Allergic to one dog and not others?

[SparklySoprano]

Hi, PS'ers, I'm wondering if anyone has heard of this. I've seen a few cases on various internet searches, but trust your opinions and feedback. So, it's been a rough ending to the summer when our 8 year black mini schnauzer passed away from an auto immune disease that took all his platelets. We love dogs and decided to rescue a 3 month year old terrier mix after a couple visits with him just this weekend (Saturday). His temperament and potty training are amazing. He is really a lovely dog. Except, now I seem to be pretty allergic to him. My 7 year old son may be, as well. He could also have a cold though; I'm not sure. It's also high Ragweed count season here in SE WI and one of my worst allergies is Ragweed.

He was in a foster home with a cat for one week. I do have cat allergies. The rescue center had him neutered on the 1st so we can't give him a bath until the 14th.

My questions are these:

1) Have you heard of (or maybe it's yourself) someone that has been allergic to one dog and not others?
2) After using a foaming allergen reduction spray on his coat, it has not seemed to help too much. Could he actually be bringing in the Ragweed and that is why I'm reacting so much? He is spending quite a bit of time outside.
3) I've almost always had a dog since childhood. However, they were all Miniature Schnauzers, a very "hypoallergenic" breed. (In quotes, because I've read that not any dog is truly hypoallergenic.) Other dogs at friends' houses don't seem to bother me. Is that because I didn't spend as much time with them?
4) How could I know for sure? My allergy testing (done about 20 years ago when I was in my 20's) showed no dog allergy. Should I retest? What if it shows negative still?
5) Could one week with a cat in the same home create such a strong effect? NOTE: I was in my sister's home for two hours (and she has 6 cats!). I was fine actually, which surprised me.
6) His fur is quite different from a schnauzers. It is longer, and more wiry. But it doesn't seem to shed much at all. I don't notice hair everywhere. His coloring is both white in places and brown and black in places so I would notice hair either easily.

Thank you so much for your help. This is a really tough thing since the family has really bonded with him, and we've already had a loss.
~Sparkly

 

[Karl_K]

I am that way with cats.
Some little to no reaction, some mild reaction, some more of a reaction, and some send me into an asthma attack within seconds.

 

[telephone89]

I know that the people around me who have allergies will grow accustomed to the animals they are around most - like an immunity. So they can have 5 dogs and not be allergic to any of them, but introduce them to a new one and they will go right into the allergies. Since it is so new, I would try to hold out if you can. If you or your sons allergies are debilitating its a different story. You may find in a week or two your allergies calm down as you get used to him, OR it could be the ragweed that is causing it, and not the animal. I wouldn't *think* its the cat, but it could be.

Also - no pictures?!

 

[lyra]

I think you'll know better after he can be bathed. My DH is allergic to dogs, and we have 3. He is not equally allergic to each one though. We bathe our dogs weekly (all Chihuahuas) for this reason, and it does help a bit. I'd give it a bit more time, and please post about your experience? We always bathe the dogs when they've been at the vet too. Just being there in the back for nail trims they seem to bring home allergens.

 

[SparklySoprano]

Thank you, Karl, telephone89 and Lyra!

I definitely don't want to give up hope yet. I'm truly hoping it's the ragweed. Here are some pictures to share. First, Buster, who passed away, a pic when he was healthy, in honor of him. Second and third, Rusty, we hope to keep!

I will definitely keep you updated.

 

[telephone89]

AWE THEYRE SO CUTE RIP little Buster!

Definitely wait until the bath and see how it goes. Good luck!

 

[dk168]

Rusty looks like he could be a mix of Border and Jack Russell Terriers, he certainly has a BT face/head. Cute dog, thanks for sharing, and I hope he is a keeper.

DK

 

[SparklySoprano]

AWE THEYRE SO CUTE RIP little Buster!

Definitely wait until the bath and see how it goes. Good luck!

Thank you, so much, telephone89!

Rusty looks like he could be a mix of Border and Jack Russell Terriers, he certainly has a BT face/head. Cute dog, thanks for sharing, and I hope he is a keeper.

DK

dk168: I thought I saw Border Terrier in him, too. And they are on the hypoallergenic dog list. I don't believe Jack Russell's are, though. We also though possibly Cairn and maybe even Schnauzer was in there. His brother has no white at all. I'm going to post a picture of him in my next post. We were planning on doing one of those dog DNA test kits to see what breeds come up.

 

[SparklySoprano]

Pic of Rusty's brother...

 

[Sky56]

Yes, very possible because different kinds of dogs have different fur, skin, dander.

I have an odd thing to report. I was allergic to cats when I used to wear gas-permeable hard contact lens (Boston lens). My eyes would itch and redden whenever I visited a home with a cat. When I switched to soft lens in the early 1990's, not only did I see better and have better comfort, my eye reaction to cats completely disappeared.

 

[MJ_Mac]

I'm sorry you're going through this. It's hard when you think you're allergic to a furry member of the family. I'm sure you're already in love with him.

According to my last allergy test I am no longer allergic to dogs (cats yes unfortunately), but I still react to certain dogs. I have terrible allergies to pollen, moulds and dust and I find if my dogs aren't bathed regularly they kick up my allergies. And I'll throw this out there because I don't know why but I react to puppies more than adult dogs. It's like they let off a particular odour and their coats seem oilier. I would say give it time and bathe him as soon as you can. Wait and see how you are after ragweed season all the while bathing your dog regularly.

My friends have a couple of Shelties they haven't bathed in over 2 years. The minute I walk into their house I get congested and my eyes start itching. My husband will break out in a rash. They brush the dogs daily but it's not enough. The minute we pet them we can feel the film on our hands.

Adorable pics by the way!

 

[Calliecake]

I'm so sorry your family is going thru this. I've noticed some dogs really bother my allergies while others not nearly as much. We have a Maltipoo. Bathing her once a week really seems to help my allergies. I would give your dog a bath and see if you notice a difference. Rusty is adorable!

 

[AdaBeta27]

Maybe it's not the dog, it's the dry weather? (Just suggesting.) We're in a drought here, and the incredible amount of dust and "stuff" floating in the air are bothering me. I buy a Mucinex knockoff at Dollar General, and I take one tablet daily. That is apparently enough to keep the swelling, irritation, congestion, and pain squelched. I've tried many other approved and conventional and sensible treatments, including allergy injections. And they didn't work, lol. I used to get migraines. Not now.

You could experiment with some otc med like that, and see if it helps. i tested allergic to mold in a really big way. I also tested positive to dogs, but I never notice any symptoms whatsoever when I'm around dogs. I grew up with 2-3 large dogs in the house, and I romped with those dogs all the time and never noticed any allergy. Mold is the thing that really trips me. Although I tested positive to dogs, some grasses, and one or two trees, those are very negligible compared to mold.

 

[Calliecake]

Another thing to keep in mind. It could be a combination of things you are allergic to that is causing you problems. If you are allergic to ragweed and the dog the combination of the two could be making your reaction worse than if you were dealing with one thing at a time. Ragweed will not be around much longer and maybe the dog on his own will not trigger such a bad allergic reaction and will be much more tolerable. I take ZyrtekD and that also seems to help keep my allergy symptoms under control.

 

[sonnyjane]

As someone said before, I'm this way with cats. My old cat, no issue. New cat is a different combination and my reaction is quite bad. I adopted him because I never had a problem before, and now that I love him I'd never dream of getting rid of him, but I was very surprised at the allergy. Keeping the house cleaner than normal does help. I don't always keep it that clean though...

 

[missy]

Oh Rusty is such a sweetie. And RIP Buster. I am very sorry for your loss.

I am sorry you are dealing with this but wait and see how you do when you are able to bathe him. I think bathing him will be a huge help to your allergies. I am like this with one of my cats. I am very allergic to cats and dogs and ragweed etc but have been successfully (for the most part) desensitized to my kitties allergens. However not with Tommy. When he touches me or licks me I get hives. Big fat red welty hives. When we bathe him this reaction is lessened considerably. Good luck to us bathing him though very often. He is a bat out of hell when it comes to being bathed LOL but it really helps.

So hopefully once you are able to bathe your new sweet baby that will help tremendously. Plus all the airborne allergens like ragweed are not helping so definitely do not despair because your reaction will most likely get better with bathing your furbaby as well as taking meds to help with allergy season. I take Allegra in the AM and Zyrtec in the PM as per my doctor and maybe that could help you as well? It is safe to take that dosage but just check with your MD first to make sure if you are thinking about it.

Also with time if you are allergic to your new furbaby there is a good chance desensitization will occur to some degree (like getting allergy shots) and your allergic reaction will be decreased hopefully.

Wishing you, sweet Rusty and your family lots of good luck. I hope you can make this work!

 

[SparklySoprano]

UPDATE!

It turns out my bad reaction was due to the ragweed. Phew!!! We are aiming for once a month baths and bought an allergy reducing foam to put on Rusty's coat. But we only used that once the first week we had him. I still feel twinges at times that my allergies are ever so slightly acting up around him, but it's not constant. I can deal with them by taking Claritin. I do think an adjustment is being made, although ragweed was the main culprit for the worst of it.

The vet surprised us with news that he was actually nine months at time of adoption. (He had all his adult teeth in already; I didn't think to look at his teeth!) Rusty is 12 pounds fully grown, a great jumper, an affectionate, yet playful pup. He loves going for rides in the car, especially taking my son to school, and walks of course. And he is very good at catching mice; two caught while on walks outside. We live near a farm field in a not yet fully developed subdivision so field mice are common. As long as he doesn't find any inside.... We are also teaching him to ring a bell when he has to go outside. He came to us pretty much potty trained, but we have missed his cues a couple of times. He has rung the bell a few times already so that's been pretty neat. Dogs are so cool. I'm really glad we adopted Rusty.

Thank you everyone for your well wishes, kind encouragement and suggestions. PSers are the best! Here is an updated photo montage.

 

[telephone89]

He's so adorable! Thank goodness it was just the ragweed. I also taught my dogs to use a bell for the bathroom - works great!

 

[Rockinruby]

Rusty is so adorable! So glad it all worked out!

 

[House Cat]

That face!!! How are you not kissing it all day long??

I am so happy that it turned out to be ragweed!


I have varying degrees of allergies depending on the animal's level of dander and cleanliness. Also, if the animal has longer hair, I am LESS allergic. Short haired cats and dogs can send me into full asthma attack with hives, where long-haired animals don't affect me at all.

 

[lulu]

Holy crap he's cute!

 

[distracts]

I assume it's possible because plenty of my friends who are allergic to cats actually own cats because they found cats they weren't allergic to, or were less allergic to and could adjust to with exposure. Almost all of them have long-haired cats, dunno why that is.

Absolutely adorable pictures, and I'm glad to hear the allergy was ragweed rather than the dog. Not glad that you have allergies though - so annoying.

 

[arkieb1]

If you have washed him or wash him a lot and it settles down that could be another explanation. I have 5 Scottish terriers, they have double coats, Schnauzers have a different type of coat again. Your new baby is so cute - he is some sort of terrier crossed with a jack Russell, Jacks shed hair and have a different type of hair again - the breed has two types of coat a long haired version and a short haired version, and are more likely to cause allergies than a Scott or a Schnauzer, so if he has wire type hair and doesn't shed he is possibly half or part of one of the wire hair terrier family, these are less likely to cause you allergies.

Different breeds of dog and indeed cats do create different levels of allergies in some people. Washing and regular brushing will help and there are also injections we humans can take for allergies as well that can also help.

 

[missy]

UPDATE!

It turns out my bad reaction was due to the ragweed. Phew!!! We are aiming for once a month baths and bought an allergy reducing foam to put on Rusty's coat. But we only used that once the first week we had him. I still feel twinges at times that my allergies are ever so slightly acting up around him, but it's not constant. I can deal with them by taking Claritin. I do think an adjustment is being made, although ragweed was the main culprit for the worst of it.

The vet surprised us with news that he was actually nine months at time of adoption. (He had all his adult teeth in already; I didn't think to look at his teeth!) Rusty is 12 pounds fully grown, a great jumper, an affectionate, yet playful pup. He loves going for rides in the car, especially taking my son to school, and walks of course. And he is very good at catching mice; two caught while on walks outside. We live near a farm field in a not yet fully developed subdivision so field mice are common. As long as he doesn't find any inside.... We are also teaching him to ring a bell when he has to go outside. He came to us pretty much potty trained, but we have missed his cues a couple of times. He has rung the bell a few times already so that's been pretty neat. Dogs are so cool. I'm really glad we adopted Rusty.

Thank you everyone for your well wishes, kind encouragement and suggestions. PSers are the best! Here is an updated photo montage.

Thank you for the happy update!!! What a beautiful baby he is.

...snip...
Different breeds of dog and indeed cats do create different levels of allergies in some people. Washing and regular brushing will help and there are also injections we humans can take for allergies as well that can also help.

Yes absolutely true. My dh has been getting allergy shots for well over a decade now and they have helped immensely with his previous severe cat/dog and ragweed etc allergies. He can now visit my family with their myriad of animals and be fine for the whole visit. And obviously he can live with 4 cats without many issues. He still however does take his allergy meds in addition to receiving allergy injections.

 

[azstonie]

Everybody has had great comment and expertise but I had to chime in to say both dogs are beyond adorable and I'm sorry for your loss, it's so hard to lose them. Congrats to you for rescuing your new furbaby!!!

 

[MJ_Mac]

Thanks for the update. Rusty is so adorable! I just melt looking at those pictures . He has such soulful looking eyes.