Question:

DOES ANYONE KNOW OF EFFECTS OF PORTUGESE WATER DOGS AND ALLERGIES TO DOGS.  MY CHILDREN WANT A DOG AND THEY BOTH ARE ALLERGIC TO DOGS.

Response:

DOES ANYONE KNOW OF EFFECTS OF PORTUGESE WATER DOGS AND ALLERGIES TO DOGS.  MY CHILDREN WANT A DOG AND THEY BOTH ARE ALLERGIC TO DOGS.

If your kids are allergic to dogs, then it wouldn’t be a good idea to get one.  Try getting them allergy tested and see if you can find something they are not allergic to (but remember that they may become allergic to it later). ‘Reply to’ address changed to foil email spammers.

Response:

Remember, though, that tests alone are not a good predictor of allergies-to-come. A negative test merely means that the person is not *currently* allergic to a particular animal. That may mean that the person has not yet been sufficiently exposed to the animal to have become sensitized. This is especially important for atopic (allergy-prone) individuals; they are more likely to develop a sensitivity to the animal after sufficient exposure. Our most allergic son tested negative to guinea pigs (very nice pets) but is now quite allergic to them after living with them for some time. They are confined to their cage (rather than being free-roaming house-pets), and we keep them a good distance from the bedrooms. My son doesn’t have much direct contact with them, but it does make him sad, and he would feel terrible if we had to find them new homes. If your children have multiple allergies and asthma, consider a non-furry pet (not nearly as satisfying, I know). DOES ANYONE KNOW OF EFFECTS OF PORTUGESE WATER DOGS AND ALLERGIES TO DOGS.  MY CHILDREN WANT A DOG AND THEY BOTH ARE ALLERGIC TO DOGS. If your kids are allergic to dogs, then it wouldn’t be a good idea to get one.  Try getting them allergy tested and see if you can find something they are not allergic to (but remember that they may become allergic to it later). ‘Reply to’ address changed to foil email spammers.

– Mark Feblowitz,   GTE Laboratories Inc., 40 Sylvan Rd.  Waltham, MA 02254

Response:

The previous posts are correct. That’s the nature of allergic disease. With enough exposure, an allergic person could develop new allergies to new substances. Particularly if they are similar to one a person is already allergic. In this case, dogs. But can also work with pollen. You might feel some relief moving from one area of the country to another, but eventually, you’ll probably develop allergies to new substances. Keep in mind, the protein in animal saliva is a known allergen. Play it safe.

Response:

Wheelock) writes: The previous posts are correct. That’s the nature of allergic disease. With enough exposure, an allergic person could develop new allergies to new substances. Particularly if they are similar to one a person is already allergic. In this case, dogs. But can also work with pollen. You might feel some relief moving from one area of the country to another, but eventually, you’ll probably develop allergies to new substances. Keep in mind, the protein in animal saliva is a known allergen. Play it safe.

I’ll have to add to this. When my son is licked by a dog, his face turns red and swells almost immediately. His eyes run and sniffling and breathing problems follow hard upon. If you aren’t sure whether you or a loved one is  allergic to dogs, you probably don’t want to find out after you get one in the house. I think the trauma of bringing a pet into the family and then having to find it a new home is a harsh lesson for both the family and the dog. Good luck, Rick

Response:

If your children have multiple allergies and asthma, consider a non-furry pet (not nearly as satisfying, I know). Well…I have been doing some research on this latley, Thier are several breeds of dogs, the Mexician Hairless for one, that are compleatly bald. They are a little funny looking though.  And they do have hair on thier heads, just not on the rest of thier bodies.  These would have to be indoor dogs though, because with no fur to protect them, they get cold easy and are likley to sun burn. Christine

– There is also the Chinese Crested Dog!  But remember any dog can cause your allergies to flair up, they are not totally non-alleginic… Renee

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