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Allergic To Hounds?


Wonder

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The guy that adopted my foster emailed me that he's allergic to him. He said, "I'm having itchy eyes, scratchy throat which I thought just might be seasonal. But I'm also finding that my hands itch after petting him and I'm actually getting little hives on the backs of my hands until I wash them after petting him."

 

We told him to give him a bath but he said that didn't help.

 

Any thoughts?

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Kari and the pups.
Run free sweet Hana 9/21/08-9/12/10. Missing Sparks with every breath.
Passion 10/16/02-5/25/17

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Guest zombrie

Does he take daily allergy medication? After I got mono when I was in high school, I became allergic to dogs. Just the daily meds alone helped. He should vacuum pretty much daily as well.

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Did this guy had dog before in his life? did he ever react to a dog of a cat?

He could be allergic (more so if he does have seasonnal allergies) to his grey..

I'm allergic to dog saliva, if Otis or any dog licks me I'll have hives..

but I dont have itchy eyes or scratchy throat (I have those symptomes with cats).

Edited by Josie

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Sounds like allergies. It's certainly possible. I'll second Brie's suggestion of meds and vacuuming every day and add to wash his hands after petting him and keep his hands away from his face. If he's willing to work through it, his symptoms will eventually go away.

| Rachel | Dewty, Trigger, and Charlotte | Missing Dazzle, Echo, and Julio |

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I get the same thing, little red itchy hives if I spend too much time petting the dog. They go away pretty quickly. I also have seasonal allergies, so I don't notice any worsening of my usual stuffy nose/watery eyes.

We furminate her on a weekly basis, which seems to help and use a deshedding spray. I'm hesitant to bathe her too frequently, but I do notice I'm much better after she's had a bath.

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Sounds like allergies. It's certainly possible. I'll second Brie's suggestion of meds and vacuuming every day and add to wash his hands after petting him and keep his hands away from his face. If he's willing to work through it, his symptoms will eventually go away.

I don't know if he's willing to do that but I will suggest it.

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Kari and the pups.
Run free sweet Hana 9/21/08-9/12/10. Missing Sparks with every breath.
Passion 10/16/02-5/25/17

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You said you're also itchy after petting him. Are you like that with any other dog?

 

If not, is the foster on any meds himself? What's his food?

The foster is not on any meds. He had frontline on the first.

He eats Purina.

I am not itchy, just the new owner.

 

I just asked the adoption rep if she's talked to him. She said he gave him a bath and he's still itchy and he doesn't want to take allergy drugs.

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Kari and the pups.
Run free sweet Hana 9/21/08-9/12/10. Missing Sparks with every breath.
Passion 10/16/02-5/25/17

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Sounds like allergies. It's certainly possible. I'll second Brie's suggestion of meds and vacuuming every day and add to wash his hands after petting him and keep his hands away from his face. If he's willing to work through it, his symptoms will eventually go away.

 

Yep, Rachel and I are both allergic to dogs. She does okay with her gang and I do okay with mine but put them together and Rachel and I will start to react to the "new dogs" dander. It happens every time we add a new pack member. I have to get used to the new dog. Some people are willing to work with it and some aren't. I just take more medication.

Judy, mom to Darth Vader, Bandita, And Angel

Forever in our hearts, DeeYoGee, Dani, Emmy, Andy, Heart, Saint, Valentino, Arrow, Gee, Bebe, Jilly Bean, Bullitt, Pistol, Junior, Sammie, Joey, Gizmo, Do Bee

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"Any thoughts" you ask.

 

Yup. He wants to return the dog and this is going to be his excuse. Particularly since he "won't take allergy medication."

 

Go to any shelter in any city. Those that have kennel cards with "reason for surrender" will say, more often than not, "allergies."

 

Sorry to be a cynic, but that's what comes to mind with me.


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I did allergy shots for two years because I refused to give up my tabby cat, Walden. I still have mild allergies when I bring a new animal into my home or when I interact with animals that don't belong to me. It's not really a big deal. Over time, your body just gets used to it. He probably is experiencing some mild allergy symptoms, which is pretty normal. I found that Allerpet doesn't work at all. I took Allegra (which can be purchased over the counter now). I would think the situation would be manageable if the adopter is willing to work through it. If this man was severely allergic to dogs, I find it hard to believe he didn't realize it until now.

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While I agree that "allergies" are an overused excuse for people who want to return a pet, there are indeed genuine cases where this is a true issue. I hardly think an individual should be scorned for not wanting to take allergy medicine for potentially the next ten years for a pet that he just met. My DH is severely allergic to cats. As in, he walks in a house with cats and can hardly breathe and his eyes swell shut within about 10 minutes. There is no allergy medicine in the world that would allow him to comfortably live with a cat.

 

This sounds like an unsolvable issue, and the adopter should return the dog sooner rather then later.

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Guest tammara

Having had very bad allergies nearly all my life I just wanted to add that it took us a while to figure out that I was allergic to the dog shampoo as well as the dogs (I've never been allergic to any human toiletries) . You might suggest he also try a different shampoo if he is willing. For me, giving the dogs frequent baths, and keeping up with the vacuuming and laundry makes the most difference now. When they are really bad Zyrtec helps.

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Guest FrankieWylie

My husband is severely allergic to every other breed of dog. True story. He has virtually ZERO reaction to these guys. The longer we have them the more he can deal with. Now two of them can sleep with us an he has minimal problems. But put him in a room with another type of dog? Total flare up.

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He said, "I'm having itchy eyes, scratchy throat which I thought just might be seasonal. But I'm also finding that my hands itch after petting him and I'm actually getting little hives on the backs of my hands until I wash them after petting him."

 

While I agree that "allergies" are an overused excuse for people who want to return a pet, there are indeed genuine cases where this is a true issue. I hardly think an individual should be scorned for not wanting to take allergy medicine for potentially the next ten years for a pet that he just met.

 

:nod Based on the above comments posted by Wonder, it sounds like a real allergy, not just an excuse. Whether someone is willing to take meds and deal with a pet allergy, especially to a newly acquired pet, is a personal decision and not something they should be judged for.

 

If this person is committed to adopting a greyhound, and truly feels bad about this development, would the group be willing to let him try another dog? Allergies to dogs and cats can sometimes differ between individual animals. How long has he had the dog and how long did it take the allergy to manifest?

 

Our group has allowed adoptions with a 2-wk trial period to families with concerns about allergies. I've been personally involved with 2 cases (did the home visit), and both ended up keeping the dog. One family had a daughter who had severe environmental allergies, but hadn't been around dogs much. She ended up not having any issues with their greyhound.

 

The other family had a daughter who tested allergic to dogs, but hadn't had been around very many and wasn't allergic to the few she'd met, as well as a mom who had chronic hives. The daughter actually had a mild contact reaction to my greyhound at the home visit, and the mom had gotten itchy hands from one greyhound she petted at a meet & greet, but they'd both been fine interacting with other greyhounds. They adopted a greyhound and worked through a possible minor skin reaction ('possible' because it was the mom, and with her chronic hives, she couldn't tell if it was a flare-up or a reaction to the dog).

 

Bottom line, it depends on the person involved and what they are willing to tolerate and work through.

Jennifer &

Willow (Wilma Waggle), Wiki (Wiki Hard Ten), Carter (Let's Get It On),

Ollie (whippet), Gracie (whippet x), & Terra (whippet) + Just Saying + Just Alice

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my daughter has always had dogs in her life and she loves Bobby but very allergic to him, he is our first grey and the first dog she has been allergic too.

 

he was just given flea treatment so want to leave it another week before bathing him and see if that will help.

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YES! To JJNG's comment.

Some people (including my DH) do NOT take medication unless absolutely medically necessary... no tylenol, cold meds, gravol, allergy pills... nothing. It really isn't that uncommon. I would not say the fact that the guy doesn't want to try allergy meds means it is an excuse to get rid of the dog. I know a couple dogs from my group that are amazing and have been returned for allergies, and all found great homes. Allergies are allergies. Not everyone wants to suffer through or take meds for 10+ years. No reason to judge.

I'm sure once this guy is returned he will make his way into his real home shortly.

Good luck.

 

"Any thoughts" you ask.

 

Yup. He wants to return the dog and this is going to be his excuse. Particularly since he "won't take allergy medication."

 

Go to any shelter in any city. Those that have kennel cards with "reason for surrender" will say, more often than not, "allergies."

 

Sorry to be a cynic, but that's what comes to mind with me.

 

Weird. Our humane society provides a sheet filled out by the previous owners including 'reasons for surrender'. A large amount of the dogs in the society are either german shephard x's or pit bull x's, and almost all indicate the dog having too much energy for the owners to handle, not allergies.

Edited by brianamac

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Bri and Mike with Boo Radley (Williejohnwalker), Bubba (Carlos Danger), and the feline friends foes, Loois and Amir

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