Dog Allergies and Holidays at Homes with Dogs!!

Tracie is right......just putting the pets outside or in another area will not change things. No matter how clean the house is, there is some pet dander in the air.

I also suggest asking the Dr. about Benedryl. We had a rabbit for 8 years that hubby and I were both allergic to. We did not get rid of daughter's rabbit because it made us miserable but we did use benedryl. We no longer have the rabbit but we do still have allergies (not dogs and we have 3 of those). We use an Rx spray Astelin which works great for us. We live on a heavily wooded lot with cedar elms and we learned it is the trees we are allergic to.

Happy Holidays!

I don't think it's rude to ask if the pets can be put up in another room or outside while an allergic person is over. In fact, I hope they tell me early before they come over so I can clean with extra extra effort.
I know others said that it doesn't matter whether the dog is in or out, but I'm sure it helps. It's way better than having that dog/cat jump in your lap!
I've been asked before to put up my cat, and I'm soooo wanting to have a hospitable home for my guests that I'm more than happy to do that. People's comfort level and medical issues are way more important than my pet. Besides, the pets are fine in the other room or outside. Just tell them his allergies and what happens when he's around pets. I'm sure they will hurry to put the pets up.

I have pets and would have no problem with your request. Actually I prefer to put them in my bedroom anyway so they are not underfoot and can't get out an open door. Pet dander as some others said could still be an issue, so find out from your Dr. which allergy medicine is best for pets and what works for your son. I would definitely have some allergy medicine in him a couple of days prior to the visit and day of visit. I hope you can work through it.

In my experience, it won't make any difference if the dog is out or not. The dander is all over the house. Ask your doctor if you can give your son Benadryl and if so give it to him about 20 minutes before you visit. If it makes him sleepy maybe the excitement of the visit will perk him up.

My daughter was allergic to cats.... but we didn't get rid of the cat. We did manage her allergies and now she's no longer allergic.

With animal allergies I'm a firm believer that being around animals is good for you and that with management of the allergy you can outgrow it. Food allergies are an entirely different matter.

If you feel comfortable, you could ask them to be put up (my husbands family does this for our son). Also, give him some Zyrtec before you go (it works best if you give it to him a few days before and after- to keep the symptoms down). The dander is what causes most allergies- and that is hard to get up from couches, furniture, and carpets.

Hope this helps!!

have you taken him to a physician about this? that is a SEVERE allergy from what you are describing. i would not bring to homes where pets live PERIOD - it doesn't matter if the pets are put up and the house is "clean", that's not gonna solve an issue that severe. invite those persons to your home, and explain why. in the meantime, you need to carry liquid benadryl with you at all times and you probably should look into getting an epipen if you don't have one already. good luck!

My 13 year old has outgrown much of his cat allergies - he takes singulair daily for asthma. I'd tell them sorry - we can only stay for a few minutes d.t. allergies... and I'd tell them ahead of time.

People who love your son will put the animals up and do their dead level best to get rid of hair and such where he will be.

S.

Hello LG,

Politeness goes out the window when life is in jeopardy. I'm concerned about the extent of the allergic reaction your son has. if his face swells up and you can barely see his eyes... what about his throat? does he know enough to tell you that it's getting harder to breathe/swallow? I think his reaction is too strong and I fear that with repeated exposure he could have an anaphalatic reaction which can be DEADLY. until you know more and until you have an epi pen Jr to take with you.

I would not expose your son to dogs and cats. some of the answers mentioned how they were miserable, however whenever there is so much swelling that is eyond 'miserable' ...miserable would be stuffy nose, coughing, etc. so, please keep him away from dogs and cats. by the way, if accidently he gets exposed to dogs/cats and his face swells up, make sure you call the doctor and take a picture so they can clearly see how serious it is. for now, maybe you should carry some benadryl with you at all times.

I don't recommend you staying at a house w/ dogs/cats either.

I'm not trying to scare you. just remember about the teenage girl with a peanut allergy... she died after kissing her boyfriend -- http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/4481546.stm

~C.~