Animal Welfare Professionals

Hello,

Does anyone have any tips or tricks that have been successful in helping alleviate the symptoms of being allergic to dogs?

My 4 year old son is allergic to dogs  and we have a short haired dog. We keep up with the vacuuming and he takes zyrtec for an antihistamine. We remind him to not put his face on the dog, and to wash hands etc, but he's 4.  Does anyone have any other suggestions or secrets they wouldn't mind sharing? 

Any uplifting stories of kids outgrowing their allergies while having a pet in the home?

Thank you,

Teresa

It might help if you narrow down what your child is allergic to - dander? hair? saliva? While it might not help with alleviating the symptoms, it might help you narrow down your potential prevention tactics.

Thank you for your reply. It is the dander. We have added fish oils in hopes of helping, but I am hoping for another option to try

Since the dander can spread and “stick”, some ideas would be to limit the dog to no furniture (or only certain furniture) and a “no dog zone” in a place where your child might spend a majority of their time (such as a bedroom). While it isn’t ideal by any means, one space might provide some relief from the allergen.

i don’t know a lot about them but you may be able to invest in an air filter in your children room to help eliminate some of the air borne allergens (and maybe a filter in the vents for that room too if you have forced air)