Mother Seeking Advice on 2 Year Old with an Allergic Reaction to a Dog

When they did the allergy testing, did they test specifically for animals? When we were trying to identify my son's food allergies, they didn't initially test for animals, but did later. Did the dog lick him in the places he got hives? My son isn't allergic to dogs, but if one licks him, he gets hives in that spot because he's allergic to wheat, eggs, milk, barley, and nuts. I think he gets the hives from the saliva from when the dog has eaten food and those allergens are in there, and then when he got licked it caused a reaction.

I will get hives from dogs where they lick me. So it is entirely possible (and probable since that is the only change today) that it is from the dog. I will say though that if that is his only reaction to the dog, and it isn't affecting his breathing and sinuses, that it may be possible to keep the dog. He should build up tolerances/immunity to it over time and stop getting hives from that particular dog. It's kind of like an allergy shot -- they give you little bits of what you are allergic to slowly over time until you build up a tolerance to whatever it is you are allergic to. When I lived with my parents, we had a golden retriever that I got hives from when they brought him home, slowly but surely I was absolutely fine with the dog without getting any hives. This immunity to my dog helped when I was around other dogs. When I moved out, and was away from a while, when I went back to my mom's house, I would get those hives again from the same dog. You can try to limit the amount of licking the dog does (easier said than done I know). To be absolutely sure, you can also have your allergist test this specific dog for a reaction - they put his fur in the allergy test. The other option is a different kind of dog, we now have standard poodles - I've never met anyone who is allergic to those and they are great with kids!

My ex-hubby is allergic to rabbits, and he gets hives. He actually has to touch the rabbit to get them, an usually gets them on his hands and arms. (He is an emergency vet so he occasionally has to touch a rabbit!) You might want to bathe the dog before giving up on it. It might be that he was bathed in something, or had a flea powder or something put on him before you got him. Just a thought.

Hi Jackie,

My daughter is also allergic to dogs. We had to specifically ask the allergist to test for this allergy. It was something that we did not notice until she was almost 2 years old. She also gets the hives all over her body and just recently, her ears became really red and swollen. The allergist said that this was something that she probably would not grow out of. She told us to give her zyrtec before entering a house with a dog to prevent any reactions. Benadryl helps clear up reactions, but can put your child to sleep. We have come to terms with not being able to have any animals in the house. As much as we love dogs, I really hate seeing her suffer the consequences.

We have no pets and last week my daughter woke up with what appeared to be hives or some awful strange rash. It scared me to death! It turned out to be "Christmas Tree Rash". It is viral, noncontagious, and pretty unexplainable. It started out on her tummy as a giant red hive like thing and moved to her arms and legs and then to her hands and feet. 5 days later, it has mysteriously disappered!
Guess what I am saying is you might want to give it a few days and check with the doctor!
You may want to give the puppy a bath too. Most people that are allergic are only allergic to the dander. Frequent bathing would keep the dander down. I also believe there are doggies shampoos for helping with this too.

Actually I get tiny little hives (really tiny like mosquito-sp? bites) where a dogs/cats saliva hits my body (usually my hand from petting them). Otherwise, I have no reactions. When it's my own dog/cat I do get used to their saliva and it doesn't happen anymore. Your son's reaction seems a little bit more than just a few little tiny hives. Just keep watch so that he doesn't have trouble breathing like an asthma attack or swollen glands or membrane in the throat. Did you try different laundry detergent, fabric softener? Have you changed shampoo, bubble bath, or soap? Did you buy him some new clothes and didn't wash it yet? Keep vigilant watch and keep track for a week or so and you'll know.