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A Dog For The Allergic?


scampy
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Hi there,

My wife and I are seeking a pup to buy. We both LOVE dogs and can't imagine living without them. We have both had dogs throughout our lives but this will be our first dog together.

My wife has allergies though and so would like to get the least allergenic dog available. She is home most of the time and we intend for the pup to be an inside companion dog. We have no children and our other pets are three Australian native turtles and fish. Hoping we may be able to get some ideas on a breed of dog which would not impact on my wife’s allergies. It’s pretty tough and we do realise that our options are limited.

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The first thing to remember is even the breeds suggested as maybe suitable people can still react to.

Breeds that may be suitable are

Schnauzers

Bedlingtons

Soft Coated Wheaten Terriers

Kerry Blue Terriers

Lowchen

Portuguese Water Dog

Bichon Frise

Lagotto

Poodles

There are a few more that i am sure people will add.

All the breeds considered suitable need regular brushing & clipping

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Hi there,

My wife and I are seeking a pup to buy. We both LOVE dogs and can't imagine living without them. We have both had dogs throughout our lives but this will be our first dog together.

My wife has allergies though and so would like to get the least allergenic dog available. She is home most of the time and we intend for the pup to be an inside companion dog. We have no children and our other pets are three Australian native turtles and fish. Hoping we may be able to get some ideas on a breed of dog which would not impact on my wife’s allergies. It’s pretty tough and we do realise that our options are limited.

A point most miss ( or wont admit) is that there is NO true allergy free type, its the person who needs to be tested for what they are allergic to and go from there, ALL living things produce dander whatever breed even hairless dogs and this is what a large majority of people are actually allergic too, it can also be hair, urine, blood and other variables.

I advise people to do a T shirt test, send a T shirt to a breeder of your choice with the dog you are intending getting, get them to keep the shirt with the dog and after a few days when you get it back see if you react, if no reaction have a test with the actual dog, this and KNOWING what the problem actually is saves a lot of heartache and widens the breeds one can look at!

People assume as I have hairless dogs they are great for allergy sufferers and this is simply not true in many cases, through the many times we have had tests done and people with the dogs.

So in a nutshell my advice would be to work out the allegry and go from there.

Good luck.

I have info on allergies at my web site

www.xoloaus.com

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What Wazzat said.

I think these breeds can be good for allergy sufferers - so might be a place to start...

bedlington terrier, portuguese water dog, poodle.

The man who bred the first labradoodles in search of a guide dog that didn't set off allergies, said that it took about 8 litters to get one puppy that was suitable.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2010/nov...ors-idea-regret

Note - he used hair and saliva samples to test for allergy.

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Ah my sympathies - I am a serious dog lover and allergy-sufferer. Yes it does narrow your choices quite a bit. The last thing you want is to get a pup and then find she can't go near it or have it inside. :confused:

I have a poodle and a bichon and both these breeds are fine for me and also for many, many other allergy-sufferers. I have also spent time around schnauzers with no reaction, a Kerry Blue, a lagotto and a bunch of others. These types of curly, non-shedding coats are fine for me.

Yes I agree you and your wife should spend time with the breeds you are interested in (not on bath day - on a normal dirty dog day) and see if she has a reaction. There are no guarantees in life, but this will give you a very good indication of what's to come. Not a 5 minute thing though - at least an hour in the same room and in close contact if you can.

And don't trust the cross-breeds that claim to be non-allergenic. Some are, some aren't. It's very hard to tell with a puppy which way their coat will go. Pet shop salespeople are terrible at providing advice about this - beware!

In my case yes I still have a mild reaction (itchy skin) to my dogs' saliva but that is a very minor issue when I get licked (which is not very often - I obviously don't encourage it). But the coat is a different story - it's in the air every day so picking the right coat is critical from my perspective.

In my case, curly non-shedding coats are perfect, but yes they do require regular grooming so that needs to be part of the commitment you make when getting your pup.

Other than low allergy - what are your other requirements for a dog? Active and sporty? Laid-back? Jogging companion? lap dog? Big? Small? Which breeds do you generally like - their may be low-allergy breeds that have some temperament traits in common...?

These things will help us narrow down some good options for you to think about.

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I think youve been given some great advice already. Its a good time to look at all the breeds out there you didnt even think about after you sort out hat the issue is. My daughter has some allergies but has not ever had a reaction to Havanese which I didnt even know existed till i joined dogzonline :confused: A lovely member here offered for us to meet her at a local show so that our daughter could play and be licked by the Havanese pup. And lick he did :D We all fell in love with him and the breed and now have 2 of our own. After finding Miss 7 flat on her back letting both dogs lick her face at the same time (GROSS) were pretty sure she isnt allergic to the saliva :rofl:

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I've discovered that I'm allergic to dog saliva. :cry:

Not the hair or dander but saliva. :cry:

Only I could have that sort of allergic reaction... :laugh::cry:

No, this is very common.

I will not sell my poodles to anyone wanting an allergy free dog unless they have been to the doctors & had an allergy test to find out to what degree they are affected & other allergies.

Spending an hour or even a day is not always a true indication of a problem. Severe instant allergy may show but it is not the same spending a short time as having the dog shed dander & saliva in your home for a week, then you may react.

Someone once got an oriental kitten from me. They had suffered childhood asthma but never had an adult attack.

She was fine with the kitten for 4 days then suddenly had a huge asthma attack, hospitalised, & it turned out to be cat allergy that caused it. One sad, sick & upset lady returned her much loved kitten in tears.

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  • 4 weeks later...

I am allergic to many dog breeds .But i don;t react to schnauzers and bull terriers.Google who's ya doggy?dog breed chooser for list of low allergy dogs. You will need to try a dog in your home for about a week to see if your allergies start .A breeder i know will let her pup on trial and take it back of coarse .She breeds dandy dinmont terriers,i think they may suit you .Worth a look. www.whosyadoggy.com/dog-breeds-without-doggy-odour.html

Edited by budgiew
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I've discovered that I'm allergic to dog saliva. :laugh:

Not the hair or dander but saliva. :)

Only I could have that sort of allergic reaction... :):)

Allergy to the dog saliva is very common, and one of the reason why testing before buying a dog is important for allergy sufferers.

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I would maybe rethink the inside dog bit :) My dogs are outside during the day, come in during the evening and go out again. When inside they have to stay on their blankets. This doesn't cause me too much angst. They are border collies.

I sat in a friend's house the other day that has an inside dog and my eyes were killing me by the time I left.

Weirdly only one of my borders gives me itchies from her saliva. She is the sable one. Interestingly I had the same thing with horses. Certain colours made me itch.

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What kind of allergies (asthma, itchiness, weepy eyes etc) and what severity?

Has she been tested for specific allergies?

-if not that would be the first step.

The next is to choose some breeds you like and spend some time with them.

Generally speaking, low shedding breeds are better for allergy sufferers.

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What kind of allergies (asthma, itchiness, weepy eyes etc) and what severity?

Has she been tested for specific allergies?

-if not that would be the first step.

The next is to choose some breeds you like and spend some time with them.

Generally speaking, low shedding breeds are better for allergy sufferers.

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I was reading yesterday about the Australian Silky Terrier.

Several web sites mentioned that they often tolerated well by folks with allergies or asthma.

http://www.dogzonline.com.au/breeds/commun...lky-terrier.asp

I sold a silky puppy here a few years ago to a family with a child that had allergies. After playing with the puppy on the floor for about 2 hours they decided the little girl wasn't allergic to the pup at all. I'm not sure if she was allergic to dog hair or saliva but two hours of being licked and slobbered on she had no reaction. I do know that silkys' hair has the same PH level as human hair.

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