Allergy Troubles due to Cavalier

Hi All ~

I could really use a virtual hug and some insights....

We welcomed our beautiful tri-color cavalier, Maya, last summer after waiting almost a year for one and while there have been some adjustments we had to make as a family puppy training and fitting the dog into our life has been pretty seamless. That said from very early on we noticed that she could not sleep in her crate in the bedrooms without it affecting allergies so we had to limit her to just the common areas of our home. Now I am connecting that my 8 year old daughter has been sick more the past year than she has been her entire life due to allergy issues and somehow I missed that the dog was the significant change to our home. (How did I miss that earlier?)

Since her allergist mentioned our cavalier as a possible cause around six months ago I have hired a professional housekeeper that comes every other week, I vacuum daily, clean in between the housekeeper coming, have tried professional grooming instead of bathing the dog at home (thinking it might cut down on the hair), changed her to 100% raw......... so I have tried to make adjustments. As Cavalier's go Maya has a pretty thin coat and she is not fixed (yet) so something like a furminator seems pointless and potentially harmful (again since her coat is thin already)

I am so tired of all the cleaning and it just feels pointless like it never stops........What do I do? My daughter already has separation anxiety issues I cannot imagine re-homing our cavalier and feeling that void for my daughter (which I am sure she will blame on herself since it is her allergies being most concerning) at the same time it does not feel fair to our sweet cavalier that we can not cuddle and snuggle often. Any suggestions? Advice?

My daughter has pet allergies. She takes zyrtec once a day as directed by her allergist. No pets are allowed in her room, although she likes to sneak them in once in a while. Our doctor told us to bathe the dogs once a week but I have found once a month is good enough. Vacuum daily, and wash sheets weekly seems to also help. I think the best thing to do is go back to the allergist to reassess your daughters needs. Our allergist knew giving up the pet wasn't an option so worked with us. We were lucky the meds worked well for my daughter but it may be that you need something else. good luck.

Sounds like you are doing everything humanly possible. I think you must enforce the "Absolutely no dogs in bedrooms" rule. Other basics, wash hands after petting. No hand/eye contact after touching the dog. Also, double-check with the allergist to be 100% certain it is the dog (they can test for that). it might be something else.

Honestly though, I would put the children before the dog. If you daughter is truly miserable with allergies, and you are certain it is the dog, then you need to re-home the dog. Heartbreaking yes, but your daughters health should come first.

Has your daughter been tested for allergies? Don't feel bad for missing the dog as a significant change … Lucky was nearly 8 before I realized the reason I have been so constantly miserable with allergies was due to him. My allergies didn't really get out of control though until I adopted a second 6 years ago and both their adult coats came in.

I got tested 5 years ago and dog did not show up then, but I clearly had allergies and after taking Zyrtec absolutely every day for 5 years, I decided enough was enough and got tested again and was shocked beyond belief to find out that one of my allergies was to dogs. And after a year of shots, with very serious systemic reactions to some of them (had to use Epi-Pen … serious!) I still haven't reached a maintenance dose. I could never give up Lucky and Sparky. But they are much older than Maya. Definitely Joandsan had some great ideas, but I'd definitely see an allergist. And weekly baths for sure. There is also product you can buy on Amazon to put on their fur between baths. I started doing that but life tends to get in the way sometimes of doing stuff and I've been suffering instead. (and getting allergy shots to hopefully get rid of the dog allergies altogether).

By the way, the allergist will tell you that if it is a dog allergy, it's the dogs saliva that Maya is allergic to (if she has dog allergies) so there is no true "hypoallergenic dog" but as much as Cavaliers shed, I think they impact our allergies much worse.

sunshinekisses said:

My daughter has pet allergies. She takes zyrtec once a day as directed by her allergist. No pets are allowed in her room, although she likes to sneak them in once in a while. Our doctor told us to bathe the dogs once a week but I have found once a month is good enough. Vacuum daily, and wash sheets weekly seems to also help. I think the best thing to do is go back to the allergist to reassess your daughters needs. Our allergist knew giving up the pet wasn't an option so worked with us. We were lucky the meds worked well for my daughter but it may be that you need something else. good luck.

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Thanks for the replies. I have not had my daughter tested for the dog with the allergist (she has been tested and has a peanut allergy and a cow dairy intolerance but that was via a blood test the allergist naturally wanted to do a skin test after that but I just did not want to subject dd to all those shots if I could avoid it). It does seem like testing is the next step now that I suspect our puppy as a trigger.

Sunshine Kisses ~ I am doing all of the things you list and still vacuum daily and bathe the dog weekly. Zyrtec is much better in terms of control of the allergy effects but the side effects on my daughter were scary so it is sadly not a long term option. Both you and Lani are right though in that I should take her back to the allergist and see what he suggest.

joandesan said:

Sounds like you are doing everything humanly possible. I think you must enforce the "Absolutely no dogs in bedrooms" rule. Other basics, wash hands after petting. No hand/eye contact after touching the dog. Also, double-check with the allergist to be 100% certain it is the dog (they can test for that). it might be something else.

Honestly though, I would put the children before the dog. If you daughter is truly miserable with allergies, and you are certain it is the dog, then you need to re-home the dog. Heartbreaking yes, but your daughters health should come first.

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Thanks for the kind words this is truly hard and hurts my heart. My daughter of course is my first priority but part of my consideration of possible re-homing is that it is not really fair to Maya either. Maya really is a cuddle bug and as much as I LOVE our puppy I feel nervous when my daughter is laying cuddling her (in the living room) or even my cuddling her on the couch just in case something is then on me and I touch my daughter...... I feel like everytime I have Maya on my lap petting her or have an intense cuddle session (which Maya can never have enough of) I need to shower just to be safe. Maya is the perfect Cavalier: sweet, affectionate, calm, beautiful. I think she still has her puppy coat since most cavalier seem to have coat much denser than she does. She is my dream dog, a dream that has come true, so I also have to be considerate of her and I am not sure that a life only in the common areas of our home is fair to her but I am trying to make it work.

We wash hands a ton but I had not thought about the washing hands after petting (Maya ALWAYS wants to be pet) and no hand/eye contact after touching the dog but starting today I am going to make that a new house rule. Thanks for bringing that to my attention.

Lani said:

Has your daughter been tested for allergies? Don't feel bad for missing the dog as a significant change … Lucky was nearly 8 before I realized the reason I have been so constantly miserable with allergies was due to him. My allergies didn't really get out of control though until I adopted a second 6 years ago and both their adult coats came in.

I got tested 5 years ago and dog did not show up then, but I clearly had allergies and after taking Zyrtec absolutely every day for 5 years, I decided enough was enough and got tested again and was shocked beyond belief to find out that one of my allergies was to dogs. And after a year of shots, with very serious systemic reactions to some of them (had to use Epi-Pen … serious!) I still haven't reached a maintenance dose. I could never give up Lucky and Sparky. But they are much older than Maya. Definitely Joandsan had some great ideas, but I'd definitely see an allergist. And weekly baths for sure. There is also product you can buy on Amazon to put on their fur between baths. I started doing that but life tends to get in the way sometimes of doing stuff and I've been suffering instead. (and getting allergy shots to hopefully get rid of the dog allergies altogether).

By the way, the allergist will tell you that if it is a dog allergy, it's the dogs saliva that Maya is allergic to (if she has dog allergies) so there is no true "hypoallergenic dog" but as much as Cavaliers shed, I think they impact our allergies much worse.

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Hi Lani ~ I plan to have my daughter tested with the allergist (from what our allergist said there can be two triggers with dogs) one is the saliva directly and one is the dander seems like one in the same but they are slightly different and he says some people might react more to one than the other. I also know there are no "hypoallergenic dogs" and even though my daughter has a history of allergies when we were considering a dog I did not seek out a non-shedding dog. That said I did not realize Cavaliers shed as much as they do and with my daughter reacting so significantly so early on I can only image it will get worse when Maya blows her puppy coat which is why I am so motivated to get a handle on it now.... part of me feels like I would never give up my cavalier another part feels like IF I cannot get a handle on my actual skin daughter's allergies and breathing then I am being selfish (wow putting that in writing stings).

You could, as many people do, cut Maya's coat very short (please leave her tail!) - this almost eliminates the shedding and might help. I do hope you can find a way through this tricky situation, so difficult for you.

Kate and Ruby

My cat allergies resulted in a full body rash including the palms of my hands and soles of my feet. Banishing the cat from the bedroom did nothing. But what did help was to put a full allergen protector on my mattress (I think I bought the most extreme/expensive one I could find, it was like a straight jacket for my mattress). That worked wonders (obviously you still need to keep the animal out of that room, the protector just holds what's already embedded in the mattress away from you). Dander can persist on mattresses for years (at least cat dander). So I would recommend trying one of those for her bed. And throw out the pillows on her bed, and replace those, adding the allergy extra cover under the pillow case. For washing sheets, etc I think it's hot water that is best for removing allergens. And obviously never throw dog stuff (dog bed, dog toy, etc) in the same load as her stuff.

The other thing you might consider is having your air ducts cleaned and sanitised if you have central AC/heat. (Full disclosure, this is what my brother does for a living. If you are in the Tampa, FL area you could use him http://www.remediationmoldtampa.com, or find someone local who provides a similar service). His service involves physical cleaning and also spraying of some chemical that kills mold and bacteria. There are also options to add a UV light that sanitises air as it passes through the ducts.

And (jokingly), have you considered rehoming your daughter?

UPDATE

We have really tried our best to keep our Cavalier but we really want a dog that we can cuddle with and we just can't with the Cavalier. We plan to rehome our Cavalier. It will hurt but will be good for my dd and I to have a dog that does not cause us to react so much. Say a little prayer for us and keep us in your warm thoughts as we aim to add a different breed to our family.

I am sorry to hear this, how difficult for you. I can give you the name of an excellent person in So Cal involved with breed rescue if you would like, though most responsible breeders will require a dog of their breeding be returned to them. It is so important for this breed to be homed safely so they are not exploited and used for breeding or sold on to many successive owners.

To be honest, given your situation and the fact that the issue is saliva and dander (almost impossible to avoid; hair only carries the dander but all dogs shed dander and licks will expose to saliva), I'd seriously rethink getting a dog and discuss this in detail with a qualified allergist (meaning a proper MD). As you correctly note, there is really no such thing as a dog that is hypoallergenic, despite the claims of some breeders, and most people with allergic reactions to dogs just cannot have a dog, period. Perhaps it would be a good idea to try and foster a breed you think might cause less reaction before you commit again? Or make a careful agreement and contract to trial a dog? The problem is that children exposed to something they are allergic to, even in small amounts, can over time progress to developing asthma, which can be seriously health and quality of life-compromising. That's why I'd not get a dog and not risk that happening.

I am so sorry you have to rehome your Cavalier. I myself suffer from the impacts of allergies from my dogs, so I really do get it. I hope if you get another dog that your daughter can hug it without suffering. You might want to see if you can spend some time at the home of the breeder of your new dog with your daughter to see how she does with their adult dogs - this may help you from having to rehome the next dog. As I'm sure the allergist told you, there are no true non-allergenic dogs.

Also - if you need help with vetting potential new homes, please consider connecting with one of the various Cavalier rescues to rehome Maya.