Interesting Observation on Allergies

[Lucy & AnnaBelle's Mom]

I have been on Doodle Kisses almost as long as DK has been around.  My Lucy came home to us just about the same day DK launched.  In these 8 years I've read so many stories about allergies and sadly too many stories about Doodles being re-homed because of them.  We have heard that it is the hair, the dander, or the saliva that you can be allergic too.  We have heard that you might not be allergic to the puppy, but may be allergic to the adult doodle after the coat change.  We have heard they are hypoallergenic ... you name it we have heard it.  Well, here is my story to add to the pile.  As I said Lucy will be 8 this week.  I have an adult Niece Natalie (Emma's Mom since you have heard many Emma stories over the years).  Natalie has always had allergy problems going all the way back to Jr/Sr High School.  She got allergy shots as a teen though they have been somewhat controlled as an adult. Natalie while she isn't at our house all the time has been here many times in the last 8 years that Lucy has been here and the last 3 since we added AnnaBelle.  She has never had a single problem.  This past Saturday she came over and all of a sudden her eyes were running and itching and then she started sneezing and basically had to leave because it wouldn't stop.   About the time she started sneezing it occurred to me that the girls had been bringing her toys to throw and she had been playing fetch with both dogs bringing her toys.  I told her there is a possibility it is the saliva so maybe go wash her hands.  Then the sneezing started.  Long story short they have never bothered her before.  She has always petted them as they don't really give you the option not to, lol!  But never before have we encountered this problem.  So, I think what I'm taking away from this is if you have any sort of allergy problems there are absolutely no guarantees, none, zip, zilch, nada that you will be able to have a doodle. And even if it is ok for a few days, weeks, or years, there is a possibility it might become a problem.   This was a true eye opener for me.

[Amy and Annabelle]

That is interesting that it has just now started after all these years. My daughter came for a 2 week visit over Christmas the year we got Annabelle. She was about 4 months old at the time. She broke out in hives from Annabelle's saliva. The next time she saw Annabelle was early June, she didn't break out once and hasn't since.

[Lucy & AnnaBelle's Mom]

Interesting ... I wonder if food plays a roll in that in any way?  Was she eating a different food when she came back.  I once ended up in the hospital for 3 days because I had an allergic reaction to something that I ate in a restaurant.  The strange thing was it was all things I had eaten before.  They said most likely I would never know what it was because it was probably the chef touched something and then touched my food.  Who knows, never happened again.

[Amy and Annabelle]

People food no difference, dog food was switching from Orijen Puppy to the adult formula.  I stocked up on Benedryl when she came back in June, but she didn't need it.

To end up in the hospital from something you ate is scary. Are you aware of any food allergies that you have?

[Lucy & AnnaBelle's Mom]

I have never had another attack even remotely like the one that landed me in the hospital, but I do notice that some foods will make my head plug up and then make me start sneezing like an allergy type reaction but not as severely.  I also seem to have a slight reaction to some alcohols.  My face will get red and very itchy.  Still doesn't seem to be any rhyme or reason to it though.  One time it will the next time it doesn't.

[Sue, Murphy and Bella ()*o*()]

Very interesting and I do understand that allergies can rear their ugly heads at different times in our lives and that we can "grow out of them" or become immune to the allergent. This is very important for people with allergies to know and understand as we try to help new members with their allergy questions.  I usually stay away from those discussions as I have very little experience with allergies, Thank Goodness! 

[Jane, Guinness and Murphy]

That really is interesting and an important lesson for people with even mild allergies who are considering getting a Doodle in hopes that they won't react. 

[Nancy & Echo]

I certainly have had allergic (hives) reactions to (I think latex) that come and go throughout my life.  Luckily, the last 20 years or so its been mostly off.

This very recent Pubmed article gave an interesting long term view on furry animal allergies in humans.

The internet has widely spread information on topics such as “low” or “hypoallergenic” pets when there is little supporting scientific evidence ^{10, 11}.

Interestingly, the allergens characterized from furry animals thus far have all belonged to three broad groups of proteins: secretoglobins, lipocalins, and kallikreins. Whereas Fel d 1 is a secretoglobin of unknown function, more than 50% of allergens from furry animals have been identified as lipocalins ^{12, 13}. These animal allergens are found in dander, saliva, and urine. They are commonly on small particles that allow airborne dispersion and also dispersion by adherence to surfaces such as clothing ^{2, 40}. The apparent constant circulation of pet allergens on shoes and clothing through public areas and into homes has made it very difficult to control symptoms from pet allergens by avoidance measures such as air cleaning 4...

Probably the most dramatic change in understanding the relationships between pet exposure and pet allergy is the realization that pet exposure involves more than just exposure to the allergens shed by the pet ⁴³. Multiple studies have shown that early life exposure to pets and to farm animals is associated with a reduced risk of subsequent allergic disease ^{44– 46}. Although other studies have disputed these findings, the results of systematic reviews and meta-analyses have typically shown either a reduction or no increase in risk associated with infantile exposure to furry pets ^{47– 50} 

The hypothesis developed to explain why animal exposure could be associated with a decreased prevalence of allergy postulates that animals increase the diversity of microbes to which a child is exposed, and that this more diverse exposure leads to the development of an immune system less likely to develop allergic responses to antigens. Two studies have demonstrated that cats or dogs in the home increase the diversity of the microbiota of the home ^{43, 51}. Another study showed that the stool microbiota of children living with pets differed from those without pet exposure.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4755411/  (emphasis mine)

Of course, this doesn't help your present situation. But it may lead to a helpful strategy in the future.

[Lucy & AnnaBelle's Mom]

Although I haven't read the entire thing yet, but I found the part about early exposure very interesting.  Natalie grew up on a farm.  Dogs, cats, cows, horses, chickens, you name it.  Obviously that didn't help her.  She is very allergic to cats and Emma has bunnies for her 4H projects and Natalie has trouble with those as well.

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

Over the years I have become allergic to cats.  We had cats and dogs as a kid, I had cats as a young woman. Once we no longer had cats, I slowly became sensitive to them. At first, my reaction was pretty mild but has escalated from 'looking but not touching' to 'not touching my itchy eyes' to  'not being being in the same room' to 'not being in the house of a cat owner' before my eyes itch and burn and tear.  Two of my three children are highly allergic to cats - have always been, which is why we quit owning them and the beginning of my own sensitivities. 

[Nancy & Echo]

That's really interesting.

The paper says that its not all-or-nothing, but that substantially more seemed to be protected.  But not all studies agreed.

Note the paper also says: Variables that appear relatively consistent in all of these studies are (1) that the exposure to diverse bacteria must occur in during the first year of life and perhaps in the first weeks of life, and (2) that the types of bacteria which appear to be protective are common soil bacteria or bacteria found in the gastrointestinal tracts of mammals   ...

An alternative hypothesis is that pregnant women living with pets or closely associated with farm animals may over time develop different gut and vaginal microbiomes and that these pet-associated maternal gut microbiomes are inoculated into infants during normal vaginal birth. This would fit with the studies showing that birth by C-section carries a higher risk of childhood asthma than vaginal birth, presumably because an infant does not acquire a large inoculum of maternal vaginal and gut microbes at birth ^{67– 69}. Another study related to this hypothesis is the finding that the prenatal presence of dogs in homes has a stronger effect on the development of total serum IgE in infants delivered by C-section than those born vaginally ⁷⁰...

...A few studies have shown that sensitization to cats or dogs is a risk factor for new-onset asthma later in life, and one study has shown that the presence of a dog in the home was a risk factor for new-onset asthma....

The more important question is whether knowledge of the interaction of pet and human microbiota can be used to provide a preventive option such as a probiotic supplement. Although such trials have been conducted with mixed results, it appears that much more study and understanding are necessary before there will be consistent success with such approaches ^{79, 80}

.  http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4755411/  (emphasis mine)

So there's a lot we don't know, but I think this is an interesting hypothesis to study.

[Kris and Sawyer]

I've always struggled with the whole "we have to get rid if our dog due to allergies" stance. My youngest son has severe asthma and allergies, horrible sinuses (disease in every cavity), etc. He'd hate me for life if I got rid of Sawyer. The amount if love and companionship far outweigh the inconvenience if daily meds, breathing treatments, rescue inhalers, bouts of prednisone... His asthma is more virally induced though, so maybe that tempers my thinking. We keep his bedroom door closed and Sawyer does not go in there. We vacuum and clean a lot. But maybe I'm just a cynic? I had horrible allergies to animals growing up and I've outgrown them now, but my parents never allowed us to have pets and I still regret not growing up with them.

[Lucy & AnnaBelle's Mom]

Thanks for your response.  I enjoyed your perspective on a child with allergies and dogs.  I know that I see all the time people are re-homing for allergy reasons and people say "I would never do that a dog is for life".  However, not having children myself, I'm not certain that I can have a realistic view of what I would do.  I know how I would react if it were me, but can't know for certain how I would react if I had a child that was suffering.