My 6 year old has had a bad run with allergies the last couple of months and was on prednisone for way too long. We suspected some sort of allergic reaction/autoimmune issue and had her evaluated by the allergist/immunologist.... well, today was the allergy panel and she is allergic to dogs and cats.

We have had two dogs since she was born. One passed recently and the other is 13 years old. Things definitely got worse when we added our lab who is now 7 months old, mainly because they are a lot more engaged with one another. She's constantly playing in the face of the lab which has obviously contributed to her reactions. By the way, her reactions are not respiratory in nature, just skin allergies. Mild rashes and a lot of itchy skin. No major hives...

We're left with 2-3 options:

1) limit her interaction with puppy and ensure she washes hands immediately after touching the dog in addition to continuing Zyrtec
- we're doing this for a week and then reporting back if things have gone down

2) proceed with allergy shots... doesn't sound fun and apparently occurs weekly until you build up to about once a month. Does anyone have any experience with this?

3) not gonna happen, because I am not giving up the dogs... one is about to die and the other is my future hunting buddy. If the threat becomes a serious health risk for my daughter, obviously I would give her away, but it's not, for now.

Any advice is greatly appreciated. I know a couple of Drs and probably a few DVMs on here might be able to offer some advice.

Typed on mobile so please excuse typos...

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3) not gonna happen, because I am not giving up the dogs... one is about to die and the other is my future hunting buddy. If the threat becomes a serious health risk for my daughter, obviously I would give her away, but it's not, for now.

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JMHO, if the Zyrtec doesn't greatly reduce the symptoms then rehome the dog. If you don't experience allergies you probably don't appreciate how miserable it makes you. Shots every week to keep a dog? I don't think so.

Weekly shots are not too bad.

1. Rehome the lab.
2. Get a hypoallergenic hunting dog.
3. Be a good dad.
4. Profit.

Our daughter (13) has pretty severe environmental allergies (trees, weeds, cats, etc.). Thankfully, she isn't allergic to our dogs, but they do carry in all kinds of pollen, etc. But, the trees would get her in the spring and the weeds get her in the winter making for misery 9 months out of the year here in Florida. We saw multiple allergists and had her on every allergy medication available and got no relief.

So, we started allergy shots last November. Two shots a week for 5 months (they can't mix certain allergy serums, so she gets 2 not one each visit). She just got to the full build up level about a month ago and is now once every other week. The shots haven't been a big deal, but you do have to sit there 30 min post-shot; they can make her itchy with a localized rash -- although it's getting better as we go. Shots are a multi-year commitment, and you likely won't see much improvement until she's at the maintenance dosage. Currently our girl is able to significantly reduce the Zyrtec and is off all other scripts -- progress.

The real test will come in the fall with the weed pollen, but so far so good. It hasn't been fun, but it hasn't been too bad. We made the right choice, I think.

Get rid of the dog. Putting your child on drugs bc of your dog is reckless.

If my parents put me through all that medical hell for a got dam dog then I would eventually think they are idiots.

Matsui said:

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Get rid of the dog. Putting your child on drugs bc of your dog is reckless.

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Allergy shots are not completely benign and without side effects and complications.

If the allergy panel showed that the significant irritant is dog/cat as opposed to pollen, then my advice would mirror TXAGFAN's and rehome the lab and perhaps even the other dog as well. My experience is anecdotal, but having a family member with a pet allergy, I have witnessed it growing worse as he ages. What started out as mild progressed to something much more serious. So we have no animals in the house. With a child, you are discussing someone who is still growing and trying to learn and focus while living with a condition that brings a consistent distraction and irritant that must be monitored and medicated. If one cannot remove the irritant easily like the case is with pollen which is everpresent, then sometimes you have to do whatever it takes for them to cope successfully. The family member in our house takes Zyrtec, but has mentioned that as the body gets used to it, sometimes the allergies overcome the immune suppressant and then you are stuck.

In a little over a decade, you will be watching your precious (those pics are adorable) fishing partner graduate high school and leave home. Bring home a lab then if you like, but until then perhaps consider as fightingfarmer09 suggested and either find a less allergenic dog for hunting or rehome the lab and keep the other dog as it doesn't seem to create the same immune response as the lab.

Parenting is so hard and nobody gives out gold stars for the tough decisions, so best of luck to you and your family as you figure out what is best for your daughter and your family.

I did not get (or need) allergy shots until I was an adult, but they work far better than the pills I was taking.

Some doctors have an accelerated program where the doses are higher and are not needed as long.

The injections started working quickly for me. It did not take even months before I felt better.

Having allergies is more tiring than you might think. They also led to me getting sick more often from drainage.

Did the test reveal any other allergies?

Only two allergies revealed were cats and dogs. Cats measured at about twice the size of dogs. We don't have cats.

Matsui said:

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Get rid of the dog. Putting your child on drugs bc of your dog is reckless.

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its allergy medicine that she will likely have to take for residual contact anyways. The way it was described to me is that the shots would start of progressive in dose and then taper off after a few months and monitor the results... it is not something that she would have to do for the rest of her life.

Thank you for sharing. That helps me understand it a lot more.

TXAGFAN said:

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3) not gonna happen, because I am not giving up the dogs... one is about to die and the other is my future hunting buddy. If the threat becomes a serious health risk for my daughter, obviously I would give her away, but it's not, for now.

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JMHO, if the Zyrtec doesn't greatly reduce the symptoms then rehome the dog. If you don't experience allergies you probably don't appreciate how miserable it makes you. Shots every week to keep a dog? I don't think so.

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Zyrtec greatly reduces the symptoms. That's why step one is to continue Zyrtec and then control interaction with the lab and other areas where the dogs frequently lay/wallow. After a week of that we are reporting back to the Dr to make a decision.

We are also keeping the lab outside about 50% of the time. More when it's not this hot...

EMY92 said:

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Weekly shots are not too bad.

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thank you! Our Dr was really on the fence if she would actually need them. That's why we're trying to limit interaction for the first week. We have had dogs her entire life but only after having a puppy and the more increased interaction and face to face licks has it manifested.

Matsui said:

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Get rid of the dog. Putting your child on drugs bc of your dog is reckless.

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Geez...this. How is it even a question?

My son started having major asthma attacks (ended up in the hospital almost every time) when he turned 7, had him allergy tested and he had crazy strong reactions to most everything. We decided to treat with allergy drops instead of shots (not covered by insurance) and have had really good results. But I also agree with getting rid of what is causing the issue.

As someone who has bad allergies...put the dog outside. Dogs have lived hot climates for a long time. Put a kiddie pool out there in the shade and change it regularly, or hell put in a grand to build an air conditioned dog house, wouldn't be that hard.

If that is not on the table for you (and you're the best one to determine how impactful this has been on your daughter, but it sounds like it's significantly worse than a mild inconvenience....), then try nettle leaf pills.

https://www.amazon.com/Natures-Way-Nettle-Leaf-Capsules/dp/B001E0YHDQ/ref=sr_1_11?crid=2GI6DLWNYFFLP&keywords=nettle+leaf&qid=1562164703&s=gateway&sprefix=nettle+le%2Caps%2C153&sr=8-11

Things have changed my life. Work better than the OTC allergy meds and keep me from getting desensitized to the stuff you get from behind the pharmacy. See if those help. If not, you should rehome the dog. I had skin issues as a kid and its brutal


Edit: I don't think that a "hypoallergenic" dog will help if the issue is skin on skin contact. My understanding was that the reduced shedding helped respiratory issues, but I could be wrong

El Chupacabra said:

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Matsui said:

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Get rid of the dog. Putting your child on drugs bc of your dog is reckless.

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Geez...this. How is it even a question?

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Because for 6 years of her life with two other dogs this has not been an issue. Only recently when one dog passed and a new puppy came into our home did it become a problem. Which leads me and the doctor to believe that because she is a puppy and is in much more direct contact, the skin irritation has manifested only now.

If we can manage the interaction and the irritation disappears or significantly drops, we have a lot more options.

I'm not going to put my children in any unnecessary harm but I am also not about to kick out a 13 year blind/deaf dog in her deathbed or a hunting puppy, until I know that is the right the thing to do.

I had (still have) horrible allergies growing up as a kid. I'm allergic (skin and respiratory) to pretty much everything nature can concoct pollen, dust, grasses, trees, dogs, cats, horses, even fricken guinea pigs (yea they test for that too). So my parents got me on the shots.

Allergy shots are awesome; pretty much the only reason I can breath and function during spring. I've been getting them as long as I can remember. When I stop them I can function normally for about a year maybe two, then one heavy spring I'm back to needing them.

If she's only allergic to a few things, and you can medicate with Zyrtec, Allegra, etc and that works, then keep doing that.

Something to teach your kid, if they're going to interact with something they're allergic to (puppies and kitties):

• never touch your eyes/ face afterwards
• try to brush/ lint-roller the pet hair off of your clothes
• always wash your hands when you're done playing with the animal

My 7 yearold has pretty much the same allergies as I do and we've been working on teaching him the above since he was 5. Currently, we're about to start getting shots for him also.

Shots are scary for little kids, but she will appreciate/ cope with them over time if you do go that route. They're nothing to be scared of, they will hurt for a little while right after the injection but it can help her feel better in the long run in every day life. In some cases a retinue of shots after a few year can actually have a long term impact of lessening the reaction, not curing per se, but being drastically better off, even off of the shots. I wasn't so lucky going on close to 30 years of them, but there are some that are.

Thank you so much for the feedback! Exactly what I was wondering about the shots and what to expect should we have to go down that path. Excellent points about teaching her how to interact with dogs too. Everyone in our family, grandparents, aunts, uncles, etc. has dogs, so that will be helpful advice. Although, she has never had problems with any of them before.

Allergies are weird and I am trying to understand them and how to manage them correctly for my daughter. Only in the past two years have I had issues with pollen/allergies and it is no fun... but Zyrtec clears me out and I am fine shortly thereafter. I appreciate all of the feedback!

One of my kids is allergic to almost everything environmental and animal-wise. We had always had pets as well, and she was old enough when tested to weigh in on what treatment path to take. She choose rush therapy (which is one day of a bunch of shots in a controlled setting to build the dose quickly) and then a schedule that tapers from two per weekly to monthly shots over a few months. She did shots for about 2.5 years and hasn't needed them since, relying on occasional antihistamines and Flonase or Rhinocourt.

We saw appreciable improvement by eliminating carpet, fluffy throw pillows, and stuffed animals from her bedroom, dusting frequently, and washing linens more often.

We're not seriously talking about giving a seven year old kid weekly shots for seemingly forever, not so that they can live, but so the Dad can have a dog.

Sorry man. Decision is easy. Get rid of the dog. It sucks but that's just what needs to happen. My .02.

Ol_Ag_02 said:

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We're not seriously talking about giving a seven year old kid weekly shots for seemingly forever, not so that they can live, but so the Dad can have a dog.

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Thats exactly right! I told the Dr, FU I'm keeping my damn dogs... read the entire post jackass. Shots might not even be necessary and she has been around dogs her entire life, including 2 since she was born, and will continue to be as long as my immediate family all have dogs.

Additionally, since you apparently skipped over this part, shots might not even be required and at the recommendation of the Dr. we're going to evaluate things after a week to see if progress is made before making any decisions. I made this post to reach out to others that have experience in the area and help understand what my best path forward is, should allergy shots be an option our doctor recommends and what type of results we should expect.

God bless...

Yeah. I read your posts. You're rationalizing shots for your kid so you can have a dog. Being a parent isn't always fun or easy. I get that this sucks, but you're not thinking clearly because it's your dog. If my kid is allergic to the damn dog (even to the point of only needing Zyrtec) I'm getting rid of the stupid dog. It's not even a question.

Get rid of the dog. This shouldn't be a conversation.

Allergies can and will likely lead to Asthma and other issues especially when the allergen is at their home. There is no such thing as a hypoallergenic dog. Why make your child's home a place they can't enjoy or be comfortable?

Get rid of the new puppy since that's when you started noticing the allergy problems. Putting a young child through shots or needing medicine daily is selfish on your part. Those dog allergies will also lead to more frequent sinus infections and other respiratory infections. And possibly allergic asthma. Labs shed and their hair and dander gets everywhere- on couches, beds, pillows, car seats, clothing, etc. I have a daughter allergic to cats. Guess what? We got rid of our cats....

She doesn't have any signs of respiratory problems and the dr wasn't concerned with it as of right now. It's mainly itching and skin irritations. We have gone from her rolling around and playing with the dog to no direct contact. We'll see what happens after a week.

This is a conversation... I'm trying to understand all of the options, hence the start of the thread. Hopefully quarantining the dog will yield the results the allergist/immunologist will be okay with not having to proceed forward with shots.

ttha_aggie_09 said:

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Matsui said:

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Get rid of the dog. Putting your child on drugs bc of your dog is reckless.

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its allergy medicine that she will likely have to take for residual contact anyways. The way it was described to me is that the shots would start of progressive in dose and then taper off after a few months and monitor the results... it is not something that she would have to do for the rest of her life.

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To me it is a no brainer but can you at least send your daughter to your parents or inlaws for a few days to see if her symptoms lessen? You asked for advice, so here it is: you need to do everything in your power to protect your child. Rationalizing ways to keep a dog that causes an allergic reaction that wasn't there when the dog wasn't there isn't protecting her.

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read the entire post jackass.

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I'm sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but asking for advice and then calling those that give what you don't like a jackass makes you a small person. Most people on this thread, I think, wouldn't even have asked a question and gotten rid of the dog immediately regardless of the experience of others. I know you THINK some of us who are telling you things you don't want to hear don't fully understand, but if that were true and your daughter doesn't need medication and may not be all that affected, then why bring it up in the first place?

Do whatever you want. I'm out.

I am going to do everything in my power to protect both of my children. That's my main job as dad...

However, the symptoms (mild skin irritations) and the prolonged exposure to dogs (6 years plus for my oldest with zero side effects) have both the Dr and myself hesitant that it's a serious reaction. It's more than likely a reaction to a puppy and not dogs in general.

Look, I know a lot of people want to jump to conclusions here and assume I am just endangering my oldest but I have consulted with our doctors and neither believes that to be the case, given their life-long exposure to dogs.

The entire family (wife/kids) would be temporarily worse if I had to get rid of our dogs and they have made that perfectly clear... now, that can be negated by a continuous reaction (especially severe skin) but it's not just me.... I am not trying to keep daddy's dog or my hunting partner... she is a family pet already along with our other 13 year old dog that she has been around since birth.

Why did you even ask?