Pet Allergies

[GeddyWrox]

Posted about this in the life changes thread but thought it might warrant it's own topic.

My GF and I just moved in together. I have an elderly dog. GF is allergic. She thought it would be manageable with meds and frequent cleaning. It's not.

Benadryl and Pataday eye drops didn't make any difference last night.

We're now getting desperate. Ordered some dander spray for surfaces and fabrics, and some dander control stuff to put on the dog too. I am skeptical these are going to work but I'm willing to try.

Next step is trying to make the dog sleep in her crate in the other end of the house, but she hates being crated and she will probably cry and bark all night.

Is anyone highly allergic to dogs and have tips for controlling it?

[AWvsCBsteeeerike3]

I took shots in my late teens/early 20s to get rid of allergies. It was a long, $$$ process, and I wasn't overly allergic to much iirc. But it did work. Not sure if that's an option.

I can't remember it all, but I remember the process took a couple years if not longer to complete. And, the initial costs were hundreds of dollars out of pocket. I remember feeling bad that I needed it. But in the later years of high school, I was non-stop sniffling and popping ears trying to equalize the pressure. Taking claritin or claritin d daily. Miserable. The shots worked really well and to thi sday I don't have to worry about allergies...except when cutting dry grass and inhaling the dust. That [expletive] still makes me sneeze.

[GeddyWrox]

That's on her radar, but the whole "years to complete" thing is depressing.

My daughter did allergy shots a couple of full runs through and she's had moderate relief but not complete.

[CardsofSTL]

Has your gf consulted with an allergist?

[GeddyWrox]

Has your gf consulted with an allergist?

Not yet but she's going to get a referral soon. This just hit earlier this week. We're hoping for temporary tricks to reduce symptoms until something more permanent works.

[CardsofSTL]

Has your gf consulted with an allergist?

Not yet but she's going to get a referral soon. This just hit earlier this week. We're hoping for temporary tricks to reduce symptoms until something more permanent works.

Allergen filters and things like that have varying degrees of success depending on the severity of the allergy. Sounds like she needs to speak to a professional for a stronger remedy.

[sighyoung]

Has your gf consulted with an allergist?

Not yet but she's going to get a referral soon. This just hit earlier this week. We're hoping for temporary tricks to reduce symptoms until something more permanent works.

Allergen filters and things like that have varying degrees of success depending on the severity of the allergy. Sounds like she needs to speak to a professional for a stronger remedy.

My wife gets allergy shots and they have helped her a lot, but she doesn't have pet allergies. But she didn't even have to take allergy medicine some years, and only gets occasional shots now.

I do have pet allergies, but that's why we didn't go the pet route at all (we did have guinea pigs, but they could be contained, and I still had to steer clear.)

Allergy testing and shots may be the way to go because she may get relief from a lot of environmental allergens, not just pet dander.

But there may be additional steps such as air filtration, air circulation, and so on that may help.

Sorry it's such a problem. I have trouble breathing around some cats and dogs, and I even saw my son's face swell when near cats when he was younger, so it can be a big issue.