Hi everyone,
I need some help!i suffer from mild eczema and desperately want a puppy.
Does anyone know what breeds are good for people with mild eczema? 
i know im more allergic to some breeds than others and have read that the non-moulting breeds are best which reduces the amount of dander around the house but are there any that are particularly better that people have had experience of?

i have been testing myself with different breeds when going to peoples houses with dogs and the other day i went round a friends house who has a border collie and a doberman and stroked them a lot and let them lick me and surprise surprise my hands have flared up so i know im not good with them breeds!!a lot of the information on allergies is to do with asthma rather than eczema and hoping some of you out there also suffer from eczema and can give me some advice?!my allergy appears more on my skin than my throat.I'm ok as long as i dont stroke them but i dont want a dog that i cant stroke and give a cuddle too!!

i first of all thought it was only breeds with wooly hair i coud have but from what i can see dogs like schnauzers and westies are ok.  is that right?!

from the dogs that dont shed their hair i think i like the bichon frise the most but am a bit worried that i will get one and a few weeks later have to return him/her which will devastate me!!

if anyone has a dog and also suffers from eczema please give me some advice and if you have a dog how do you reduce the allergy?(eg bathe them etc and are air filters any good?)

PLEASE HELP!!!

Thanks in advance!

There is a thread on this subject here recently.  It is really hard to generalise.  My breed is double coated yet a lady who is allergic to some kinds of dogs has no problem with these fluff balls.  Her problems are with short oily coated breeds.

Some people react to dander, some saliva and some hair.  More people are OK with dog hair than cat hair as it is generally coarser.

thanks. what breed have you got?do you suffer from allergies?looks like i may have to do some more investigating!!its just a lot of the stuff ive found is about asthmatics rather than people with eczema but they are related.

I have occasional excema and so do my children but the animals don't affect us.  I think water can make a difference and I have to avoid scented soaps (always use baby bath) and can't use certain washing Powders like Ariel or Persil but am fine with Daz and Persil.

Do you know for sure that dog har sets off your excema?  Which dogs?

First off find out what it is sets you off.. saliva.. hair... dander? I know people who cannot let a dog lick them but are fine stroking them.

Then narrow down your coat types, then spend LOTS of time in houses with dogs of those coat types, and ask the owners NOT to hoover up etc before you go so you really will know if you are allergic (ie if they have a fairly hairy house and you dont react... you are unlikely to!).

I recently helped my friend get a dog, she previously had assumed she was allergic to ALL dogs, as she has fairly severe (read 'liable to be hospitalised') reaction to her friends greyhounds, and also to labradors and previously to family collie x.

She has very severe asthma and excema.. we found her a dawg though.. a wire haired lurchery type dawg.

Prior to meeting him, she spent a week in my house which is UBER hairy, with a smooth short coated dog, a medium coated collie, a wirey haired terriery dog and a linty haired lurchery dog... and she had barely ANY reaction at all to that lot (and when i say uber hairy.. i do mean 'i clean when i cant see the colour of the floor any more, im allergic to cleaning).

So that told us she was absolutely NOT allergic to 'any' dog, but to specific coat types and if she was in very close contact with my smooth haired dog that did set her off.. with the wirey ones she could have them on her lap!

The other thing to consider is, do you have a lot of soft furnishings, ie carpet, sofas etc... I do not and friend and I do think this is a major part of why she had barely any reaction in my house - soft furnishings hang on to allergens. Hard floors, throws on sofas you can properly wash etc is the way to go.

It is also i think more likely that you will become used to your own dog, so you may have a mild reaction that becomes less and less - it wont make you then not react to other dogs, but you should become 'immune' to your own (doesnt always work but very often does).

Im allergic to cats.... but not my own!

thanks for the responses so far everyone.  sounds like everyones different and will have to try and spend some time with the breeds i like.  so far, i know i have allergies to labs, collies, german shepherds and dobermans as i have a reaction.  unfortunately i dont really know anyone thats got any of the breeds im interested in like the bichon which is a pain but like you say, good breeders will let you spend some time with the puppies no problem!!i sense some road trips coming on and a lot of travelling!!!

You need to visit people who have dogs of different ages as puppy coats can be different to adult coats in how they affect people.

Make a list of breeds of different coat types that you like.

You know smooth coats affect you so maybe not them.

Try curly coats, Wire coats, double coats, hairless etc.

The contact the breed clubs and find names of people who have the breed within a reasonable distance of you, not necessarily breeders who have pups at the moment.

The allergic lady who never dreamed she could live with one of my breed until she visited with her relatives in Norway was also perfectly fine with the terrier coats of the two borders I had staying with me. very different coat types but like you it was short and oily coats that she was worst with.

Hi again,  this is the thread that covers what you are asking: http://www.champdogsforum.co.uk/cgi-bin/board/topic_show.pl?pid=866801;hl=non%20shedding%20breeds;hlm=and#pid866801

I have eczema (which would be classed as relatively mild, I think), and I got a dog several years ago. I have had eczema since I was little and I am allergic to cats, guinea pigs, rabbits, and horses (very sad, as I desperately want to learn to ride, but come out in red blotches if I get close-up with a horse!). I am allergic to many breeds of dog -usually ones with short fur, such as labradors, though I am fine with my friend's Italian Greyhounds (they have very little coat, and moult very little too - another possible choice for you - lovely, elegant, fragile dogs). I have been fine with my dog breed of choice - wire-haired fox terrier, which I chose because it was stated as one of those breeds that can be OK for people with allergies.

I think that allergies such as eczema are very specific to individuals, so what works for me may not work for you. I have read that wire-haired breeds are generally less of a problem, but I do not think that it would be true for everyone. I would say that my allergies have improved with age! I used to be unable to be in a house where there was a cat, but now I can manage for a few hours. My hayfever has actually improved since moving to a house surrounded by fields (I think it is due to pollen overload - my system has given up reacting much to it!) But I do now get much more itchy hands in high summer. In a strange quirk of fate my fox terrier is allergic to some types of grass pollen. But she copes too!

I was pretty sure that I was not going to react to a wire fox terrier, after I had met a number of them, but I had to meet some first to find out. I think you would need to do the same.

Claire

Hi i am owned by wire Fox Terriers i hade a lady with eczema ild and her daughter mild come and see my dogs and they where fine but they also saw a airdale and that made them blotchy i think you just need to go and meet some breeds

I suffer from excema quit badly, but my two dont set me off, I have a siberian Husky and a chinese shar-pei. Also a cuple of my friends have asthma and before we got the shar-pei they were fine, oddly huskys are hypo-allergenic, despite all the moulting.

I have eczema (and allergies) which varies from mild to severe depending on a number of factors.  As has been stated already, there are no hard and fast rules as to which breeds are 'better' for sufferers.  It is pretty much trial and error and building up tolerance to your own dogs.

I have a Newfie (they don't come much hairier than that) and a crossbreed (Chow X Rottie...think Rottie with thicker coat) and have no problems with them, even with an attitude to housework that would give theemx a run for her money :D ;) However, OH's parents short coated mongrel makes me itch something shocking.

Hi Gemma
I have a Bichon Frise. Fortunately, I don't have eczema, but if the Bichon ticks all the right boxes for your allergies please note that they take some looking after but are very rewarding. Look carefully at the breed itself.
Deb

Bronwyn has really bad excema and is fine with both ours but it took time, same with riding she was cover in it first time she rode but still wanted to continued, way round it for us was give her piriton before she rode she changed as soon as she finished and another dose of piriton after. After a couple of times she stopped having a reaction. It flares up if she rides a different pony so we stick to the same one or give her piriton.
Hope this helps.
Mary

thanks for that. have you got a couple of bichons at the moment then?do you mean by it took time that she had a reaction to begin with?did she have to get used to them or was she fine from the start?thanks for helping

No I have a rottie and a staffie x. Bronwyn has problems with labs.
Mary

i think i need to be around some but unfortunately i dont know anyone with any!!i'm saving up at the mo and going to get one in feb/mar time but id quite like to know if im allergic now cos im aready getting excited and will be upset if i cant have one!  i could go to some people who are selling puppies now but would feel a bit guilty being dishonest!

As said before contact the breed club secretaries who will put you in touch with owners and/or breeders who will be happy for you to visit to find out if the breed is right for you.  Breeders aren't all interested in only just selling their pups. I love to ahve peopel come and see the dogs,a dn am just as happy if peopel realise the breed is not for them, one less potential mistake and a dog that may need rehoming.

thanks. do you know how i get in touch with the breed club secretary?i hope someones as helpful as you are!!

There are breed club contacts listed on this site click puppies at the top of the page and then click on clubs.  also if you go to the Kennel Club website look under buying a dog, then click on breed standards.  There is a list of breed clubs below each breed standard.  Some have their own websites.

Tell any breeders you visit the truth. Say you are really interested in the breed but also explain you have allergy problems and really need to get up-close and personal to ensure you won't have any problems with one in your home. A good breeder will understand and appreciate that you're doing your research before you get a puppy. My puppy's breeder prefers to have people come visit her before her bitches are even in whelp so you can meet the adults and check each other out. If you pass you can go on the waiting list. :) Wanting to take every dog in the house home with you is a good sign you like what they're is doing for the breed :-D

thanks. can you tell me a bit more about yours?!!

thanks

I've got two Bichons and my friend, who is allergic to most animals, is still allergic to them so you really do need to go and spend some time with the breed to see if it affects you or not.

Best Wishes

Andrea