I'm so sad :(, our beautiful 10 week old lab pup Lucy is causing my little boy to itch and itch. Saw the doctor today who said that his eczema (which was hardly ever noticable) has caused him to be allergic to pet hairs. So now our eagerly awaited girl has to be rehomed :( :( :( Thank you to everybody who gave me advice and help and support in the last few months-you are a great bunch!
Nic :(

So sorry :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :(
debbie

Oh no, what a shame and Lab's are brilliant dogs, we have one and she's great. But, if your little'un is itchy because of her, then it's for the best. I'd have her, but not sure if hubby would let me. He works from home and our lab is only 17 weeks old herself, don't think he could cope with two. LOL
I hope you find her a good home soon. :(
Lisa

Oh Nic, what a disappointment:-(
I know from reading your posts how much she was wanted. It goes without saying that you must put your son's comfort and welfare first though. How sad :-(
Good luck with finding her a new home.
Shirley

awwwwwww Nic :( :( sorry

are you sure you've not changed washing powder or anything else at all that could be the reason ??? Doctors can be very quick to presume it is the pet. It's not just a coincidence is it? Clutching at straws here :(

when you say rehomed - you mean through her breeder I presume?

SaraW

Hi Sara,
I've thought of everything else, and I did'nt tell the doctor about having a dog to begin with (knowing how conclusions can be jumped to) but he asked if he'd been in prolonged contact with an animal :(
I have contacted our breeder, and although she can't take her back herself, she's contacting the sire's owner to see wether she has anybody waiting for a pup. I've also contacted our local lab rescue to see if they could help in case we have no luck via the breeder :(
Nic

I'm so sorry Nic. I know it's no help but these things do happen.

Regards, John

If I can be of any help please contact me.

Labrador rescue 01254 207660

Thank Mattie, I'm in contact with our local lab rescue who will help if the breeder cannot.
Nic

Aww I'm so sorry:( But SaraW is right, Doctor's will jump on the pet band wagon. My little boy developed asthma (with a bang I might add nearly finished him off), any way when we went to see the GP for a follow up appointment, having a dog is what she latched onto imediately:( Despite the fact DOllar had been there for 5 years of my son's life.

So are you 100% sure it is Lucy, not increased central heating, damp wether?

Well we were at my mum's over Christmas and they have a cat who is inside some of the time (ours is never inside). It was'nt until this happened and I was telling mum about it all that she said remember Toby's eczema had been a bit worse whilst we were there. At the time I did'nt even think about it being the cat! And the day we got back home (before Lucy arrived) it got better. Everything else in his life has stayed the same, I've racked my brains for another reason :(
Nic

Sorry I've read my post back and it does come a cross a being a bit, what's the word.......any way not how I intended, this time must be hard enough for you as it is, just wanted to relay my experience. My brother is alergic to dogs but he is 100% worse with cats.

May be you could see if you could get the tests done, if they can be done quickly?

Nic
Just a question. Was it your GP that said this or was he blood tested?
My little boy had a stuffy nose for a year, and the doctor referred
us to hospital for an allergy test. They prick the skin and put different
allergens onto the skin. It reacts very quick. I had a choice what to
test. So we did dog, cat, peanut, almond, etc. This is the only sure way
to find out. As my GP did wonder if it was dogs.
I know how awful eczema is as I had it from 9 months of age until 17. It can drive you insane. I do feel sorry for your litter boy. Of course if the dog is
upsetting him. Then you have no choice.
Nutkin

I forgot to say that the test were all fine. He was not allergic to dog or peanuts. Both what my GP thought he may have.

I'm reluctant to put him through any more tests, he's been through alot since his birth 18 months ago. We are familiar with at least three large hospitals covering a huge area. I did ask about testing, but the doctor said that it was a pet hair allergy 'without a shadow of a doubt'. And as I can't put my finger on anything else, I'm sure he's right.
Nic

Nic, just seen this, and I had promised myself not to post on this board again but couldn't not try and help you!!
I had a family who had booked a pup from my last litter. They had not had a family dog before and one of the boys had been bitten by a dog some time ago and had therefore had no further contact with them. They came to visit me and the lad's eyes watered and he began to itch after quite a short time. I said that it wasn't going to work but the family were very determined and asked that I didn't exclude them. Before their pup was old enough to go, they went to visit a friend with a Cavalier and I received a message saying, " 'Bio-Life Petal Cleanse'. This is a dog treatment to help prevent human allegies. R...... has been enclosed over the last few days with this product applied on her dog. R...... has been absolutely fine" They took their puppy at the end of August and the lad has been fine since.
I have no other knowledge or experience of this product, but if you would like more information, then I will contact the family for you.

I saw Petal Cleanse for sale in our local Tesco the other day. Its supposed to be very good.

Oh Nic

So sorry to hear this., is there nothing that can be done for the excsma (sp??)., no cream or anything.....

{{{HUGS}}} to you :(

Nat
xx

We've always used E-45 which has kept what he did have at bay. Now I'm applying it more frequently and trying to keep him and Lucy apart. It's been a tad better today since he's had less direct contact with her. But a dog you can't stroke is no fun when your 18 months old!
Nic

Nic
So sorry about Lucy.
Please email me, I may be able to help you :)
Ali:)
ali15173@aol.com
If you send me your email or phone number, I will ring you.

there are breeds that are meant to be ok in these circumstances-poodles are one, im sure others will add to the list,

sorry to hear your news Nic :(
Is there not a way to build up his immunity ?? to the dog ?
Sorry if that sounds harsh - of course your little boy comes first ,just sometimes short bursts of exposure to something can help build up a defence
Apologies if you've already been down that road :)
good luck and best wishes whatever you decide
Liz :)

Nic,

So sorry to hear your news. It must be very hard for you to have to rehome your lab.

I too think there are other breeds that you should be able to have at home without irritating your little boy.

Good luck

Jill

Just thought I would add to Dizzys list, Bichon Frise are good dogs for people to have who suffer with allergies. We have a Bichon puppy and have had friends around who are badly allergic to dogs and they have had no reaction at all from Molly. I am allergic to Cats but am fine with dogs.
I hope your son is felling better soon.

Nic,
I'm so sorry for you :( :( :(
The other thing it might be is that he has a mild reaction to something else but his immune system is managing it without much outside evidence .... the dog hair creates another mild reaction..but the two (or three or four items) combined together is just too much for it to handle without breaking out :( :(
Best wishes and a big hug to you.
Sara

So sorry to hear your news and I do hope your son is better soon.
Gina

hi sorry to hear about your news but just had to say both my sons had the same problem doctors said the dogs were the cause we had 2 at the time a mongrel and a stafford i could not part with them and my mum has dogs also german spitz and irish setters so we would have been banned from going to see grandma and grandad my doctor also advised that its a thing children can grow out of and they both did they are 8 and 7 and show no signs of it the doctor told me some children become imuned to the pets after contact with them i now have 7 staffords and they sleep with the children and are fine hope everything goes ok best regards gwen

My hubby has chronic allergies to many things including cats and dogs! He was tested at the hospital as he had such severe reactions & our children all showed signs of Excema (as a result of inheriting his genes!! )which we are told may turn to allergies as they get older.

anyway we have just got our Old English sheepdog and with all that hair believe it or not they are supposed to be one of the least allergy causing dogs and after 5 weeks hubby has suffered no reaction and none of the kids have had their Excema reappearing (cross fingers I hope they have all grown out of it !!)

SO I hope for your little boys comfort & pleasure an alternative breed can be found, it is so sad when you have just got your puppy and settled in with them to have to let them go.

Good luck in sorting this out.

Jude

Thanks for all of your kind words, I know there are other breeds, but I've only ever wanted to have a Lab! We'll wait a while, 'till Toby's older and maybe he will grow out of it. Looking on the bright side, if he does grow out of it,once the children are at school, I could give a pup even more time!
Nic

I remember reading about a new product called Petal Cleanse which is applied to the dog's coat and prevents allergic reactions in humans. It was discussed on this board a few months ago. Has anyone any experience with using it?
On the other hand, if it does come to rehoming,
I would love to rehome your puppy, as we have recently learned that the bitch from whom we were hoping to have a puppy later in the year has been tragically killed in a car accident. However, it's not possible for us to help you as I shall not be leaving work until May or June. So sorry.
Cathy.

Does anyone know what Curly coated retrievers are like re the allergy thing. do they moult?

If they are non alergenic, then perhaps this would be an alternative close enough to a Lab?? :(

Curly coated retrievers do moult,if you are interested in gundog breeds only one i know of that has a non moulting coat is the Irish water spaniel.

Nic

I am sorry to hear you have had to make the decsion to let Lucy go.

Could you not wait as in a few weeks your son might build up natural immunity to the allergy. My husband Mike is allergic to dogs and when we got Moose our 16 month old Lab it took him a few weeks to calm down and adjust to the new one. Our new addition Mb is nine weeks old and touch wood he doesn't seem to be suffering. Florence my daughter (10yrs) has also got very bad eczema but is quite easily controlled. Children do suffer from eczema but do tend to grow out of it as they get older are are able to manage the dry skin themselves as it is a nightmare to try and put cream on for them ! Much easier if they do it themselves ! It is a shame as the benefits of having a dog and learning to look after and care for the dog and the love and fun that they bring it might be worth hanging on ? I am sorry as you sound although you have made your mind up but my personal point would be to hang on and see what happens especially as she was such an eagerly awaited addition to your family?

If you want to talk privately them mail me. Ihave been through it so know what it is like !

Lucy

dear Nic,
Sorry to hear about your Lucy and your little boy's allergy.
There is something called Petal Cleanse that is supposed to be 90% effective. I used it on a cat and my sister has very postive results from it.
If you still have to rehome Lucy - give me a ring. We have a Golden Retriever puppy of five months so I know what it's like to get attached to them. I'm on 01424 775071

Hope all goes well

Ruth

So sorry to hear your news Nic as I know how much you were waiting for little Lucy :(

Best wishes and big {{{{{{{{{{{{{HUGS}}}}}}}}}}}}}}

Dessie :D

My son has ecsema as well, I found he got itchy more so when the dogs lick him but it was more like hives ( I also get hives when they lick me), our doctor said that his ecsema had nothing to do with the dogs that it was just a skin condition, but people do react differently to different things. Ur poor baby,:( I know how my son was when he was little. He does not have it as bad as he did when he was under 3. They would not do any allergy test on him until he was 5. He's allergic to smoke and dust mites. We have 5 dogs and as long as he washes his hand and face after kisses from them he's fine. I used penaten cream (sp) on him, its for diaper rash, burn, ecsema ect. It works great. He seems to get it more in the winter then the summer.
So sorry to hear about ur dog, but the children do come first. Hope ur baby grows out of it.
ttfn :)

So sorry to hear this :(

Oh Nic poor you and your poor family :( Julie:(

I would truly wait until the boy is a little older so she can do allergy tests on him, I know it's hard having to give a dog up, but will be even harder if her boy has a problem with all dogs.
ttfn :)

Hi Dollface,
We will wait until Toby (our son) is older, and has got through all of the other hospital related things he has to have done. Then we'll have him allergy tested and think about the future.
By the way, I'm Nic as in Nicola ;)
Nic

Nicole,
I do hope in the future u are able to get the breed u so love. Hope ur son is doing o.k.
Sorry about that :( I did fix it, am I forgiven :(
ttfn :)

That's okay :) Of course you are!
Nic

ty :) ty :) ty :)
ttfn :)

Hi Nic
really sorry to hear about your sad news:(.We had to be really careful with choosing a dog as 2 out of 3 of our kids have both asthma/excema..:(
We were able to take the kids to the breeders house most weekends, where the kids were able to play with the mum and pups for an hour or so.Is gave us the confidence to bring douglas home , knowing that the kids wernt particulary affected by him.My mom has yorkies which used to have a big impact ( while he was v.small) on the oldests asthma, so maybe hopefully your little one will grow out of it !
Good luck for the future
Chris & Douglas xxxx

So sorry Nic:(
My boy suffers with eczema and his condition is made worse when he is under stress or over excited (ie xmas)!!
A friend of mines husband also had the same condition brought on by dog hairs and she used a spray from the vet. The spray was applied to the dogs coat once a month and his condition cleared up!! Sorry cant remember what it was called.
vickie

My Aunt uses Petal Cleanse as she has eczema, it was recommened to her by someone from the British Allergy Foundation,she has a Dalmation and it costs her around £60 for a years supply.

Ohhh you poor thing :( :( :(
Give Petal Cleanse a try, it might work, you never know!
If not i'm sure he will grow out of it eventually most kids do - i used to have an AWFUL reaction around animals from childhood right up until three years ago [i'm 21 now]. It went away when i became pregnant, and hasn't come back! Although my dogs licking me still brings me out in itchy little lumps.
Big *hugs* to you, i'm so sorry :( But you're right! When your little boy grows out of it he'll be school age, and you can spend loads of time with your pup!

Annette