No Puppy Love

So I’ve been allergic to doggies since I was a toddler. Allergic as in hives if they lick me, sneezes/eyes watering/chest tightness if someone with dog hair on their sweater hugs me, and full blown asthma if I don’t get out of the room fast enough and away from any of the above. I’ve worked very hard to stay away from animals and thus stay away from unnecessary allergies and asthma attacks.

As I’ve gotten older, I thought I seemed to be less reactive, less sensitive to the kitties and the doggies. I tested this thought (hope) the other night, hanging with a cutie neighbor and his equally adorable lab mix, Apollo, both pictured here.



I hung out for about 30 minutes talking and avoiding doggy kisses, already feeling wheezy and sneezy. It wasn’t until my neighbor, who had been playing with Apollo and letting him lick his face, it wasn't until he hugged me and gave me a kiss goodnight that real trouble started.

Very quickly, my face became pockmarked with red, itchy bubbles and large swathes of hives; my right eye almost hived shut. My chest became tight, reactive; itchy and wheezy. I woke up with hives still (!) and wheezing. This is all to say that I've now had a chance to try the new HFA inhaler, which I will stay on for a few days to knock out the wheezing.

And my experiment? Empirical evidence strongly suggests I'm still quite allergic to doggies. So I can knock that off the list of things to try again for a while.

Onward!

Comments

Well that sucks! Although kisses and hugs are always a nice way to test a theory. LOL
Allergic Girl® said…
true. but i'm still a wheezy hivey mess. :-(
Unknown said…
So sorry to hear the results of your doggie experiment.

As soon as you mentioned licking dogs, I couldn't help think about ingredients in dog foods. I don't think a lot of people consider that if their dog is eating foods containing dairy, eggs, peanuts, etc., a licking dog will transfer that to a person's skin. Could be big trouble for those with a food allergy.

Food Allergy Asssistant
http://foodallergyassistant.blogspot.com/
www.foodallergyassistant.com
Allergic Girl® said…
true. but this was plain ole doggie saliva [and the proteins in there] that did it. i'm highly allergic to animals, still, darnnit! ;-)
Alisa said…
What a bummer, seriously. Well, I guess you can check that experiment off your list. I hope the other challenges are going better!
Allergic Girl® said…
totally a bummer but NOT surprising.

soy is next up and the challenge went well--deets tomorrow.

this week however, i'm keeping it VERY simple since i'm so reactive, anything could set me off, i'm mean rice yogurt? i'm still stratching my head [and my mouth) on that one.

i have a mango waiting to be tried but it's gonna have to wait another week or so.
Unknown said…
My son once had an allergic reaction after feeding a peanut to an elephant. He had never had peanuts, so we assumed it was a peanut allergy, and had him tested. Negatory on the peanut allergy. So we have to assume he is allergic to elephant mucus. Oddly, the doctor didn't have a sample of elephant mucus to test.

If I was to recommend a fruit for Allergy Girl's challenge, it would *not* be mango. Mangoes are a culprit in that whole oral allergy syndrome thing, may be cross-reactive for nut allergy sufferers, and are in the same family as poison ivy, poison oak, and sumac, and may cause a similar topical rash in allergy prone people.
So sorry about that! The boys would love a dog, but the little one is allergic so that one is off our list too.
The neighbor looked like a cutie though;)
Sounds like your "bucket" may be getting full so you are wise to go easy with any more experiments for now. Feel better:O)
Allergic Girl® said…
hey p, yeah the mango is going to have to wait.

and hey mrs zum, my bucket runneth over so no more challenges right now, in fact very easy eating for the next week or so.

thx for the concern everyone!
Erin Swing said…
I know your wheezing! My allergist gave me a special preemptive inhaler when I visit a doggie family - Intal. I like dogs, but I start wheezing immediately. My sister had an awesome dog named Zeus. I loved to make him howl. Once he howled, I would laugh and wheeze at the same time, making my family laugh more, make Zeus howl more, my wheeze more. You get the crazy cycle. I just try to use my inhaler and wash up a lot, but first & foremost - avoid doggies :(

The last time I visited my father-in-law in Crete, he adopted a failed shepherd dog (who was black, too) and named him Apollo. Weird coincidence.
jill elise said…
My mom was allergic like that to cats her whole life, until I got a cat and she started visiting me and realized that my cat didn't bother her. She went a few times to the shelter and found out she wasn't allergic to cats anymore. Now she has two! But she was at least 45 when she stopped being allergic. She did take allergy shots for years, but there's hope!

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