will help. Dander is all the dry, dead skin that flakes off.

Things that will help:

1. Reduce the amount of skin that dries out on the dog by feeding a high quality diet. allaboutdogfood.com has great reviews to guide you on what food is the best in your price bracket. A spoonful of raw/virgin coconut oil a day also helps reduce dander. Other supplements, such as fish oil, might also help. I think Dorwest Herbs do some great supplements and are v knowledgeable if you call them and explain what you are trying to achieve.

1. Remove dander from the dog. Brushing the dog daily will help remove the dead skin (and fur) from the dog so that you can dispose of it in the bin by emptying the brush. Less on the dog means less in the house and less to irritate you. Ditto bathing the dog once a week will also helps achieve the same thing.

1. Reduce the dander around the house. Hoovering daily and washing all soft furnishings that the dog goes on regularly will help make sure any dander on them is removed promptly. Keep the dog off chairs etc to reduce the dander on them and make it easier to clean after him.

1. Control where the dander ends up. Rather than you being a prisoner in your bedroom, the dog could be contained to a smaller part of the house, giving you more dog-free rooms. Note, dogs still need lots of stimulation, interaction and company so he shouldn't be isolated for long periods of time. An example might be to keep the dog in the kitchen where hard floors are easier to clean regularly and there are not as many soft furnishings. However, that will mean someone needs to spend more time in the kitchen with him.

Sorry forgot to add that reducing the clutter round the house gives dander less places to get trapped and makes it easier to clean up. Also, I think air purifiers might help remove some of the dander from the air also...

Thanks for the response @missbattenburg.

Unfortunately I have tried most of these things and still no joy. Doctor did advise that it is probably due to the pregnancy that I am suffering a lot more than usual.

My DP brushes the dog daily, bath it often, wash the bed weekly. We hoover daily (with an animal dyson), mop the floors 2/3 times a week, our house is very minimalist so we have no clutter and we have wooden floorboards.

We have a HEPA Filter air purifier, use Petal Cleanse lotion on the dog and allergy relief spray in all the rooms.
The dog is also banned from all furniture in the house, and I even had to get rid of my favourite rug :(

I will give Dorwest Herbs a call and see if they can advise anything.

Otherwise it is going to be a very long pregnancy being locked away upstairs!! Plus I would assume that there is no guarantee that it will improve once I give birth. I can just hope and pray!!

Thanks again though!!

I really don't think it's tenable to live like that OP. I used to be very allergic to cats and when I met my now DW she had to make a very tough decision to rehomed all but one cat (she had 5 at the time). Otherwise I would have been ill all the time. Even with one cat I had symptoms but it was manageable.

I agree PP but I think my DP would rather rehome me than the dog :(

Stating the obvious here, but you have a baby on the way, and are confined to one room. Totally unrealistic. Rehome the dog (and your inconsiderate dp if necessary).

Sorry, that was blunt. How about deep clean the entire house and dp and the dog are confined to one room upstairs for the duration of your pregnancy and potentially while bf?

Bet you dp will soon change his tune as you can’t keep the poor dog in a room for that long (I am dog owner/lover, but people with health issues caused by animals through no fault of their own come first, especially when a dog can be responsibly rehomed).

Not blunt at all @WeAllHaveWings.
It's exactly what I have been thinking, but then I thought maybe I was being unfair thinking that, as tbh I'm not a big fan of the dog anyway. (Love dogs, just dislike this breed)
I wonder if deep down my DP thinks I am exaggerating the allergy as I don't like the dog. I wish I was, as it's so horrible to experience a bad allergy in your own home.

Dd has an allergy to dogs, cats, rabbits etc but we have a dog of our own. For the first few weeks she took an antihistamine every day but within six weeks she no longer needed one. She still reacts badly to other people's animals but has become totally tolerant to ddog.
Is it early days of you living with ddog? Are there no safe antihistamines in pregnancy? Pretty sure I took them for hayfever when pregnant. It might well improve in time although I'm not sure whether avoiding dog completely will help you become less reactive as dd and ddog were never kept separate.

No, I have had to live with the dog for almost 2 years now. Always suffered with allergies around it, but since becoming pregnant, my symptoms have been a lot worse.
Due to being pregnant, I personally don't wish to take any medication at all so have stopped taking the antihistamines.

Doc has advised that hopefully symptoms will decrease again a few months after baby is born. So was really looking for some sort of solution for the next 6 months, so I'm not a prisoner in my bedroom till then.

You may be right about not avoiding the dog, but I literally do not think that I could be around the dog for long as it makes me feel so ill. And I can't help but worry if it could be affecting the baby.

It sounds really difficult though. Can the dog be looked after elsewhere for now in the hope that your allergy eases after the birth? Is there any way of housing the dog outside for now? What happens if your child is allergic? I would be hoping that your dp would be looking for a solution if the bathing and cleaning wasn't enough even if that meant finding a new temporary home for now.

He does have a few people who would be willing to have the dog (and tbf they do have it a couple of nights a week) but my partner doesn't seem willing to have the dog somewhere else all the time. So as soon as it comes back, so does my allergies.

I also asked if it could be locked out of the lounge while I am downstairs so I don't have to be a prisoner in my bedroom, as we have a large hallway and kitchen but that doesn't seem to be happening either.

It does upset me a lot and I feel like I am starting to blame my partner, as I do think that his pregnant girlfriend should come before a dog.

I am now considering staying at my parents while the dog is there, but this means my travel costs doubling. And it's not really a long term solution for once the baby is here.

I'm getting so upset by it all now, and feel like I am just close to breaking down.

I'm not surprised that you are feeling down. It would make me question your partner's feelings towards you if he isn't prepared to put your health and wellbeing especially whilst carrying his child before a dog, when you say yourself he has the option of housing it elsewhere at least temporarily.
I love our dog, he is a great joy to me and the rest of the family but if dd was being made ill by his presence then I would have no option but to have him housed elsewhere. It was non negotiable when we got him (we arranged that we would return him to breeder) and four years later it is still non negotiable.
Have you considered what will happen if the baby is also allergic? It's very possible as allergies do run in families. Does dp expect you to confine your child to one room for the entirety of the dog's life.
I would move back to your Mum's not only for your own health but also I would be seriously questioning my relationship with someone unable to prioritise the health of his pregnant gf above the desire to keep a dog.