Hi

Has anyone developed an allergy to their pet after many years of having their pet?

When i was little we had a cat and i was fine but I then developed an allergy to cats - I can't actually remember if i got the allergy after the cat expired or towards the end of the cats life. I am also allergic to horses even though i used to be around horses lots as a kid. Dogs however have never bothered me but for the past week I have been getting all the typical symptoms of a pet allergy

I am thinking it may have happened because for the past 5 months I have not spent as much time with my dog, haven't been petting her on my knee etc... due to having a new baby and not as much time - I am wondering if not being in enough close contact with her for an extended period could bring on the allergy

My main worry is wtf do I do now? Looks like i am going to have to live with itchy swollen eyes

Vacuum the dog? My grandmother used to do this with her mutt not for allergies but because she was moulting everywhere.

It would also remove dust and dead skin which is (?) responsible for allergies.

Her dog loved it and even nudged the hoover attachment in the directions she wanted to be vacuumed

One can develop any allergy at any time of your life.

Exposure might or might not have an effect in your later stage.

I also support cleaning the dog regularly.

Can it be that your dog's little mites or insects are causing the allergy?

I know from your previous posts that you have a little one. Pregnancy or breastfeeding have an impact on your immune system. Maybe your
allergy will pass over a certain time.

I was never allergic to cats - my grandmother had 2 and I grew up with them, but having not had contact with them for the longest time, I have over the years developed the worst allergy ever - itchy swollen eyes/throat and manic sneezing. Not pretty.

Maybe try giving Gemma a bath, give her a good scrub to remove the dead skin, sprinkle some talcum powder on her and see how it goes.

Is she shedding? (Not all dogs shed is why I'm asking an "obvious" question.)

It could be the changes you've been through making you more sensitive to her, particularly if she is shedding.

I'd try brushing her outside, followed by the bath to see if that helps also. (And maybe follow up with a good brush outside daily / every other to help minimize the fur and dander left inside.)

Peg she sheds all the time but maybe a bit more so now with summer on the way. She is due a good groom and she has been neglected on the grooming front due to the new arrival, maybe we need to give her a good scrub and i need to give her more attention to get me more tolerant again

Thanks for the advice everyone

Seasonal hayfever perhaps ? It's all starting up now.

I have the same problem. I always knew that I was allergic,but thought that I could handle the itchyness in the inner corner of my eye. Now it has extended to sinuses and I have started scratching the inner corners-which hurts. I have sinus infections for the past 6 months. Even though the cat is not allowed into bedrooms and I wash my hands after each time I touch her. She sits beside me almost all day and is super super fluffy, you can see her fibers in the air. My doctor advises to get a humidifier-see if that helps. If not I have to see an ENT specialist.

I do have allergies to my cat. But it gets significantly better everytime I shave her. The shaving process (of the cat) is a terrible time to pass through but once I am done and washed, the allergies goes down considerably for a very long period of time.

That's true, but holding her down to shave her is difficult. I did it once she looked awful but was a lot happier in 90F heat

UTH I have never suffered with hayfever but today I wsa sniffly and sneezing as if I had it but know its a pet allergy reaction, just hope its due to hormones for my currnt situation

@ Nil - you shave your CAT!!??

I never have for the last 10 years, since being in Zurich, and especially the last few days. Sinuses feel like blown up water bottles. This evening, at Bellevue, with the trees and pollen all coming out early, I feel it is going to be a long season of hayfever.

It's grim out there at the moment.

http://www.meteosuisse.admin.ch/web/...th/pollen.html

I would tend and hope to think that after all these years you are used to pet allergens.

I've never suffered from hay fever, but I have sore dry eyes and have been sneezing last few days. Lots and lots of pollen out there at the mo.

Yes I do!

And she loves it. Ok, not much of the process, she tolerates it. But the after process, it drives her crazy! She loves to be short hair and feel the patting. She also have bad hair problems on her back and it gets rid of it.

Yes- and read somewhere that children who grow up with pets, usually develop an allergy, kinda builds up in your system over the years. ( obviously this doesn`t apply to everyone, but I think, if there is already Hayfever/asthma/allergic reactions in the family, this increases the risk)

Had a dog and cats as a child, and allergy to both popped up at the age of 14 ( very severe Asthma attack-was resusiated) ( two brothers absolutely fine)

I find antihistimines help, but not on a long term basis.

I second the suggestion that maybe it is hayfever rather than your dog. I have never suffered from hay fever before and don't have any other allergies but the last couple of days I've had a tight throat, sneezing, itchy eyes when outside and my husband has had a runny nose and sneezing. I think the pollen is really high at the moment.

If it is the dog, I have heard that wiping down the dog with a wet cloth every day can help.

See a specialist to confirm it's really the pet and not pollen.
If it's the pet, there's only two options:
- hyposensitization
- say goodbye to the pet

Wife of my brother had to do that. Had to give the cat to the sister.

did you take medications or got vaccinated lately, 'coz it can have this kind of side effect.....

and my brother will agree, he's been a victim of that and has become allergic to everything cats and dogs.....

As others have suggested, it may be something other than the dog. I would see an allergist to find out the cause. As for vacuuming the dog, I had a housekeeper once who tried that on one of our dogs and now she is terrified of the vacuum. I mean she won't even walk by it when it is not on. But then one of the others loves it.
I recommend that you take your dog to one of the dog shower places (saves the mess at home) and give her a good bath. We just did that as I like to before I put the anti tick collars on them.

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I left the bitch years ago and the rash pretty much went away by itself....