Help - it never occurred to me that we would have allergies to ourpuppy: (

[Kim Ledoux]

We are the proud owners of a 13 wo F1 Goldendoodle - Maddie Marie.  We lost our mixed shepherd of 16 years just a few months ago.  None of us every reacted to her or my parents peekapoo who is at our house all of the time.

 

We got Maddie on Saturday and she is doing great, we are head over heals smitten - except that both my husband and I are sneezing a lot and our eyes are itchy/burning.  We both have mild seasonal allergies but never an issue with animals.  My son is also stuffy but I would like to chalk that up getting over a cold, he is going a lot of sniffling.

 

I am so upset: (  Is there anything that we can do to reduce these issues?  I gave her a bath the second night she was with us thinking maybe it was dander from all of the other dogs she might have been around.  I wash my hands quite a bit and tend to vacuum a lot anyway.  Any thoughts?  We are so taken back, it truly never occurred to us that allergies might be an issue.  Our other dog shed like a maniac!

 

Any info/input would be greatly appreciated!

Kim

[J and Riley (and Luna)]

Things that I have heard help with allergies to pets:

- Bathing the pet weekly (use a mild puppy shampoo even when she grows up to reduce skin irritation)

- Installing a HEPA filter for your home (takes a lot of dander out of the air)

- Vacuuming frequently (few times a week)

- Not allowing your pet into bedrooms (This one is hard - especially when the pup is young)

Good luck!

[Laurie, Fudge, and Vern]

Also, wiping them off each and every time they come in from outdoors. Good luck!

[Jennifer,Chloe & Myla]

Ours took a few baths for Myla also before the "smell" went away.

[Willow and J]

I am sorry to hear that you are suffering from allergy.

I am allergic to unknown things 365 days a year, and that's one of the reasons to decide on a doodle. I didn't expect it to be hypo-allergenic, but I also didn't expect that I'd have itchy eyes on top of nasal allergy I had. My hubby who never had any allergy to anything also gets stuffed up more. But our symptoms are more or less managed with medication and nasal spray. I'm used to daily use allergy medicine, so it wasn't a hard decision. Just had to change medication to different ones that works better. At this point, we decided we have to live with our allergy. It's not Willow's fault.

On top of everything that's recommended on DK (there have been several inquiries like yours, one from myself not too long ago), about a week ago, I got an air-purifier for our bedroom, and we run it high for about an hour before we come to bed, then run it on low for through the night. It seems to make some difference. 

I hope you don't suffer any more than you do and that symptoms subside. 

[Jennifer,Chloe & Myla]

Oh I hope that this will pass-she's precious. I would for sure get an air purifier if it continues. Good luck!

[Kaytlin and Cooper]

I have unknown allergies too. They have subsided alot since I started to use 100% natural products - from laundry detergent, dish soap, shampoo, toothpaste, even make up. These products are much easier to find, and much cheaper, than when I started using them. 

I once became allergic to my cats for about a year (it went away). My eyes would swell up. I stopped them from going into my bedroom, vacumed every day, de-fluffed their bed and cat post, and got an air purifyer. That really helped

[Becka]

I do think it sounds odd that you'd be allergic to Maddie if you had no reaction to a shedding shepherd mix for 16 years. If you both already know you have mild seasonal allergies, some other issues might be responsible. When I first got Sadie back in May, I thought I was having allergies to her (mostly drippy/stuffy/sneezy nose, no eye issues). However, I started to suspect I was wrong when the reaction would continue if I was out of the house and away from the dog What I came to discover was that I was spending a LOT more time outside now that I had a puppy, and I had never lived in Florida in spring/summer before--my allergies are pretty much all plant-related. In addition, once it got very warm I started running my air conditioning all the time, and soon found out that the filter was long, long overdue for a cleaning (my other allergy is to dust). I take one Claritin every day and it seems to help a lot--most days I don't have any reaction at all. 

[Ricki and Tara (doodle)]

Boy it seems very odd that all three of you would react to her!!  I too think there may be other factors involved either something on her or? Did you purchase any bedding or new items for her that could cause this reaction? Maybe her toys? Most of them are made in China and are not well regulated as to content. Is she getting into any plants outside that could have pollen etc. on them. I am not allergic to Tara but when she is outside for any period of time I have to wipe her down to get the pollen off of her before she comes back into the house. Even though it isn't pollen season there can still be some remaining  in the soil and other areas. Just brainstorming...

[Ashley, Ronnie and Ruby]

I have allergies....quite badly actually. When we got Ruby, I had a reaction to her. I kind of expected it because when I was young, I reacted to our family dog when we first got her too. While I cannot say that you will have a similar story, I always build up a tolerance. It usually takes about a month or so. During that month, I wash my hands a lot and deal with itchy eyes, congestion and hives at times. I do, however, typically get over it. I hope that the same is for you and your family.

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

It just seems so odd to me that your whole family, who haven't been allergic to other dogs, would now be allergic.  I would investigate other causes but in the meantime, using the suggestions here certainly is a good idea.

[Jennifer and Jack]

Also depending on where you live, seasonal allergies are really kicking in because it has been a warm winter. I never had itchy eyes before and I do now. I know ragweed is already out here!!!!

[F, Calla & Luca]

Ragweed may be out there but it's hard to believe it could be flowering already.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/02/21/us-climate-ragweed-idUSTR...