Allergy Issues For Prospective Greyhound Adoptees

[Guest Captottersea]

Greetings one and all,

 

We are on the verge of adopting a greyhound and my wife has had allergy issues in the past with various dogs. We most recently had a Dalmation - they shed heavily. We loved him dearly for his 12 years but my bride was constantly stuffed up, with frequent sneezing etc.. I know Dalmations are on the extreme end of the dog allergy scale and from what I have researched to date, greyhounds would seem to be at the other end. I have reports that greyhounds are very mild in terms of allergic reactions for folks like my bride. Anyone out there have experience with allergy problems with other dogs but not greyhounds? How much shedding can we expect? What grooming/bathing issues/techniques should we anticipate? We also had miniature Dachshounds for many years and they bothered her less than the Dalmation. I have my heart set on a greyhound but the allergy issue could be a deal breaker. Help!

 

Steve

[Guest jerrybird]

I think that perhaps your best bet would be to find and visit a greyhound owner. We don't have allergy problems here thank goodness. One of my greys was a 'shedder' and the other was not so I think it probably runs the gamut according to the dog and the season.

[Guest sho6md]

Perhaps fostering a greyhound first.

[GreytHoundPoet]

I'd visit and spend time with some. She'll know fairly quickly if they bother her. Fosteing is a good idea too. That way you are not committed to keeping the dog if she gets sick. I have tons of allergies (7 1/2 pages single spaced!) but not to dogs. I have a dalmatian, 2 greys and a Galgo. My dal sheds heavily (as all mine have), my greys are mild...but they DO shed, my Galgo doesn't seem to shed at all or very, very little. The greys seem to affect the allergy sufferers that visit my house much less than my Dal.

 

Good luck. Hope it works out for you.

[Trudy]

I'm an allergic mess with other dogs, but always just dealt with it growing up and was good for my allergy doctor. I could not do baths for my mom's dachshunds because I couldn't breath when I was done.

I have no problems with my 2 greys - I just don't let them in my face.

 

They do shed. They blow their coats just like other dogs, but for me, it's not been an issue.

I have one that sheds very little (he has very little to shed) and another that I can at times build other dogs out of her shedded coat.

 

 

 

[MaryJane]

You can keep the shedding down considerably by bathing the greyhound every 2 months, that will remove the loose hairs. You can also brush weekly to keep the coat in better condition and keep the shedding down.

 

Is your wife allergic to the fur or the dander? My understanding is that most people are allergic to the dander. If this is the case, most greyhounds have less dander than other breeds.

 

Someone earlier in the thread mentioned fostering ... I agree this is the way to go. Consider bathing the dog first to remove loose hairs and to "clean up the skin".

 

Good luck...

[Guest MorganKonaAlex]

I have a dog allergy; it was one of the reasons I looked into greyhounds. I react a lot less to greyhounds than other breeds, but I still take steps to manage my allergy. Things that will set it off: being in a car with them, going to the vet, baths, brushing. I try to limit my exposure to those things and it works pretty well. The dogs are not allowed on the furniture. From my experience visiting a relative with a dachshound, greyhounds cause less of a reaction.

 

I would 2nd the idea of fostering before adopting to make sure it will be workable.

[Guest SoulsMom]

I'm allergic to EVERYTHING, but I couldn't imagine my life without a dog in it. Zyrtec is my life saver

[greysmom]

Greyhounds do have a reputation for being less allergic than other dogs, and in my own personal experience this has proved true. However, the shedding/dander does vary quite widely from grey to grey as you can see.

 

Several things can be done to limit/ameliorate her reactions: don't let the dog on the furniture, especially the bed; wash people bedding weekly and keep up with the vacuuming; get dog beds that have removeable and washable covers and wash them weekly; maintain your grey's coat and skin by brushing weekly and bathing only when necessary (they are in general a clean breed and mine actually clean themselves like cats adequately for most of the year).

 

And as Amber said, Zyrtec is your friend! I would also add a nasal saline spray (or neti pot) 2 or 3 times a week just for a general allergy suggestion.

 

Good Luck! And Congratulations!

greysmom

[duncan41]

Like SoulsMom, I'm allergic to everything except food - seriously! Depending on which school of thought your Dr prefers, either dander or a component in the saliva (more appropriate for the self-cleaning cat) that causes the majority of reactions. CLEAN is the operative word, both for the environment and the dogs. I have 3 cats and 3 dogs and there was a time that I couldn't even walk into a home where a cat resided, let alone live with one!

 

Oh, and since I can't take Zyrtec unless I need to sleep for 2 days, I rely on the non-drowsy generic version of Claritin during the time that my other allergies are kicking up, and TylenolPM (with generic benadryl as the sleepy component) to keep things in check the rest of the time and get a good night's sleep. Everyone has to find what works for their individual situation/sensitivity. Good luck!

[RobinM]

Perhaps fostering a greyhound first.

 

Greyt idea becasue they do shed, a lot. Just because their hair is short doesn't mean they don't!

[Guest isntitgreyt]

My son has asthma and allergies. He has no problems around greyhounds or my boston terrier. I've all ways had short haired dogs so I've never had a problem. They get brushed once a week. They've only had one bath since coming home in August. Molly sheds a lot but Foxy doesn't. I just vacuum every other day and dust.

 

I would also suggest fostering first.

[Beautybabe]

I agree with the fostering, too. These a BIG dogs with lots of surface. Setting limits on where they can go and hang out is a must. I don't allow mine in the dining room, in the guest room, in the walk-in closet, or on the furniture, except for one sofa in the family room. Sometimes we let Emmet on our bed. The thing is, you get to decide.

[Guest OMGiluvgreys]

My dw is alergic to almost every animal, but we have up to 4 Greys in the house at one time.

 

I would rather go to a home with a grey because if she is allegic you won't have it in your house. Make sure there are no other pets living there, only Greys. Make sure you stay for a while too.

[September]

My allergies bother me a little when I have animals in the house, although I don't have major allergic reactions- probably just really slight ones like stuffiness, watery eyes, etc. I notice though, Cookie is really clean, and I haven't had any more problems than normal.

 

I've taken Claritin in the past, and that works well for not making me drowsy!!

 

I know on another board, animal allergies were discussed on advice threads. Many good points were made (and reiterated here).

Also someone mentioned something worth quoting.

 

***** is allergic to super shorthaired dogs for some reason. I mostly do large, fluffy mutts and ***** is fine with the seven in our home right now. Our little very short haired whippet/pit mix kind of causes his allergies to act up if he is too close for too long. We tried bringing home a whippet once to foster and within ten minutes in our home ***** couldn't breath. Elkhounds, huskies, collies and spaniels he is all fine with. It's very strange, but works for us just fine since that's what we love.

 

I know it was suggested on other boards about keeping your sleeping areas off limits or limited access and air purifiers. I don't know if limiting access to your bedroom would be viable for a greyhound- many like to be with you contantly.

 

Also, since we're on the subject- I was talking to a check out girl one day at the grocery store and she started talking about cat allergies, and she couldn't live with her dad's cats- until she started taking honey (natural btw- on the comb or no preservatives), and she didn't have any trouble at all. I thought that was very interesting.

 

 

 

[Guest houndstooth4]

As far as the shedding question goes, it depends on the individual dog. I have one here that you could make a small dog from the hair he sheds, and I have another with a very thin coat who hardly sheds at all. In the spring, we go through a coat blowing phase that doesn't last too long, but for the most part, we don't have a lot of shedding.

 

 

[Guest trevdog]

Can you foster or go visit someone's home that has greys? Some do shed more than others, and some have different coats than others. My boy Jam had a stiffer coat than the other 3 greys I have had, he seemed to shed a bit more at certain times of the year.

[Guest Captottersea]

Can you foster or go visit someone's home that has greys? Some do shed more than others, and some have different coats than others. My boy Jam had a stiffer coat than the other 3 greys I have had, he seemed to shed a bit more at certain times of the year.

 

 

We are going to visit a foster hound tonight/tomorrow. My bride had no allergy issues after spending an hour handling a couple of dogs at the kennel. Two of the three we handled badly needed a bath and grooming and were covered in dander/dandruff. I think she will be fine but the in home visit seems prudent. We had our home inspection by AGR this morning and it went fine. They really like the large enclosed backyard. We are just waiting fro Brandy to be spayed, teeth cleaned etc., so that we can bring her home - probably in a week or two.

[Guest SusanP]

I am allergic to dogs, and one thing that attracted me to greyhounds was their supposed lower allergenic-ness. I tested myself by rubbing my face on a willing greyhound with an understanding owner and by spending several hours at a greyhound kennel. I had almost no reaction, which amazed me, because I reacted strongly and quickly to other breeds. After we got our first hound, my forearms broke out in a rash for about 2 months, and then that went away. So we got 3 more hounds. What I do still notice is that after a cold, I tend to develop asthmatic symptoms and need to use my albuterol nebulizer. That was something I'd outgrown as an adult, and I suspect it is due to living with my hounds. But that's it.

 

Your wife will have to do some soul-searching and decide whether she can live with some allergic symptoms if they do crop up. Antihistimines and the steriod nasal sprays, Patanol eye drops, etc are wonderful, but it all depends on how serious her allergies are. For example, does she have severe asthma?

 

In my case, I wanted a dog so badly I made up my mind I could live with some problems, and luckily it has worked out for me. The really neat thing is that now that I'm "desensitized" by constant contact with dogs, I no longer have allergic symptoms around other breeds --I volunteer at our local animal shelter where my face is routinely slobbered on by dogs who are much more demonstrative than greyhounds (like friendly pit bulls) and don't have a single symptom. That is almost miraculous to me!

[Guest Captottersea]

I am allergic to dogs, and one thing that attracted me to greyhounds was their supposed lower allergenic-ness. I tested myself by rubbing my face on a willing greyhound with an understanding owner and by spending several hours at a greyhound kennel. I had almost no reaction, which amazed me, because I reacted strongly and quickly to other breeds. After we got our first hound, my forearms broke out in a rash for about 2 months, and then that went away. So we got 3 more hounds. What I do still notice is that after a cold, I tend to develop asthmatic symptoms and need to use my albuterol nebulizer. That was something I'd outgrown as an adult, and I suspect it is due to living with my hounds. But that's it.

 

Your wife will have to do some soul-searching and decide whether she can live with some allergic symptoms if they do crop up. Antihistimines and the steriod nasal sprays, Patanol eye drops, etc are wonderful, but it all depends on how serious her allergies are. For example, does she have severe asthma?

 

In my case, I wanted a dog so badly I made up my mind I could live with some problems, and luckily it has worked out for me. The really neat thing is that now that I'm "desensitized" by constant contact with dogs, I no longer have allergic symptoms around other breeds --I volunteer at our local animal shelter where my face is routinely slobbered on by dogs who are much more demonstrative than greyhounds (like friendly pit bulls) and don't have a single symptom. That is almost miraculous to me!

 

 

I would just like to thank everyone who responded with so much wonderful information. We have officially adopted Millie, a three year old from Arizona Greyhound Rescue. Being first time greyhound owners the foster pooch was a better choice. We will be bringing her home from her foster home this Saturday. Her coat is so smooth, nearly the consistency of velvet. After spending time with several hounds at the kennel we did the foster home visit. This amazing home has three greyhounds and a large mixed breed. After a solid hour of all four dogs all over us Jeanne had no reaction at all. Millie is a sweetheart and we can't wait to welcome into our home as family. You can see her at: http://www.azgreyhoundrescue.org/hounds.htm

 

One question. Now that we have joined the "Cult" of greyhound owners who is going to show us the secret hand (Paw), shake???

 

[Guest MrsDooLittle]

I have allergy induced asthma and am allergic to cats, dogs, horses, dust, mold, hops and a variety of other things. I've been getting allergy injections for years and they've helped tremendously. My last kitty passed away last year at 17 and though I almost hate to say it I think my asthma has improved. I was never able to cuddle my kitties much though because even taking shots I would start to wheeze; thank goodness my kitties did not want too much togetherness! Anyway, I vowed to have no more cats.....just don't ask me about the kitty who adopted us and lives on our porch *sigh*

 

Initially (20 years ago) I tested off the charts to cats and dogs, but in the last few years my allergy to dogs has decreased. This I discovered before we got our first greyhound. We now have three and honestly I can nuzzle them with little effect thank goodness. I've had doctors lecture me about giving me shots while I 'choose' to have a pet and my argument is that I am allergic to dust also and cannot avoid it entirely no matter how hard I try. Because I know of all my triggers, I do things to help my odds such as wearing a mask when I vacuum or dust.

 

Our white and brindle greyhound sleeps in our bed each night and fortunately it doesn't bother me even though I had heard that the brindle dogs and black dogs were the best for allergy sufferers. But, alas, sometimes you just can't help the ones that pick you.

 

I think someone mentioned fostering and that is what I would suggest also. Best of luck to you.....

Cindy