Hi

I am a big-time animal lover and can not stand the thought of not being around them ever again and yet allergies tend to get worse over time and I can't even go out to visit with my ducks anymore with my nose running, clogging up, eyes watering, foggy-headed feeling and just feeling plain miserable for the rest of the day. It's like this with ALL of my animals... beautiful, friendly, magnificent animals that show you thier love unconditionally and make you feel EXCELLENT when your around them. I've tried a few different medcations, giving my animals baths all the time, etc and yet nothing seems to be working for me.

Does it really have to be this way?

There are shots you can take.

If the allergies are that severe and taking meds and bathing them isn't working then shots is probably the only answer. I know how you feel, I just found out I'm allergic to my 2 cats and I also have dog and horse allergies as well :( Finding out that I'm allergic to my angels was probably one of the worst days of my life. I'm terrified of needles (don't laugh!), but I'll literally do anything to get over this cat allergy. I'm only 25, so the thought of never having a cat or dog in my life after these 2 pass on is just unthinkable. Hope things work out for you.
Katt

Hey, thank you so much!:)

Well, I have'nt exactly tried *every* allergy medication on the market and most of the ones I have tried I hav'nt really been on long enough (ie; 2-3 weeks) for them to make much of a difference with the exception of Claritin. Are there any over-the-counter or prescription medications you all could recommend for pet-type allergies?. I know I may have to get the shots someday but I hate the idea of being bounced from one "specialist" to the other while everyone makes thier money off of me - only to end up with a simple shot 2-3 months later after they finally come up with a "diagnosis".

I'll try anything at this point

I know Claritin did NOTHING for me at all. It was worthless, but you know everyone is different. I've on Singlauir right now, for asthma and allergies, as well as Zyrtec and that is helping me a lot. I *almost* feel ok again! However, I 'm allergic to 22 different things (animals, dust, trees, etc) so I need shots regardless. Once spring comes I'm going to be miserable.

You could try Zyrtec since it's approved for pet allergies. It seems to work for me. I don't have the horrible headaches and post nasal drip on it. Most people it puts them to sleep, but it has just the opposite effect on me, it makes me hyper. I would try that though, I know a lot of people that it's helped.

Have you tried the nasal sprays yet either? I've tried like 3-4 of them and didn't get much relief, but it's worth a shot. There are threads on here about Sinus irrigation that could help too.