I don't want to rehome my dogs

newlywed

I have asthma, hayfever and eczema and when I lived with my parents we always had a cat. I found if I washed my hands immediately after stroking the cat then my symptoms reduced.

Also the cat was never allowed in my bedroom. I had an ioniser and air filter in my bedroom which helped as if I got too sneezy/wheezy/coughy/itchy then I could retreat to my cat-free room for a bit.

The other thing I did try was a herbal tincture which helped lots with my allergy when I visited my cousin (who has a dog and a cat). You can get it in Holland & Barret but it tastes really yuck but after a week or so does seem to help "air borne" allergy - or at least it did with me.

I can PM you the name if you are interested.

Be_Happy

I'd be wary of doctors blaming allergies on pets. From experience with friends, pets always seem to be the first thing blamed.

When our dog died around 5 years ago, neighbours asked us to take their 6 year old dog as their daughter had asthma and doctor had decided dog was making this worse. We couldn't take their dog, so they kept it. Now their daughter has very few asthma symptoms left and is very healthy, so dog doesn't seem to have been the cause.

Incidentally another friend had very serious allergy problems, but she loved cats. She kept 3 cats and had regular injections to control her allergies.

Psykicpup

If you have a chedt infection 'they' often tell you to avoid dairy products.... it causes more phelm on the chest- sorry cant remember why....but its something to do with the lactic acid I thinl (sorry if i've got that all wrong)

Bun

Thanks MortgageMama, I'm sure your holiday will be far more beneficial! Getting away from your house will probably help more.

I had all the symptoms you described (on reading your OP again) the worse of which was the coughing. After I ended up in hospital on a drip due to the asthma I had some tests which show the general state of inflammation in the body, although I can't remember what it's called I'm afraid. This was very high, and I think it affects your body as a whole. When mine was high I was 'allergic' to everything, now it isn't I'm not.

I was told to keep the cats out of the bedroom while my symptoms were bad, try to avoid carpets if possible, and be very careful with cleaning fluids - bleach apparently is one of the worst culprits. Cigarette smoke and bonfires aren't great for me either. Have you been in your current place long? Did the previous occupant smoke or anything?

steph25

Hi MM,

I was at the RNTNE hospital in London yesterday cause I've been refered there from my local hos due to them faffin up my sinus and nasel operations ...
Anyway, the 1st thing they did at the hospital yesterday was an allergy test.
The nurse drew 6 lines down my arm and then put drops of diff things ie grass/wood/dust mites/antihistamine etc..she put different drops on each side of the lines so i had 12 tests, but she also put a extra one on cause if that one gets itchy red and lumpy it shows the tests have worked and then procedded to scrape skin off each one, didnt really hurt...much lol :eek:
Anyway again....this took all of 2-4 minutes..had to wait 15mins for any reaction and that was it!
I have no idea why your doctor is so reluctant to get you one done as it wouldnt really take no more then 30mins.
Ask her to refer you to the hospital and if she moans say do it or the mse posse will refer you personally
Good Luck!

arnie&caseysma!

Hi MM....There is a possibility that the dogs are the problem although as everyone else says you really should be tested as you will not know for sure.

A friends of ours has two dogs the same kind as ours, infact they are the parents of Arnie. He is fine with all dogs yet as soon as he comes into contact with Arnie he takes a mild allergic reaction (sneezing; wheezing etc etc). This is the only dog that this has ever happened with in his case.

On a different note - I am a lover of red wine which I am fine with (until I have too much and fall down!) but yet if I have even the smallest amount of Port I take a reaction to that in the form of a major rash and instant memory loss (yes even without having drunk anythink else!).

You can become allergic to items at any time so might even be worth trying something like your regular toiletries; soap power etc to see if it could be a trigger from anything you have used on a prolonged basis.

I hope that you find the answer soon and you get back to health.

lynzpower

Hi MM

right now, you have not a huge amount of evidence that its the dogs causing these problems.

It is not unusual for respiratory problems to surge after having babies- do have a google- it could be something thats developed.

In the meantime are you using all-natural/ organic cleaners/washing powders etc. Mr muscle, flash et all will certainly exacerbate if not cause some of these issues.

MortgageMamma

Hi Lynz

We use star drops for mosts things. I'm going to go back to docs and insist they refer me for some allergy tests. I'm just wondering how much my face will shrink if they drain my sinuses urgh. You are right there is not a lot of evidence pointing to the dogs so and I always use products designed for sensitive skin and non bio washing powder even senstive fabric conditioner and I have used the same brands for years. I can't believe the doc just came out with "get rid of the dogs" just like that without investigating properly. DH has suggested booking them into boarding for a week and blitzing the house and having uppholstery cleaned to see if it is dogs. I hope I can get it sorted soon because im sick of having to sleep downstairs on the sofa, its got beyond a joke now because I still keep him up with my coughing and I'm downstairs and our house is not small and has 3ft thick walls!

Eels100

I can't add much to the great suggestions already given, but I can sympathise because I have allergies to pets and unless I can take antihistamines I suffer intermittently. It causes asthma-like symptoms and I have a Salbutamol inhaler for use when it's bad.

One tip is to wipe down your pets with a damp cloth a couple of times a day - that sounds ridiculous but it's the dander which causes allergies, not the hair. So for example, a cat which grooms itself will leave tiny particles of dried saliva on its coat - when these particles get airborne and you inhale them you'll start to have an allergic reaction. By wiping down the coat regularly you are damping down the allergens and removing some from the environment. Hope that helps in the meantime! Good luck x

that's_another_fine_mess!

I was told in no uncertain terms to get rid of my cats when I developed moderate asthma. I couldn't bring myself to do it (although I was and am certain they were the cause). I firstly banned them from the bedrooms and moved their beds into the utility room, this helped massively. I replaced the living room carpet with wood and swapped the sofa's for leather ones. I also wash the cat bedding a couple of times per week and bought a dyson which I use daily or every other day. Result- only have to use my inhaler once or twice a year (usually after excercise so p'raps I'm allergic to that too!), in 6 years I haven't felt that awful tighness and wheeziness which used to indicate an attack. The floor is much easier to keep clean and the house always smells fresh so it has had other benefits too!