Dog breed: Shed – Part 2

I am a dog lover, always have been, always will be. When I married my husband, he came complete with two very allergic small boys. Their birth mother died from asthma and the boys inherited all her allergies. A dog or cat within 50 feet could send them to the emergency room. The boys loved dogs so we spent hours researching dogs that could share our lives.

We took the boys to an allergist and found out that the boys were allergic to dander, the flaky dead skin cells from the dogs skin. The doctor said that people may also be allergic to dog’s saliva or secretion from the sebaceous glands of dogs. All dogs have dander, some dogs more, some less. There is no such thing as a 100 percent allergy free dog, there are dogs that don’t drop off as much dander. The doctor said that it’s the dander, not the hair, that that causes the allergic reaction.

There are dogs that come close to being hypoallergenic because they don’t shed or shed very little. They are usually smaller dogs or single coated or hairless dogs. The poodle has curly hair, sheds very little and has little dander, as does the bichon frise, miniature schnauzer, all the poodle variations, yorkies, maltese, Lhapso Apso and many more.

Our first dog was a poodle mix that we rescued. He didn’t shed and the boys didn’t have any reactions to him. We bathed him regularly, brushed him and vacuumed to keep the dander to a minimum. Even though the experts say to keep the dog out of the bedroom if the children are allergic, it isn’t always easy to do when the kids and the dog love each other. As hard as we tried to keep them separate, we’d find them napping together. When Dogg went to the great dog heaven, we just couldn’t live in a dogless home.

Even thought our sons are grown, we wanted dogs that wouldn’t cause an asthma attack when they visited. I wanted a dog that doesn’t shed. I wear black clothing at my job, I don’t want dog hair attached to any of my clothing.

We fell in love and adopted a miniature schnauzer, Maxx. A couple of years later, we were adopted by a very shy bichon frise who refused to let us leave without her. Luckily her breed is considered hypoallergenic, because her eyes were the huge Puss In Boots eyes from the Shreck movies. They kept getting bigger and bigger pleading with us to take her home. Still today, no one can escape her charms. Both dogs run our lives and leave no dog hair on our clothing. We’ve added three allergic grandchildren to the family who adore the dogs and have no problems around our dogs, but react to other breeds of dogs.

If you have an allergic family member and you want to add a dog to the family, have the person allergy tested. The test is painless and easy and the results will specify the triggers of their allergens. Discuss the possibility of getting a dog with the doctor. Have the person spend a half hour or so with the dog in a closed environment to see if they react. If they are allergic to that dog, you will know within minutes. They’ll sneeze, wheeze or get runny eyes and a runny nose.

Reference: Big Paws Only, Hypoallergenic Dog breeds http://www.bigpawsonly.com/Hyp oallergenic-Dog-breed.htm