Just got a beautiful new GSD puppy (8wks old). After 3 days I now find I am very allergic. I am feeding him raw and was told that will help us both but could take a while. I bath him with Allergy shampoo. I am taking Zyrtec and have an appointment with the Allergist who says I may have to take shots once a week then once a month for what could be several years with no guarantee of success. The allergy is severe, feeling it in my lungs and chest. Is there any hope? Does anyone have any suggestions that I haven't already tried? I don't want to give him up but so far nothing I've tried is working. HELP!!

Sorry to hear about this.

I have a friend who has tried this product and says it works well(I don't know if it's appropriate for puppies though)
Allerpet

Is allergy to dogs new to you?

I grew up usually allergic to dogs, my first dog as an adult made me have reactions at first, but I DID get used to her (and it didn't take that long). I have gotten used to living with dogs and have not had an allergic problem since. I have been exposed continuously for 30 years now with successive dogs in the house with no problem. It is not the same with cats I have a bad response every time I go into a friend's house who has one, but I have never lived with a cat, to see if it would change.

I take Claratin when I have seasonal allergies or when I'm going to a cat house. (it is like Zyrtec.)

I hope that through exposure to your new pup, you get desensitized and it gets better!! But an allergist may have better info for you. This was just my experience.

oh, also what helped me at first was to always wash my hands/face after handling the dog.

I have chronic nonallergic rhinitis. It's terrible, and there literally is nothing I can do. On my bad days, I take 120mg of Clarinex D. It works wonders but is very strong. I also use what my allergist calls the Meltzer Mix (his name is Dr. Meltzer). It's Astepro and Nasocort mixed together. I dump them separately, mix, and make two bottles worth with the spray bottles. Two sprays twice a day makes a huge difference for me. Other than that, good luck! I hope it gets better for you, I know how debilitating it can be.

I am Very very allergic to certain dog coat types, mold, dust, and pretty much everything wonderful in nature. I also have asthma. Depending on how your allergies develop, I won't lie to you, you may not be able to function with a dog just like I despite having raised rabbits for ten years and cavies for 6 can't waft in the same wind without going into the beginning stages of anaphylaxis which would very likely kill me in short order. Happily for most people it doesn't go that way.

You'll need to go see an allergy specialist. This allergy specialist will do a scratch test and show you the great spectrum of things you are allergic to. Based upon the scope and scale of the reaction they'll recommend a home procedure from there along with appropriate medications. It's also possible that an emerging severe allergy to something else is causing your other normally "minor" reactions to behave chaotically. Allergy shots I've tried to no success although they worked wonders for my brother. Despite popular myth you can develop allergies at any age, even to things that you deal with every day.

The stuff that did work well for me, vacuum 2x a week, convert to non carpeting in my home, find a medication system that works effectively (I use symbicort, claritin, sinus buster, and keep visine A and albuterol on hand). My dogs are bathed often, normally at least 2 times a week. I also shower at night so I can sleep without being covered in the pollen, dust, dander, etc that I am allergic to. So depending on your allergy grade it's probably best to not allow your dog in the bedroom, most allergists will tell you not to even have the dog in the house but keep in mind their priority is your immune health, not your life quality with your pet.

Best of luck with your pup. I know I listed a lot of stuff in that past paragraph on how I handle allergies but it really hasn't effected my life in an overwhelming way, I am a dog groomer despite being allergic to dogs, and I have six dogs when my allergist would just assume I have none.

I have chronic allergies, to damn near everything. This year over all has been a bad year for my allergies, I don't know why.
It got so bad in the spring I actually got a steroid shot in my thigh to ease the symptoms, it made me sweat like a pig for a few weeks but it helped for months.
I am considering asking for another one because I have been congested since thanksgiving and I work in a restaurant, no one wants me to be sneezing and sniffling when they come in

I also use claritin D, it is pain to buy here but it works wonders, as does Nasacort. Allegra is a prescription but it works really well for me most of the time, lately though I have needed the Decongestant part and haven't gotten around to asking the doctor about allegra D.

Dyson make a hoover called a DYSON ANIMAL that has a hepa filter?

http://www.dyson.co.uk/store/hmc.asp?feature=PetOwners&sicampaignppc=google&sicampaigntopic=choice&gclid=CLicwczSsp8CFQU9lAod5GD4iw

i was also recommended air filters in the house

http://www.allergymatters.com/acatalog/Airfree_Platinum_P125.html ?


bath dog once a week in just water?

get someone to groom the dog on a daily basis

good luck i hope you find an answer

xx

For me it's the first two or so weeks after getting a new animal that is the worst. If I can get through the misery of those first couple of weeks, it's all good. After that point, it's like my body starts to adjust and gradually the allergic reaction dissipates.

I don't even know if that's a normal 'thing' or not. I almost wonder if you can inoculate yourself against some allergies by exposure? Or if the opposite can be just as true (e.g. you can develop a complete intolerance from repeated exposure)?

I usually take Claritin and Nasacort, wash my hands after handling the animals and NEVER touch my eyes until my hands have been washed.

I bath my dog every couple of weeks or so and vacuum regularly and that usually does the trick.

I'm non-reactive about 99% of the time after the initial adjustment unless I'm in close proximity to someone elses' dog.

A friend of mine was very allergic to dogs. She bought one of those ozone machines and it worked like a charm. Those little machines can take ANYTHING out of the air. They put one in my old apartment after severe smoke damage and within a week, there was no trace of smoke left....

Maybe that would help?