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Dogs and allergies


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We just got a dog. I haven't been around dogs since I was a kid 16 years ago. He's been in our house about 2 hours and my eyes feel itchy and my throat feels tight. Is that really long enough to know if you are allergic or not? He's a goldendoodle which is more hypoallergenic, but I know that only works if you're not really allergic to dogs. I'm allergic to cats but had no clue on the dogs. I would feel so bad for the kids if we had to give him back because momma couldn't handle it.

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I'd sure say that sounds like an allergic reaction. :grouphug:

 

My husband is highly allergic to cats. We got a cat and he was miserable for a couple of weeks. Then he adjusted.... or seemed to.

After the cat died, we didn't have any cats for a while. When we got another cat, he had pretty rough allergic reactions. I decided that it was better for our son to have a father who wasn't taking asthma medication regularly, so we don't have cats :(

 

It's your call (along with your doctor) as to whether the allergic response is such that you're okay being miserable for a while until you get adjusted to having the dog. For my husband, I'd never seen him in good health until we didn't have a cat. Seeing the change made it much easier for me to say, "No pets."

 

You will adjust to your dog over time. The question is really whether the pet is worth what you're giving up in health. It may be a minor adjustment and worth it over time. Good luck with the decision. It's a tough one!

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Here's what I can tell you about allergies (and it isn't much).

 

Our boys were diagnosed with allergies when they were around 10. The doctor told us they were allergic to dogs and cats. We had both. To make a very long story short, my animal loving boys began letting the cats and dogs sleep in their room, where they never had before, to prove to the doctor he was wrong. (I did not know they were sneaking the animals in).

 

I had given them the choice of weekly shots or getting rid of the animals. Ha. They eventually outgrew the need for the shots and the allergic reactions to the animals.

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I gave him a bath and I seem to be doing better, but we'll see how it goes. DH doesn't want me to make a decision for at least a week. I was ready to bring him back to his other family tonight. He's a really great dog, super friendly, didn't even nip at me or anything when I gave him a bath and blow dried him. My kids are in hog heaven right now. I would hate to ruin that. But I lived with a cat that I was allergic to and got sick ALL. THE. TIME. It was horrible. I'm not willing to go down that road again. If I don't get better within a week, he's going to a new home.

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