One of my worst nightmares has come true...

[xokell2]

Lurker here, looking for some thoughts from other moms. Sorry this is so long

My son had terrible eczema as a baby and we did about a million different kinds of allergy tests, incidentally we found an allergy to a ton of foods but he has at 3.5 officially grown out of most of them aside from peanuts and tree nuts (3/6).

I brought him to the allergist this month to prepare an action plan my sons preschool requires in case of exposure. Doc ran another screen and during his exam noted that he primarily mouth breathes.

Got a call today that the nut allergies haven't changed but he has a severe allergy to dogs(6/6). Our beagles are 8 and 10 years old. I never thought I would have to entertain the thought of getting rid of them. The allergist insisted that even if we get rid of them my son could still have problems because the dander could stay in the house for up to 7 years. So she thinks it might be a better idea to try Nasonex and Zyrtec daily and see if that decreases his histamine response and mouth breathing.

I cry every 5 minutes out of guilt. Guilt that what if I get rid of my first babies (who are old to begin with) and see no change in my son? Guilt over medicating my son everyday just because I can't handle the guilt of getting rid of my dogs. If my son had any sort of reaction I could see as a manifestation of this allergy I wouldn't question getting rid of the dogs for a minute. The fact that I'm due with my second child in a couple weeks and raging full of hormones isn't helping any of this....

[Ashley&Scott]

That really sucks, I wish I had some advice. ({) (})

[Brie]

Here's some great advice on mitigating pet allergies: sites.google.com/site/petsboardfaqs/home/other-faqs/living-with-pet-allergies

[ijack]

my daughter is on zyrtec year round because of allergies. we've also tried a nasal steroid and she's had her adenoids removed (which definitely helped with the nasal breathing). It sucks to medicate her every day, but it's better than dealing with sinus infections all the time.
hugs!

[smilee1079]

There are other benefits to dogs too... I bet your son would be sad without them. I'd look into the allergy meds. Like the doc said, he may have the allergy regardless.

[froggy76]

That is so sad I hope the medication helps him. Don't feel guilty- you did nothing wrong!

[Deleted]

I'm a mouth breather. Is that a bad thing? I haven't had many problems with it. Just some dental issues I think could be attributed to my mouth breathing. Also I had terrible allergies when I was a kid, including cats and dogs. My parents wanted to get me the scratch test but insurance never paid for it so I never got it. Anyway I eventually grew out of most of my allergies and have two cats now. So anyway I just wanted to share my experience and maybe give you some hope it will get better.

[vanillacourage]

Your own allergist is saying that the problem wouldn't be solved by "getting rid of them", so I wouldn't beat yourself up over keeping the dogs. Just roll with the punches and keep swimming.

[definitelyO]

DS is allergic to our dog (as well as peanuts) and he gets zyrtec daily and is fine. he's been allergic since birth (he's 6 1/2). we usually only give zyrtec during peak allergy season - or if it seems to be getting bad. give it a try - he loves the chewable pills and the liquid medicine as well. it's not a big deal to him at all and he knows it makes him feel better. they do recommend giving it at night as it can make kids drowsy.

[xokell2]

Thanks so much for the advice and kind words. I placed a huge order with amazon last night with stuff listed on that link. Thank you, thank you, thank you!

[mrssandro]

DD gets Zyrtec daily. Not a big deal. We buy at Costco in bulk and it saves a ton of money. GL!