We got a dog last night - lots of questions Dd sneezing nonstop--update with pics

[gatorsmom]

Got dog shampoo and give him a bath , dd also took a head to toe bath. I'm hoping tomorrow will be better for her ..fingers crossed

I’m not allergic to dogs but my asthma and sinuses flared up BAD when our now-deceased dog would be outside. I remember giving him regular baths to keep the pollen and allergens under control. Keeping their coat cut short helped with this tremendously. So there’s hope for your dd!

[twowhat?]

Every time we've adopted a new dog, my allergies (and asthma) have flared up. For me it was definitely whatever environmental allergens were in the fur. Also for me, it took A FEW (not just one) good baths to get it all out, especially the dogs with an undercoat. Get a good gentle dog shampoo (you should be able to find one at any pet store - even Burt's Bees makes one that I see in pet stores!) and try a few baths. Also remember you will need to wash the dog's bedding with every bath, and thoroughly vacuum all doggie resting spaces.

GOOD LUCK, I hope that's all it is! Our dogs have always gotten somewhat frequent baths (once a month) because of outdoor allergens.

[jawilli4]

I'm not sure if it helps, but I'm very allergic to cats. If I am in a house that has a cat, I'll start sneezing like crazy, especially if it hasn't been vacuumed in a while. The reason why I'm posting is because I'm also very allergic to being licked and if I'm scratched, then I break out in bad hives. Has DD been licked yet and did she have an allergic skin reaction? It might be a clue if it is a systemic issue vs one that can be washed away.

Good luck. I don't envy your situation but really hope it has a great outcome. Oh, and my in-laws changed their furnace filters to a fresh allergen filtering one when they had cats and when I came for an overnight visit. It helped a lot.

[SnuggleBuggles]

Plenty of people keep pets even if allergic so it’s not automatic that you would need to rehome. My mom actually got weekly allergy shots due to our cat back in the day. Solutions could have improved too!


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[gymnbomb]

Plenty of people keep pets even if allergic so it’s not automatic that you would need to rehome. My mom actually got weekly allergy shots due to our cat back in the day. Solutions could have improved too!


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I think this is a very reasonable thing for an adult to weigh the pro's and con's of and decide what they are willing to put up with and what their priorities are. But I don't think it's a reasonable thing to ask a child to do, and depending on the child's age (I don't remember that from the OP) it may or may not be reasonable to allow the child to say they want to. I say this as someone who is allergic to many animals, ranging from mild annoyance to once felt my throat closing up depending on the specific situation and type of animal. I take allergy medication ahead of time if I know I'm going somewhere with pets, and it does help a lot, but it also makes me feel like I am living in a mental fog. My memories of visiting my Dad who had a cat when I was a child are pretty much memories of taking various types of medicine, hoping it didn't make me fall asleep, and blowing my nose constantly.

Edit: So sure, try giving it a couple of baths and cleaning everything really well, but if that doesn't make a huge difference the child's comfort really has to be the priority.

[SnuggleBuggles]

I think this is a very reasonable thing for an adult to weigh the pro's and con's of and decide what they are willing to put up with and what their priorities are. But I don't think it's a reasonable thing to ask a child to do, and depending on the child's age (I don't remember that from the OP) it may or may not be reasonable to allow the child to say they want to. I say this as someone who is allergic to many animals, ranging from mild annoyance to once felt my throat closing up depending on the specific situation and type of animal. I take allergy medication ahead of time if I know I'm going somewhere with pets, and it does help a lot, but it also makes me feel like I am living in a mental fog. My memories of visiting my Dad who had a cat when I was a child are pretty much memories of taking various types of medicine, hoping it didn't make me fall asleep, and blowing my nose constantly.

Edit: So sure, try giving it a couple of baths and cleaning everything really well, but if that doesn't make a huge difference the child's comfort really has to be the priority.

Very good points. All the people I know don’t have very severe symptoms so they weighed the pros and cons accordingly.


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[doberbrat]

Plenty of people keep pets even if allergic so it’s not automatic that you would need to rehome. My mom actually got weekly allergy shots due to our cat back in the day. Solutions could have improved too!

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I agree except this is a newly acquired dog - Its usually much less traumatic to do it right at the beginning than years down the line. I got a kitten when I graduated from college - my mother told me I shouldnt have b/c everyone in the family is allergic. I insisted. At first baths were enough. Then allergy meds. I moved the cats into a separate bedroom. Then the occasional puffs of albuterol then steroid inhalers daily .... then I got pregnant in a high risk pregnancy and they had to go. It was horrible.

Personally, I'd try the baths and monitor but if a few weeks go by and its not any better, I'd return the dog.

[diamond]

update in first post

[o_mom]

1) he has been sleeping a lot during the day..and it makes me wonder if he sleeps during the night..do older dogs sleep a lot during days? We slowly got brave and he is noe sleeping in his own bed in the living room now, not in a kennel.. He goes out and plays with kids for 1-2 hours in the evening and that is his most active time and he is not sprinting or anything like that..mostly sitting out, being petted and held by neighborhood kids..

2) where do you store dog food? We have a 5lbs bag and right now we just use an ikea chip clip to close it, but Im thinking of getting a bigger bag of food and wondering how to store it? Also looking at this blue buffalo food from costco--any idea if this is good?

https://www.costco.com/blue-buffalo-...100513275.html

3) do you put anything under the dog bowl to keep it clean and free of crumbs, spills? Any favorite dog bowl? we got a simple functional old sterilite plastic divided bowl which works great but was looking for other options..

4) how do you take dog on car rides....we went for about an hour car ride and put him in his crate we have for the trip at the back...he could not see us and whined a bit at the start and when we slowed...he was ok on the actual drive....I was worried if the turns etc.. would hurt him in his kennel? as its made of metal..I dont want him to move around in the car, want him to be contained...
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1) Our 8 yo lab probably sleeps 20 hours a day. She is up for breakfast, but as soon as the kids go to school she naps on and off all day. A couple more hours of activity in the afternoon. She will get up and do stuff during the day if we are doing it (go outside, walks, etc.), but unless we are actively doing something, she sleeps.

2) We have a storage container from Target: https://www.target.com/p/dog-food-st...2/-/A-77471005 but it may not hold a whole Costco bag.

3) We have a boot tray under the dish to just keep it contained. We have a basic stainless steel bowl for food.

4) The kennel is probably fine, but you can get a harness that clips into a seatbelt if you want him up front.

[twowhat?]

Awwwww, he's so adorable! Glad allergies seem to be calming down. Keep doing regular baths, even a few more frequent ones at first, and you may find it improves even more (and also, if it's environmental allergens, his fur/feet will pick those up anytime he goes outside). We've always given our dogs fairly frequent baths (once monthly) for this reason, and we add salmon oil to food to help with the skin and coat. May also consider keeping a shorter haircut on him just to make bathing easier.

Sleeping - sounds fairly normal for an older dog, I think I read somewhere dogs can sleep 15-16 hours/day. Food...I just use a chip clip like you do. Some brands have started using that super useful velcro closure! If you get a big bag, you could consider moving a smaller amount to a container (think large plastic cereal container), that way the larger bag doesn't get opened as frequently and you can keep the top rolled tightly and clipped. We store in the pantry. Any cool, dry location is fine. Mat under food/water bowl is helpful to catch messes. We have a cheapo plastic one but I've always had my eye on the LLbean waterhog mats. Bowls...get whatever cute ones make you happy I tend to like heavier ceramic bowls - they stay put better than lighter plastic or stainless steel ones. Car rides - we use Ruff Rider harnesses.