Allergies To Newly Adopted Greyhound

[Guest ms3569]

I recently adopted a greyhound and seem to be experiencing some allergies. has anyone ever used a product called Allerpet-D on there dog? Any other thoughts to cut down on dog dander or ideas that may have helped you with pet allergies? I'm taking Zyrtec with some relief but still a little itchy and stuffy.

[Guest normaandburrell]

What causes you to react to your dog is the dander. An allergist will tell you to bathe the dog weekly and not allow it to sleep in your bedroom. I will not ban the dog from my bedroom, or do weekly baths. What I do is bathe the dog's bedding weekly, and I try to brush the dog daily with a very soft brush or wipe him down with baby wipes. (Best to do this outside so you are not depositing the dander inside. It even helps remove dander to just stroke the dog with your bare hands.) I dry mop whenever I see dog hair on the floor, usually ever 2-3 days, and I make sure I store the mop in a room I do not spend a lot of time in. It is also best if you limit rugs, carpets, and other things that hold dust and dander. I give the dog fish oil twice a day and bathe him with a moisturizing shampoo when ever I see dander on him. I get prescription astelin from my doctor, as I didn't like the side effects with oral antihistamines. There is a steroid nasal spray you can get over the counter, but it didn't work that well for me.

[Time4ANap]

If the dog is recently off the track, his coat will change dramatically in the coming months. He is most likely shedding his track coat or farm coat at this point, which creates a lot of dander / fur. You may find that over time, this problem will mostly go away.

 

Daily brushing and use of a furminator every few days outside (weather permitting) will go a long way to help with the problem. I would not use anything on the dog that claims to reduce your allergies. An occasional bath is fine, but greys really don't need weekly bathing and you will dry out the skin and the coat doing so. Drying out the skin will cause more shedding and flaking, starting a vicious cycle.

 

Beyond that, daily vacuuming of the areas where the dog spends the most time should help.

[Guest Lenic]

Hi I am not sure if this helps at all but I used to be allergic to cats (bear with me). I went to an allergy specialist who found loads of allergies, some I knew about and some I didn't. They basically recommended lots of antihistamine - loads, more than is recommended on the boxes, a high dose one in the morning and low dose at night. They basically said that once you have histamine in your system it reacts to itself so you have to dose up until you get no symptoms and keep doing it (for a year or so). Antihistamines only last 8 hours (hence needing to take twice a day). In the UK you can get prescribed Fexofenadine which I found to be the best.

 

Anyway I took loads of this stuff for over a year, and part-way through that year I moved in with a friend who had a cat (pre grey days) and found I had no allergies to it - no surprise given the amount of stuff I was taking. I stopped taking the antihistamine last winter (still living with the cat) and had no symptoms, I am not cured - I still have allergies to some things but the reactions are milder now. I wasn't trying to cure my cat allergy that just kind of happened by accident.

 

The theory is that you teach your body what a normal level of histamine is. I did this with medical guidance so would recommend going to an allergy specialist - they can tell you how much antihistamine is safe and what to take. . . . Just a thought. I wouldn't recommend doing this without medical guidance. I have suffered with allergies for years and was really sceptical but it helped me to understand about histamine in your system and what to do about it.

[gryhndsr4us]

You can also use the Grooming wipes. They are less harsh than weekly baths but will reduce the dander.

[cleptogrey]

allerpet d worked for me. throw the dog's bedding in the dryer for 10 min.daily to help reduce the dander and hair. he's just getting used to life in a home, dander does kick up when they are nervous. remember to wash your hands, no dog in the bedroom. vacuum diligently, all of this should pass. your dog will be blowing it's track coat, be patient. a new coat and less dander will come in a couple of months. try Zaditor eye drops (for you you) and a wet wash cloth- rung out very well w/ the allerpet d on it- wipe the dog down thoroughly- remember the belly and chest as well. good luck with your new pup and adjusting to the change.

 

btw- i use an air purifier in my bedroom- it helps.

[a_daerr]

I had bad allergies with my first cat. Tried a bunch of things, including Allerpet, and found them to be ineffective and a waste of money. I ended up seeing an allergist and getting weekly allergy shots (which sounds extreme, but I had allergies to lots of things, which they included in my serum). IMHO, it really improved my quality of life. I don't take any antihistamines now, not even during hayfever season.

[GreytTerp]

I was initially mildly allergic to our hound (a few hives when he licked me or I'd get immediately congested after scratching him), and after several months, it stopped. I also had this same change in allergy tolerance with my friend's cat, and I am still horribly allergic to cats and most long-haired dogs. I still suffer with hayfever and other things I'm allergic to, but such low levels of dander and skin oil really seemed to be the difference with adapting to our dog. I still keep the benadryl and Zyrtec-D around, for when it gets bad unexpectedly, but after about 4-5 months, I stopped having any reactions of any kind to our hound. Allergy shots might also be worth looking into.

[rascalsmom]

I never had a problem with allergies when I was young, and I had a cat. When I got pregnant I developed allergies! I went for allergy shots for almost seven years--I wasn't about to get rid of my cats--and it helped a lot. I still take allergy pills every day, generic Zyrtec, and I have to be careful about touching my eyes after petting the cat, or my eyes get extremely itchy and swollen.

 

Allergies can most often be managed, at least in my experience. You just have to try different things (lots of good suggestions in this thread!) and see what works for you.

[silverfish]

I've reacted to dogs when they were first adopted, and then the allergies disappeared as soon as they were bathed, suggesting that I was not allergic to the dog himself (or herself) but to something which was in or on the dog's coat. Try bathing him! It may work well for you, and is worth a try.

 

My son and his partner have a cat - she loves cats and wasn't happy without one, so despite the fact that they both knew he was allergic to cats, they adopted one. He is fine so long as she is kept groomed and wiped with the anti-allergy pet wipes, and the house is vacuumed regulary. I am also allergic to cats and have been in their house for several hours without reacting, so I'm cautiously impressed with that product.

[Willowsmum]

I second silverfish--I was "allergic" to my current dog at first, but it was actually the cats in their house whose dander was everywhere.

I had asked them to bathe the dog before we brought it into our house, but they just sprayed it with dog deodorant which did nothing to remove cat dander.

 

Another thought--do you let the dog off leash in the yard? There might be pollen or whatnot on him from outside.

We use lavender pet wipes every time our dog comes indoors. It helps a lot and he smells awesome.

We use Herban Essentials wipes. (btw the dog wipes, people wipes and yoga mat wipes all have the same ingredients.)

http://www.amazon.com/Herban-Essentials-Towelettes-20-Count/dp/B00BFGJMCA/ref=pd_sim_hpc_5?ie=UTF8&refRID=106Q4XBHPP61AC3QCK47

 

Try a bath. If you can' do that, brush him well with one of those mitts, and wipe with damp cloths. Letting him sleep on duvets folded in quarters, and laundering them frequently helps, as will a HEPA filter in the bedroom. Good luck!

[duncan41]

58 years of allergies to everything except food (no joke) has taught me that over time, reactions change and the source of the reactions change. If you move (new abode, new neighborhood, new city, or new state), you will most likely awaken allergic responses that you never knew were a problem or have been dormant. When you introduce a new animal into the house, same deal. New furniture, carpeting, new car, perfume/cologne, make up, lotions, soap, detergents, shampoo, hairspray, cleaning products, dust, dust, dust, dust, dust, pollen, pollen, pollen, pollen, you get my point.

 

Your treatment of choice may change, too. It will take some detective work on your part as well as trial and error, but you will figure out what works best for you.

[krissn333]

Dogs fresh off the farm or track often make me break out in hives. A good bath initially followed by regular brushing with a Furminator helps. I'd also start the pup on coconut oil once a day to begin (about a teaspoon, later go to twice a day), and put myself on whatever allergy med helps (for me it's Zyrtec daily and Benedryl as needed).

 

I have no issues with my own dogs but when I help haul dogs from the track or farm, I get itchy.

[GeorgeofNE]

See an allergist, and if you're truly allergic to dogs, you can get a monthly shot.

 

A good friend of mine was allergic to her GSD, but she refused to give her up OR take drugs daily, so that's the route she went.