:dizzy: I am looking for info from other people with dog allergies. My daughter has been diagnosed with a severe allergy to dogs. It puts quite a strain on her social activities as most families have dogs. It means she misses out frequently on birthday parties and such. Has anyone had experience with out-growing an allergy? I know they come on at various ages so I wonder if the reverse is true? We have found that she does not react to her Aunt's Miniature Schnauzer in controlled amounts of time and careful hand washing. Previously she reacted dramatically to contact with a Golden Retriever. She required 4 days of steroids, antihistamines and Nebulizer treatments every 4 hours to get her breathing back to normal. Any thoughts?

Why not have her take an antihistamine BEFORE she comes in contact with the dogs? If you know certain people have them before you go over to their house, it would be easy to do.

And yes, one can outgrow an allergy or it can lessen. Ragweed has always been my number one allergy. Dogs and cats have alternately been number two...with the other dropping way down. Last time I was tested, cats were #2 and dogs were way down at the bottom of the list. The time before, dogs were #2 and cats barely made the list.

Sadly I don't have any idea. My bf 's mom owned a dog grooming business and he was deathly sick his entire childhood. They had 3 dogs in the house and always had numerous cats. She'd find them fix them up and find a home for them. She didn't care that he was sick. He would always have asthma attacks. After he moved out of his momma's house he didn't have attacks and was much better.

Now we live together and have 4 cats 2 outside and 2 in. I have to wash the cats, keep their hair brushed so there is less dander and hair that will fall around the house I must religiously wipe down the walls, doors and baseboards once a month, polish the furniture twice a week, keep the AC filter changed monthly if not sooner, Keep floor wet mopped, change the bed sheets every 3rd day, vacuum daily, wipe down all kitchen cabinets once a month, clean the litter box twice a day, and we have a floor model Ionic breeze on his side of the bed and one by his computer desk on top of the regular cleaning.

He can't visit his parents house cause they now have 5 dogs and 4 cats. After about 20 minutes he starts to sneeze uncontrollably, eyes water has a hard time breathing. He has never out grown being allergic to dogs or cats. He is much more sensitive to dogs.

There is a myth that is still going around to this day that chihuahua's would take away asthma from people but that's just not true.

Chihuahua's are suppose to bet better for people who suffer from allergies and asthma. Not because of the type of dog but because it has less hair which causes less dander. Hence this is probably why she is better with your aunts Miniature Schnauzer. Washing her hands is good but the dander is still all over the places the dog as been.
People are not allergic to dogs or cats they are allergic to the dander that's in their skin. The bigger the animal the more dander and stronger the reaction to them. Contrary to popular belief, there are no "non-allergenic" breeds of dogs or cats; even hairless breeds may be highly allergenic.

Glands in the animal's skin secrete tiny allergy-triggering proteins, called allergens, that linger in the animal's fur but also float easily in the air. Allergens are present in the animal's saliva and urine, too, and may become airborne when saliva dries on the fur. The severity of reaction to these allergens varies from one person to the next, ranging from mild sniffling and sneezing to life-threatening asthma, and can be complicated by simultaneous allergies to other irritants in the environment. Life in my house with the start of Spring is a nightmare. My bf is allergic to pollen too.


You can take her to get shot once a week for a few weeks to a few months. Depending on the severity of the allergy you might be able to start going once a month . They improve symptoms but cannot eliminate them entirely. They work by gradually desensitizing a person's immune system to the pet allergens. Allergy-causing proteins are injected under the skin, triggering the body to produce antibodies to block the pet allergen from causing a reaction.

Unless your daughter's friends parents start cleaning the house and animals more before she goes over I'm afraid they is little that will help her.