Reptile & Amphibian Forums

my girlfriend is really looking forward to getting a beagle as am i. however when i was a little kid i was allergic to some kinds of dogs, but i have never really been around a beagle so im not sure how im going to react. is this something that i should really be concerned about, and are there ways of getting around it(bathing, grooming, a shot for me) or is there anyone here in the northbay of california that would let me borrow their dog for the day to find out, haha. seems like a funny question but that would be the easiest way to find out. thanks

Tom

>>my girlfriend is really looking forward to getting a beagle as am i. however when i was a little kid i was allergic to some kinds of dogs, but i have never really been around a beagle so im not sure how im going to react. is this something that i should really be concerned about, and are there ways of getting around it(bathing, grooming, a shot for me) or is there anyone here in the northbay of california that would let me borrow their dog for the day to find out, haha. seems like a funny question but that would be the easiest way to find out. thanks
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>>Tom

>>>>>>>>>>

You might look into fostering a dog for a weekend to relieve a rescue person. If you are allergic to dogs, the allergy will likely get worse with more exposure. Then you wind up having to distance yourself from the dog--emotionally very hard on a dog--or give the dog up. Best to get a companion animal that you're not allergic to at all.
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Kathy Diamond Davis, author, "Therapy Dogs: Training Your Dog to Reach Others," 2nd edition, and the free Canine Behavior Series articles at http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=SRC&S=1&SourceID=47

Hi!

It depends on how far you're willing to go to eleviate your symptoms. I'm also allergic to dogs. We used to have a german shepherd that I was terribly allergic to and couldn't have in the house. I got him when I married and he came with the hubby. The dog was never a house dog (which I'll never own another outdoor dog), so it wasn't an issue. Now we own greyhounds, and they bother me sometimes. However, I'm willing to go and get 2 allergy shots once a month and take 2 pills a day to keep them. There are ways to do it, if you're willing to suffer some and pay the price.

You can also help with symptoms by removing carpets, keeping the house very clean and well swept, don't let the dog in your bedroom and on your bedding.

It just depends on how far you're willing to go to have a dog. I like Kathy's suggestion on fostering for a weekend and see how it goes.

Good luck!
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Melody/PHFasDog

My furkids:
Shadow, Jadzia and Lyta.
Kira waiting at the bridge.

Dogs come into our lives, and too quickly go leaving pawprints on our hearts, and we will never be quite the same again.

If you don't mind me asking how much are the shots, i went through a whole shot series when i was a kid, but that was a while ago and i wasn't paying for it. Does extra bathing of the dog help with the problem or does it not make a difference.

Tom

Reptiles are just much easier

I don't think bathing would be much help, but brushing every day -outside- will get rid of a lot of the allergens. If you go into Petco you can find pet allergy wipes that you can go over the dog with every now and then too.
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Kadee Sedtal
home of old lady Lucy (boxer/lab/garbage disposal), pretty girl Fancy (beagle), the rat pack- Chopin, Tchaikovsky, Pachebel, and Fillmore, and the mice- Vivaldi, Brahms, and Schubert

If I lived there I'd let you borrow my girl, but I'm in Illinois! My husband is allergic to just about all pet hair, but he does fine with our beagle even though she sheds a ton. Hope you end up getting your beagle. They're too sweet.
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Kadee Sedtal
home of old lady Lucy (boxer/lab/garbage disposal), pretty girl Fancy (beagle), the rat pack- Chopin, Tchaikovsky, Pachebel, and Fillmore, and the mice- Vivaldi, Brahms, and Schubert

All of the posters above have given some really great advice so I would just have to echo that it all depends on what you are willing to go through to keep a dog. One other thing you might try would be to purchase a high quality vacumn cleaner if you have carpeting.
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If there are no dogs in Heaven, then when I die I want to go where they went.