Dog Allergies in Small Child

Hi S.,

I was allergic to dogs (and many other things) ALL my life until I detoxed my home. I know that sounds funny but when I removed all the things that broke down my immune system, my immune system was strong enough to fight off the natural irritants. We now have an inside dog and I have no problem. Detoxing is simple and inexpensive if you do it the way I did. If you're interested, let me know. I'll be glad to help.

M.

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Check out a product called Allerpet-D. You put it on the dog after the bath and it's supposed to help neutralize the proteins in the dander (which then decrease allergies). Don't bathe the dog too often though, or it can cause dry skin and MORE dander. What breed of dog is she? Is she near the end of her natural life span? I love my 4 legged baby too and she's 10, going on 11 and I know she doesn't have too much time left (she's a greyhound). I coudn't get rid of her at this point unless there was a severe allergy in the kids (ie. asthma exacerbations). Teach your child to wash hands whenever he touches the dog, use a hepa filter, keep the dog out of your son's room and if you can be extradiligent about vacuuming and using a "antiallergy" carpet foam too (I think Arm and Hammer has one).
If you decide to keep your dog, you're teaching your son an important life lesson...that dedication and loyalty are important. I agree that he might be upset if he thinks the dog must go because of him. I also agree there are probably other things in his environment that can be changed to help the overall allergy effect...
Good luck in your decision.

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Can mom and dad take her?
I'm so sorry. I would probably give my kiddo the meds, wash the dog every week with an allergen shampoo, and hope for the best. Keep them separated.
I know I am probably supposed to say get rid of the dog or your child's sake but I couldn't do it.

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Wow this is a tough one. I would really balk at getting rid of my elderly pet as well. As others have suggested your son's allergies might not be the dog or only the dog. There could be other things your son is allergic to. I would thoroughly clean the house. Hire a cleaning service if you must in order to get this done and have the air ducts cleaned in your home.
While all this is going on maybe take the dog to the groomers. I would ask for a furminator treatment from the groomer as this will take off all of the excess hair and she will shed much much less. That would help with allergies.
I would also limit the dog to certain areas of the home only and not allow her free acess everywhere. That should help.
I would also continue on with the sinus rinsing, even though your son hates it. Just keep explaining how this is going to help him. And it will help. I use the Nasline system and it is fantastic! I haven't had a sinus infection in 3 years when I used to get them constantly.
If you haven't already I would also get him allergy tested. That would give you a definite idea of what he is allergic to and how severe the allergy is.

Updated

Wow this is a tough one. I would really balk at getting rid of my elderly pet as well. As others have suggested your son's allergies might not be the dog or only the dog. There could be other things your son is allergic to. I would thoroughly clean the house. Hire a cleaning service if you must in order to get this done and have the air ducts cleaned in your home.
While all this is going on maybe take the dog to the groomers. I would ask for a furminator treatment from the groomer as this will take off all of the excess hair and she will shed much much less. That would help with allergies.
I would also limit the dog to certain areas of the home only and not allow her free acess everywhere. That should help.
I would also continue on with the sinus rinsing, even though your son hates it. Just keep explaining how this is going to help him. And it will help. I use the Nasline system and it is fantastic! I haven't had a sinus infection in 3 years when I used to get them constantly.
If you haven't already I would also get him allergy tested. That would give you a definite idea of what he is allergic to and how severe the allergy is.

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I have been told that allergies are a bit like a boiling tea pot. At the right level it's no big deal, but put in too much water and you boil over.

If it were me I'd look very closely at his diet, and at a minimum would remove dairy (thickens secretions) on a trial basis to see if that helps. Then I would think about other common food sensitivities like wheat, soy and eggs. Perhaps that way you could bring down the "boil" going on within his body. I would also consider probiotics after all those antibiotics. I like the other moms' suggestions to detox your home too.

Normally I do not think dogs take precedence over children, and if there are allergies they should not be in the home. However, your child has had this dog all his life, and I would worry that he would feel responsible for the dog leaving. And I agree that it would be hard on your elderly dog too (she sounds like a sweetie).

I wish you luck with this situation.

PS: I'm not a health care provider of any type - this is just my personal "mom" opinion.

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One idea is to thoroughly clean his bedroom so that all dog dander is gone and then keep the dog out of that room. This won't work as well if you have central heating with air ducts because the air will bring in dander from other rooms.

Another idea is to limit the dog to certain areas only. Again, thoroughly clean the areas in which your son is but not your dog.

I also suggest that he probably has numerous allegies to things you might be able to eliminate or reduce exposure to. Detoxing the house might help.

My granddaughter had allergy scratch tests as a baby. There isn't enough skin to test 80 items but the allergist can test several common ones. My granddaughter has tested allergic to dog dander, pollen, house dust, eggs and milk protein. She's outgrown the egg and milk protein allergies. I suggest that your son's sinus difficulties can be related to several different allergies.

During the winter, when heat causes the air to be dry, I frequently wake up with a sore throat. When my nose is plugged, I also have a sore throat caused by breathing thru my mouth. When a throat is dry it gets sore. Perhaps try running a humidifier in his bedroom.

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Do you have a family member or a good friend that will take your dog. Then you can visit your dog when ever you can. I feel for you. My pets are my babies. I love my kids tons and tons, but I also love my kitties. They were my first babies!! This is a really tough situation, I wish I had some words of wisdom for you!!! If I were you, I would beg and beg my mom to take the dog!!

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I just posted a similar question this past Friday about my dog. My son's allergies have been acting up as well and before we think about getting rid of her, we're currently trying to move to a place with all hardwood floors (right now we're renting an apt w/ carpet). Supposedly carpet can be a HUGE factor so if you can rip up your carpets, I would say try that first. Also, try the Allerpet D and invest in a hepa air filter. And definitely get the hypoallergenic encasings for his bed and pillow. And wash his sheets weekly in hot water. Best of luck to you. It sucks being in this situation :(

My sympathies to you! I also have an elderly dog (15 yr. old Jack Russell) and my son (5 yr.s old) is allergic, too. I'm also a long time allergy sufferer, and all the things you mentioned in your "What happened" post are all things I would recommend.
With a few additions - things that have worked for me and my son: Since the allergies get worse in winter, it may be that the humidity is a contributing factor. You may want to run a humidifier in his room at night - I would fill it and turn it on about an hour before his bedtime. It has helped my son a lot.
Also, I'm with the poster that allergies are kind of like a tea pot, so doing anything you can to reduce your son's allergy load might help.
This is going to sounds wierd, but try eliminating red foods from his diet for a while - strawberries, tomatoes, etc. I don't know why, but when my son's ezcema starts up, those red foods really set it off.
Another thing that should help - bathing and at least wetting down your son's hair every night before he goes to bed. No need for soap, just a little soak in the tub and some water play will do it - just rinsing the day away. After bath, rub him down in a fragrance free, dye free lotion - we use Aquaphor, but Cetaphil works great too. When we keep my son's skin healthy (and crazily well moisturized), he has much higher resistance to allergens.
I give both my kids probiotics every day - Dannon has a line of them next to their yogurt in the dairy section. (BTW - a bunch of studies have shown that dairy does not thicken mucus - it's an old wives' tale). I also drink one per day - it has made a huge difference in our general health and keeping that allergy load down. You can give it to him instead of or in addition to the yogurt each day.
Good Luck!!!

S.,
I can feel for you. Allergies are miserable! My cousins daughter is allergic to cats. They did not want to get rid of the cats so they improvised. They kept the cats in the basement mostly. They cleaned everything really well real often and then they got a special door for her bedroom that was cut in half. They would open the top half when she was in there or close it completely if she was not. They ran the vacuum daily and dusted daily. If they touched the cat they would wash hands/change clothes to keep the cat hair and dander down. They also laundered the childs clothes separately. They put sheets on all the furniture and would launder those daily as well. Could you incorporate some/all of the into your home. Maybe keep the dog in a separate room/area from the main living area of the house?

I completely get how you feel about your dog but if your son is that allergic, your question really should be "how can I not get rid of my dog?". Do you have a trusted neighbor or close relative that could take your dog in? You could offer to help w/ the special food and still see your dog but you need her out of your house, clean well, and get your son better.

We have cats and a cat allergy in the family and here is what we've done that has helped a LOT!

1. Definitely do the Allerpet. The best way to apply it is to use one of those painting sponges on a stick. Put some Allerpet on the sponge and apply it opposite to the way the hair grows so it goes under the hair and on his skin where the dander is. Apply it generously on the dog's genitals where it may lick a lot. We have to use Allerpet several times a week, not just once. I alternate between Allerpet and special wipes that get rid of allergens. I wipe the cats down every day.

2. Invest in a good air cleaner for your son's room. I suggest the Honeywell brand because their HEPA filters last quite a long time. Vacuum off the filter once a week. Run the air cleaner on low all the time, and move it to high if you remember during the day. We got a big air cleaner for the family room too.

3. Invest in an anti-allergen detergent and wash your son's clothing in it.

4. Is he allergic to dust mites? It's a common allergy. Putting a dust mite cover on his mattress and pillows can help a lot. Also, wash his sheets and blankets on HOT or get DeMite laundry additive. He could have too many allergens overrunning his system and getting rid of some may help.

5. You can buy a spray that kills allergens on fabric. Use it on the places your dog likes to frequent. We use it on the couch once a week.

6. Invest in a steam cleaner. I got one on amazon.com for $80 and I love it! It's a Wagner. I use it to steam clean the floors, I also steam clean the couch and once a month I do the carpet.

7. I wipe down the walls once a month with a damp rag. Dander sticks to everything.

8. I vacuum daily. You may need to experiment to see how often you need to vacuum. Make sure you have a vacuum with a HEPA filter and a HEPA vacuum bag or you'll just be spraying the dander back into the air.

I know it sounds like a lot, but I could NOT part with my cats! I had to find a solution and I did! The work is actually not that much now that I have it down to a science. We live in a small apartment so it takes me maybe 10 minutes to vacuum, 2 minutes to wipe down the cats and maybe 3 minutes to vacuum the couch and spray it down. 15 minutes a day is definitely worth it to me to keep my cats AND my allergenic husband!

Good luck!

I so feel your pain, as I am an allergy sufferer and know that my dog (recently had put down due to health) and my cat affect me. I hate not having respite in my own home and I am already fighting the dog battle with my husband who doesn't understand what I go through and how I medicate myself just to live in my own home!

Anyway, I read some comments, so i won't repeat, but one thing I didn't see was getting rid of carpet. That seems to help me some. I don't have carpet in my bedroom.

Best wishes to you!

I am very allergic to dogs as well, and I grew up in a house with two dogs. I was sick most of my childhood, and I have to say that it affected my health into adulthood. When we found out for sure that I was allergic to dogs, the doc told my mom she needed to get rid of the dogs, but I was not willing to do that. Honestly, I did not want to have that hanging over my head-- that I was the sibling that made our beloved dogs go away. Plus, I really was attached to them! It would have broken my heart. I am now married with two kiddos, and my husband had a dog when we met. My allergies have been pretty bad with her too, but about a year ago I was introduced to a supplement that has helped me dramatically. It is hard for me to believe, but I have not had to take allergy meds since May, and that's with a dog in the house! I am ecstatic about it, and I have sincerely never felt better. The supplement is also safe for kiddos, and my 2 and 3 year olds take it too. Let me know if you'd like some info about it. It could be a huge help for your son!

I read this and see you are taking measure to help your dog with his special needs and giving him medecines special food, and I think your son shouldn't have to take special medecine just to be comfortable when all it would take is a simple task of getting rid of he irritant. I know that the dog is your life also but your own flesh and blood is suffering because of his being there, the dog will do just fine in another home and then you can work on getting your son feeling better. I would personally never drug myself up or my children up just to have or keep a pet. That's just me though.