Pet Notes

Taking a short break, I found the following by googling "dog allergy." (And ignoring the ones dealing with dogs that have allergies... wouldn't it be my luck for my dog to be allergic to me? ;) ) Here are some cut & paste notes.

At Nasacort:

• Keep pets out of the bedroom and any other room that is frequently used by people with allergies, such as the family room or den.


• Limit direct physical contact with the pet – that includes hugging, petting, and kissing. And always wash your hands immediately after spending time with your furry friends.


• If you have a central air-heating or air-conditioning system, consider installing an air cleaning system.


• Vacuum carpets and upholstered furniture regularly using a HEPA (High Efficiency Particle Arresting) filter.


• Have your pets bathed once a week – even cats! This won't remove troublesome allergens completely, but it may help reduce the allergen levels that have built up in your home over time.


• Consider getting allergy shots (immunotherapy), especially if it's hard to avoid contact with your favorite animal.

Comments: Cool, immunotherapy exists. :) Frequent bathing, huh... sounds like a smaller dog, with short fur will be easier to wash. Limiting contact isn't helpful... I want *more* contact... that's the whole point! ;)

At The Allergy Authority:

• Dog Allergy: Patients allergic to dogs are allergic to the dog's saliva. As with cats, dogs groom themselves by licking their fur and skin, depositing dog saliva antigens that also become airborne when dry, and spread to clothes, furniture, carpeting, etc.


• Rabbit Allergy: Patients become allergic to rabbits due to exposure to these animals in their daily work.

Comments: Obviously rabbits aren't a viable alternative... even if I'm not allergic now, I'll likely become allergic. :P Given that I was allergic to gerbils, I'll probably develop rabbit allergies.

Note: There seems to be two things that happen with allergies and repeated contact... they get better (become immune), or they get worse. Looks like rabbits & rodents are of the second variety. Given that there's immunotherapy, maybe dogs are in the first category?

Regarding outside dogs: there are certain breeds that can handle being outdoors even in Winnipeg, as long as they have a heated kennel in winter, however I don't want an outside dog. I want something inside the house keeping me company (and demanding attention), rather than something outside that I would need to "visit".

I'm going to talk to my allergist my next time in Winnipeg (before I decide anything). I won't get a pet before I'm back home anyway, since then I won't have to deal with pet crossing border issues. :P

Purebreeds tend to have more health problems, but are easier to research. Maybe I'll research the breeds, and find a mutt made from a decent combination. ;) Purebreeds are also more expensive than mutts, but there seems to be breed specific rescue shelters... my office mate just got a dog that way. His dog is supposed to be "low allergy", so I'm going to set up a play date. ;)

Probably a good way to test my ability to have a dog is to temporarily foster a dog... although that can have it's problems too.

Okie, break done. Time to get more work done. (Today I added a slider for cluster bond width... woo-hoo!)