Hi All

I have been put into a very awkward situation and don't know what to do, i have had my little westie for 2 years next month, ever since i have had him my health has been bad on and off, i suffer from asthma,ezcema and nasal problems unfortunately!! I had an operation on my nose just before i had Hamish and now the same problem has reoccured and i am having to have a second operation in May, the specialist is positive that it is because of Hamish that i am bad quite often. She has told me that i have got to decide whether to put my health first and rehome him or risk being bad for the rest of the time that he lives, (which hopefully will be for a good 13 more years yet), i feel it is such an awkward situation as i have longed for a dog all of my life and when i finally do get the dog i have wished for i am then allergic to him!!
Does anybody know how i would go about trying to find a good home for him, i don't want to take him to a rescue centre as i want to know what sort of home he is going to and also i want the very best home for him in the long run. If anybody could advise me i would be very grateful, i really don't want to part with him but may have no choice if my health is going to continue to deteriorate while he is around. He is not keen on children as they seem to frighten him and he tries to run away from them, he likes other dogs though so this would not be a problem.

Thanks in advance
Helen

what a awful situation.
what about talking to his breeder,they may be able to help.
although if it was me id not give up my dogs,id rather cut my legs off.

If you want to rehome him (no-one will think any less of you) then go to westie rescue where they may have a waiting list for people who want to rescue a westie.  Your other option is take him back to the breeder.  Any decent breeder would be happy to take him back and re-home him.

Hi

I did speak to the breeder and she said that unfortunately she couldn't help me, i was hoping that she may come up with something but that was not to be. A lady who lives locally to me said that she would have him as she already has a westie but i couldn't bear to see him every day as she only lives 3 doors away from me, it would break my heart. I feel that if i have got to part with him he must go to somebody who does not live local, perhaps i am being stupid but i know that it would upset me too much to still see him when he no longer lives with me.

Helen

Have you been allergy tested for allergies caused by dogs?

The reason why I asked this is that one GP I saw thought my symptoms
could be caused either by dogs or cats (I have both).
I was adamant that I would not rehome my animals, I wanted proof that my
allergies were being caused by my pets.
Although I had to pay to go private to be seen quicker by an allergy specialist
it turns out my allergies were caused by dust mites and NOT my animals.

I have mild asthma and ezcema too. Along with hayfever like allergy symptoms.
I have to take nasal spray every day and antihistamines as and when I need them.
But I have it in writing that my pets do not cause my allergy.

Sincerely wish you the best what ever the outcome.
Kirstine

Investigate Petal Cleanse.

Hi there I am allergic to any animal with fur hence why I have two dogs, one long haired and two cats.  I used to working in Bording Kennels for about 6 years.  I found that facing my allergy head on was the best form of attack.  I love dogs too much to let it get the better of me.

When we first got our BC it took me about six months of absolute hell, I had two asthma attacks, the excema was really bad but it gradually got better.  I now dont have any symptons other than just the hayfeaver during the summer and a bit of excema yet if I go to someone's house who has animals my symptons flare up again. 

I can therefore really sympathise with you over this difficult decision. 

Helen, I too suffer with nasal/sinus allergies, and had my first operation 13 years ago. We had dogs since I was 5 and the consultant suggested that it may be down to dog hair. I asked for allergy testing, with which they obliged and the results were fascinating!
1.               House Dust
2.               Bed Mites
3.               CATS
4.               Grass pollen
5.               Feathers

As you can see, no DOGS. My worsening symptoms were actually caused by my ex's cat and not my dogs. Allergies can be caused by so many things, so before they frighten you into rehoming you beloved pet, ask for allergy testing. It is quick, simple and the results are immediate.

Hope this helps and I wish you all the best.

Julia

Same here, I've lived with dogs all my life too and I was ever so slightly allergic, but then the nurse said that she didn't think I was to dog it may have been that the dr. had scratched too much and put a bit more of the allergen so she felt that I wasn't allergic to dog.

Was high on house dust mite and grass though, thankfully :d

If your ENT doctor hasn't done any allergy tests get them to, it is a quick and simple procedure;

I agree with Val, try Petal Cleanse - it's a wipe I believe which is designed to lessen allergic reactions to pets.

Lindsay
X

Ditto here too :)  I have allergies, excema, perennial rhinitus etc and allergy tests proved negative for dogs :D

Lesley

Hi All

Yes i have had allergy tests, pin prick where they put the allergen onto your skin and then scratch with a needle so that the solution soaks in. The results came back to housedust, tree and grass pollen, cats, dogs, mites. I also had the patch testing where they place patches onto your back and you have to go back in 2 days to have them taken off, they tested me for various metals and perfumes and also put some of Hamish's fur onto my skin under a patch, when this was taken off there was a reaction on my skin so they said that his fur had irritated me being in close contact.
I would not think about it if my health was not so bad but on having to have another operation on my nose and my skin and asthma being bad i feel i have got to think sensibly about this now. It is such a hard decision to make and i want to get the best home possible for him if it does come to it.

Thanks
Helen

HI

Could you tell me more about Petal Cleanse and how it works, do you bath the dog in this? Also where can i buy it from?

Thanks
Helen

If you put Petal Cleanse into Google, you'll get this. http://www.bio-life.co.uk/  There is a lot written about allergies if you want to research it.  It depends how much you want to keep your dog.

A family whose son was allergic to dogs eg wheezing and swollen eyes within 5 minutes have used it with good effect.  They now have 2 Rough Collies at home.

Thanks i will have a look on the webpage, i don't want to part with Hamish as i have waited all my life to get a westie and i love him to bits, i just cannot see any way round the situation at the moment, i will definitely try this though and keep my fingers crossed.

Thanks
Helen

I will also look in to that.

My husband has a sight dog allergy, only if he has close contact he starts itching & his eyes water.

We now have wood floors & leather sofa as when the dog was moulting all over the sofa before hubby could not sit on it without itching - lol

Good luck with your westie

Jo
xx

Helen, I remember when you first got Hamish and had the problem and you had to send him to a relative for a month last year on your doctor's advice to see how your symptoms were.  If I remember rightly, you went and picked him up early as you couldn't bear to be away from him, so I know that your not just thinking of rehoming him willy-nilly - however didn't you say that you didn't notice the symptoms getting any better during that time he was away and didn't think it could be related to Hamish?  How do you feel about that time apart from him now, because sometimes at the time we don't notice a difference until many months later when we look back and we can say "oh yeah, come to think of it, such and such WAS different back then!".  So now, looking back, do you think you were any better when Hamish was away from you?  If you are inclined to agree that you were better away from him, and with the doctor's skin tests, there could be something in the allergy, but if you're sure that Hamish being away didn't make any difference, then there's only 50% chance the skin test could be conclusive...sort of (I know what I mean anyway!).  In which case, could you ask for a second opinion?  Because even if ultimately rehoming Hamish is what you have to do, at least you can be perfectly sure that he was detrimental to your health as I know you will suffer terribly if you have to give him away.

Hi Helen
If I were you I would concentrate on trying to eliminate all the other things that the tests showed you were allergic to first before coming to any decisions along with the Petal Cleanse for Hamish.Also has anyone tried the the new hypo-alergenic spray for soft furnishings etc recently brought out.  What about investing in an Air Purifier(seen them in the Argos catalogue) I think they start at about £50, some of them have a seal of approval from The British Allergy Foundation as they are said to remove 99% of the microscopic particles from the air, this might help if Hamish is restricted to the room were this is in use.I hope you can sort out  your problem and keep Hamish.

HI

I had a look on the petal cleanse website last night and saw that Pets at home stock it, i went over there this morning and they told me that they do not sell it, i looked first on all the shelves and thought may be it was in a certain area. Can anybody else help me as to where i can get this stuff from please. I live in Portsmouth, Hampshire. I would be very grateful as i am eager to try it.

Thanks all
Helen

Helen, some of the bigger Boots sell it.  Or you can order it online from Boots.

Good luck, hope it works for you.

Thanks will look on the boots website, definitely want to get a bottle of this stuff and quickly.

Helen

I may be going mad (wouldn't be the first time LOL) but I am sure i have seen it at Tesco's in the larger stores...

Lindsay
X

Do you handstrip or clip Hamish's coat? I'm not sure if this will be relevant to you, but I also have very bad dog allergies, and I find that by keeping the dogs coat handstripped alleviates the symptoms.  I have an Irish Terrier and can feel my allergies starting up when it is time for her coat to be stripped.  The stripping takes off all the dead coat and seems to lessen the dander and dust particles in the coat, it renews the coat. If you are clipping Hamishes coat it may be an idea to try handstripping it instead to see if that helps - although make sure that you take antihistamines or allergy tablets beforehand.

I really hope you find a solution.

I have always had his coat clipped and never knew that having it handstripped would make a difference, people always told me that unless he was a show dog that clipping was better!! I find that when his coat is really short my skin does not itch but as soon as there is any length in the coat my skin is red and itchy, and if i pick him up without sleeves covering my arms my arms are then red with little rashey spots all over when i put him down, i am trying to keep his coat cut as short as possible but he has got such a thick coat that grows so quickly it is hard to keep it short and also very costly.
I may look into this if other people find that handstripping terriers coats are better than clipping, has anybody else got any views on this post?

Thanks
Helen

I hope someone else will be able to give their experiences, because it may be a way forward for you.  The thing with clipping is that you don't remove the dead hair and debris from the coat, plus the coat is more likely to shed a few hairs here and there.  I have also noticed that many clipped dogs have skin irritation, creating scaley skin and dandruff and that in turn can aggraviate allergies.  I have also found that the clipped coat is a magnet for dust because when the coat is clipped you are left with just the wooly undercoat that seems to trapped the dust more than the hard topcoat.  I don't show Olive, but chose to handstripped because it keeps the hair and skin in better condition.  Are you still in contact with the breeder as maybe they will have an idea of whether handstripping would help.

Fingers crossed for you.

How would someone go about handstripping at home ?

The best thing is to go back to the breeder or contact the breed club and ask them to show you how to do it.  It is very easy once you know how, but takes a bit of practice.  I have, up until recently, handstripped using my finger and thumb, plucking the hairs straight from the skin - this should be done at speed and make sure you have a good grip and don't strip too many hairs out at one time as it may hurt the dog.  Handstripping if done correctly and when the coat is ready shouldn't hurt the dog, the hair should come away easily with a slight pull.  I have recently started using a Pearsons stripping knife and have found it very useful for the bulk of the body hair, far quicker than using finger and thumb and a very good result.  I also use chalk to make sure that I get a good grip of the dogs coat. Have a look at this link, it gives you an idea about handstipping and what you need http://www.strippingknives.com/grooming/groomingtips.htm

I sometimes strip Olive's coat while we are cuddled up watching TV, and she sleeps right through it. I also only strip for a maximum of 1 hour each session as it can get very tiring on the hands - I usually take upto a week to do a full pet strip (6 sessions). :)

Helen if the allergy is Hamish then I doubt hand stripping is going to make much difference.

If you do get stuck and decide you have no option feel free to mail me and i will try and point you in the right direction.  I know a few people down south who could maybe help you. PM if you like

Pam

Hi Blue, It may not work for Helen, and I certainly don't want to get her hopes up, but handstripping has definately worked for me when everything else failed.  I now suffer very little from allergies to Olive, just the odd itch here and there, however I still suffer terribly from allergies with all other dogs, so I'm doing something right with Olive :) .  I was just trying to help Helen, by explaining what has worked for me in my experience.

Good Luck Helen.

Sorry Helen, I didn't mean to imply that is hasn't worked for you. :-)

Sometimes improvement is seen just  by phsycologically thinking it is working as some allergies are a cycle that are made worse by the stress and worry of it..

:) Definately agree with you there. I suffer from awful eczema when I have been under stress.

Hi

Thanks to everyone that has posted on this subject, it is so hard for me to try and make the right decision for me and also for Hamish, i want to make sure i have tried everything possible to keep him but if things don't improve i really think there is no other option other than me being bad all the time i have got him, i cannot afford to keep having time off of work because i am poorly and anyway i don't want to feel like this forever!! Why does life have to be so hard!!
When i looked into having a dog i made sure the breed was a non moulter as i already had asthma and everybody said that having a non moulting dog would be better than a moulter, but things don't seem to be that way with me, the trouble is my allergies are so bad that i just seem to be getting one thing after the other and my skin is just not clearing at all. I have just sent off for a bottle of Petal Cleanse and will keep my fingers crossed that this may work for me.

Will keep you all posted
Helen

Hi Pam

Thanks for your reply, i really am in a difficult position and don't know really what to do for the best, my health just isn't improving at all and i am just hoping that at some point things may turn the corner, i have just ordered a bottle of Petal Cleanse as somebody said that this is good for allergies, but if this does not work i feel i will be left with no other option. I am due to go into hospital for another operation in May and have got to board him out of the house again for 1 week as he is not allowed near me when i first have the operation done as he could start me off sneezing and then i could haemmorage, if you could email me with some contacts down this area i would be very grateful, i just don't know where to start about trying to rehome him, i want to get the best home possible if it does come to this, i know he would hate living with young children as they frighten him so it would have to be a home with more grown up children or an older couple would be great.
I am pinning my hopes on this Petal Cleanse as a last resort, he had his hair cut today and the groomer didn't seem to think that handstripping would make much difference to my allergies but what do you think?
Thanks again
Helen

Hi Helen, regarding the handstripping, I imagine it all depends on how good his topcoat and undercoat are, some terriers have very little topcoat to be stripped, so stripping wouldn't probably help your allegies in this case as it is the undercoat that holds most of the dead skin and debris. Are you able to contact the breeder at all, to see what they suggest? It may be worth noting that many groomers try to talk owners of terriers out of getting there dogs handstripped because they are not competent at doing it, I'm not saying this is the case with your groomer though :) . Do you know whether it is the dander or saliva of Hamish you are allergic to? If it is the dander, then handstripping would have a similar affect as petal cleanse in that it reduces the amount of dander and debris in the coat, handstripping also stops the dog dropping any hair.  If it is the saliva then Petal Cleanse is probably your best bet.

Has Hamish been tested for skin irritations himself, or is there any sign of dandruff in his coat or rough skin - as any extra debris in the coat could be causing you some irritation - although I imagine not to the extent you have it.

could you not find someone to look after him for a month or so to see if it makes a significant difference to your health.

I did this last year, i sent him off to relatives for 2 weeks and my skin felt less itchy, but i missed the little man so much that dead on the 2 weeks i went and collected him. When i have my operation in May i have got to find somebody to look after him for another week as there is a risk that he could make me bad then. I just hate the decision that i know in my heart sooner or later i am going to have to make.
Why can't somebody find a cure for allergies!!

Helen

Helen - how did you get on with Petal Cleanse?