Greyhound Peeps, An Allergy Question

[kelpiecuddles]

So I was chatting to my mum earlier and she was saying how down the track(realistically probably a couple of years away once she finally retires) she would look in to doing foster care. They used to have an poodle X which my dad was fine with and he's been fine with my dogs being there, cuddles them and everything(kelpie and basset) but my brothers cocker spaniel and my aunts goldie give him hayfever and hives. So it seems that some breeds, mainly mid coated ones I guess, set him off more than others(funnily enough they set me off too, as well as jack russells for some reason). She's very fond of greyhounds so she was saying that as long as they didn't set dad's allergies off she'd gladly foster greys.

So I'm curious whether they grey people have noticed how good or not good greys are for people with 'sometimes' dog allergies?

[Her Majesty Dogmad]

The traditional non-shedding dogs are generally recommended for those with allergies.

I always say if people are allergic but want to adopt XYZ dog, they need to spend an hour being up close and personal with them. I also recommend they have blood tests etc - it's surprising how many people say they are allergic but have not been tested.

I am a very allergic person but a dog has never set me off. I'm generally OK with cats but one cat who loves to sit on my lap and is very sweet, sets my asthma off almost immediately - i'll never understand why!

[kelpiecuddles]

I don't think they want to adopt, they were looking at fostering only. They do go away once every second year or so for usually 5 or 6 weeks, so fostering is better for them in the sense that they can avoid taking on a new dog leading up to the time they are going away and then they are available again when they get back. It seems he's OK with some breeds but not other so I suggested to my mum that they could look at breed rescue, it was at that point she mentioned greys. Like I say he's completely fine with my dogs, doesn't even get a sniffle but my dogs aren't massive shedders whereas the goldie and the cocker shed heaps.

[Rebanne]

A greyhound fairly new to a home can shed heaps! I would never consider a greyhound low shedding at the best of times. (as I look around at my loungeroom) And whose to say it's the actual dog? What it's fed, where it has slept etc could have a bearing as well. There is only one way to tell if you Dad will react to any one dog and that is spend some time getting up close and personal with it.

[kelpiecuddles]

A greyhound fairly new to a home can shed heaps! I would never consider a greyhound low shedding at the best of times. (as I look around at my loungeroom) And whose to say it's the actual dog? What it's fed, where it has slept etc could have a bearing as well.

Actually the food point is interesting, I always feed a high quality kibble whereas I'm pretty sure there is a lot of pal, etc in the houses of my aunt and brother. All our dogs sleep inside but I also suspect I spend more time using a shedding rake on mine to put the fur un to the bin rather than have it fly around the house. I might suggest that next time they are up this way we go to the local greyhound races and just hang around outside for a while, simply because the owners all just walk their dogs in the car park and often stop for a pat, chat to the locals about their dogs, etc so it would be a good chance to meet a heap in one place and see how he goes with them.

[mixeduppup]

I'm allergic to labs saliva but no other breeds so unless he tests with greys then there's no way to know for sure.

Edited November 7, 2013 by mixeduppup

[*kirty*]

My sister has mild-average allergies to dogs and cats, and my Greyhound sets her off. My Grey is a fairly light shedder, but it does seem to vary from dog to dog. My IG sheds like a bloody Pug lol!

[Her Majesty Dogmad]

My sister has mild-average allergies to dogs and cats, and my Greyhound sets her off. My Grey is a fairly light shedder, but it does seem to vary from dog to dog. My IG sheds like a bloody Pug lol!

Yes Kirty, I laugh quietly when I get calls from people wanting the IGs because they don't shed. I'm normally covered in white Iggy hair as Diamond drapes herself all over me!

[Maddy]

I'm allergic to dogs and in my experience, it depends entirely on the individual dog. I could rub Gooberdog hair into my eyes and there's no reaction. The grumpy old beast.. he increases my Zyrtec consumption considerably. There's no obvious pattern to it- some give me horribly itchy eyes and skin, some just don't.