Am I being unreasonable re pet "allergies"?

[liz4949]

I'm new here, and wanted some advice re my new Dr.

She is adamant that my asthma flare ups are due to my parents' pet dog. I have severe brittle asthma with a few classic allergic triggers (pollen, dust, animals) but have always lived with a dog and most of the time my asthma is fine. I get flare-ups whenever I have a viral infection or during stressful periods (I have anxiety which I believe is the biggest trigger for my asthma). I notice my dog allergy when I'm around other people's pets, because I get my asthma symptoms plus hay fever type symptoms.

My previous Dr was a gem, and supported my hypothesis that my stress was the biggest trigger. NB I saw him while at uni, living away from the dog, when my asthma was still flaring up. My new Dr has been very dismissive and rude, and does not believe that stress has anything to do with my health. She clearly thinks I'm a moron for living with a dog and is encouraging me to get rid. I'm now being pushed into doing blood tests to check for dog IgE.

I know my medical history, and I have no reason to suspect that this dog is the root of my health issues. I have no allergy symptoms at home, and I can match my asthma flare-ups throughout my life with periods of stress (starting school, exam season, new job etc) or viral infections - and my other Drs have agreed with me on this. I also still get asthma attacks when I've lived away from the dog, even in the absence of other triggers. I understand my Dr's perspective but it's so frustrating to not be listened to.

Any advice would be appreciated!

EDIT:

Thanks all for your replies! Some info that might provide context:

- I have always lived with a dog and have seen fluctuations in my health with severe attacks and hospitalisations around the time of stressful events or infections

- I know I am allergic to dogs (I've been tested) and as such take precautions with my family pet to minimise exposure (ie she cant go in my room, I hoover daily, always wash after petting her)

- the worst asthma period of my life was actually when I lived without a dog in my late teens (during GCSEs and A levels!!)

- this Dr is my resp consultant that I have been referred to, not a GP

- she believes that my attacks etc that occurred without a dog are simply due to "other allergies", even though that doesn't make sense as I wasn't exposed to any triggers at the time (ie nowhere near pollen or animals)

- I am a biomedical scientist with a BA, MSc and first year of PhD in respiratory conditions under my belt. I'm not daft and I now how the human body - especially mine - works!

- I'm moving out in a month so the dog will NOT be getting put up for adoption. This is more about the principle of being ignored once again by a dr

[Troilus]

I would just go ahead and get the test done. If you don’t think you react when you are around the dog then chances are your test will come back negative and that will put the matter to bed.

If by any chance it came back positive, that doesn’t mean you have to get rid of your dog. Nobody can make you do that.

[liz4949 in reply to Troilus]

Thanks, I will of course do a blood test if she wants. The frustrating part is that I've already gone through this with previous consultants (and tried to explain this to the current Dr). I spend my life going round in circles with different docs.

[Troilus in reply to liz4949]

In that case Liz, maybe try ringing your consultant’s secretary, explain the GP is considering giving you allergy tests, but that you have had them done by the consultant. Ask if she could send you a copy of the results and also send one to your GP. Sometimes, if you speak to a nice one, they try their best to be helpful.

[Wheezycat in reply to Troilus]

Mind you, as far as I understand, allergies, what you are allergic to, can change, and new allergies start. So if that test was a while ago it might be disregarded.

[Xiave]

I agree with Troilus. Get the test done and if it's negative you can use that to show your doctor you're fine with dogs.

If it's positive, it's worth looking at how high it is. My cat IgE was technically positive, but it was very low and I've got two cats that I've never reacted to. I ended up in a bit of a dispute with my consultant over whether I was actually allergic to cats (he was adamant that I was while I think it was either a false positive or it just isn't high enough to cause an actual reaction). So on the off-chance that it is positive, if it's only just positive there's a good chance you might not be reacting anyway.

[liz4949 in reply to Xiave]

You may well be right. When I originally got tested for various allergens, my dog/cat allergies only came up as "mild" anyway. I've been to cat cafes and met other dogs without issue. I'll see how it goes.

[EmmaF91 Community Ambassador]

Hi

I’m allergic to cats. BT and skin prick tests both positive. Allergic to all cats apart from mine (well now my parents but that’s a different story). I I am away from him too long my allergy starts to build up again, but if I see him every week my body gets used to him. I usually say I’m allergic to all cats, but him, who I have built up immunity to. I get big issues with his mummy cat 😉, and with all my friends cats, but not him.

Stick to your guns. Stress is a known trigger for asthma (in fact most docs jump on that one even when you say you aren’t stressed 🙄🤦‍♀️), and you know you. If you feel the need keep a trigger diary. Known triggers, and symptoms you’ve had. Then ‘rubbed face on parents dog: nothing PF x (if pf is accurate for you), cuddled friends dog: cough PF, had a job interview: sob cough wheeze tight PF

If she doesn’t listen ask to change consultant...

[liz4949 in reply to EmmaF91]

I think I get prickly when Drs don't take me seriously because I've had bad experiences before - eg I don't always wheeze, and got sent home from a&e once because of this (I was accused of faking it). Went home + came back three days later - ended up in HDU on a drip for a week... one of many horror stories!

I'll go ahead with blood tests for this Dr but I do think she's barking up the wrong tree (no pun intended).

[Willow7733]

I would get the test done. Why would other people’s dog affect you, but not the one you own? If you get the test done, you will know if dogs are a trigger. I have a best friend who lives in the USA. She has severe dog allergies (which affects her asthma badly), but yet owns two dogs. You have to pick what you can live with.

[EmmaF91 Community Ambassador in reply to Willow7733]

You can build up an immunity/tolerance to a specific animal. Just like exposure allergy therapy people can go through for some foods. I never used to be allergic to my/my parents cat, but every other one I got a severe allergy. I moved and didn’t see the cat for 6 months and I was moderately allergic to him. Lots of short exposures tho has helped reduce the allergy back to mild. So there is hope I’ll be immune to him once more (rn it’s itchy eyes, mild asthma and a runny nose after a few hours). But all other cats it’s golf ball eyes, big asthma, tears and snot and hives within 10-30mins😅

[AirIsUnderrated in reply to EmmaF91]

I'm the same with cats, but only with black cat fur. White and ginger cats don't affect me. We wondered whether it was because we had a black cat when I was born, and that my immature immune system allowed the proteins into my blood stream along with milk, apples, fish oil and other things I had contact with before my body was developed enough to cope with them. But nowadays it is accepted that the darker the pigment in the cat hair, the worse the allergen can be, which is exactly my experience. Isn't that bizarre?

I can manage about 20 minutes in a black cat owner's home before I have to leave, sneezing and apologising, with tissues in one hand and inhaler in the other.

I wonder whether the colour of the pigment in dog hair makes the same difference?

[liz4949 in reply to Willow7733]

I'm a biomed with immunology specialism. Repeated exposure to a specific allergen (ie, one individual animal) can cause a degree of desensitisation. Many pet owners with allergies report having high tolerance for their own pets but not other animals. The human body is wild!

I never have asthma attacks anywhere near my dog. They tend to happen in the early hours of the morning, in my bedroom, which the dog has never been allowed to set foot in. Or at university when I got constant colds off other students. Dogs are a known trigger for me, but I take precautions with my family pet and I see no reason for any competent Dr to fixate on one potential trigger while denying my own experience (and medical knowledge).

[GYPSYMITCH]

Hi, are you able to change doctors to one who is more supportive regarding you knowing yourself better than anyone else! Always amazes me how a doctor can disregard what you say to them about yourself. I know this well with one doctor I had who I kept telling how unwell

I felt and she just ignored me; I them had 10 day stay in hospital. I made an official complaint about her lack of clinical and patient awareness and I now have a different doctor who is much more supportive and so is the practice in general and my specified asthma nurse is a legend.

[Griffon]

Hi Liz , All I can tell you is that I have spent a life time working professionally with hundreds of animals as well as countless pets , and they have never affected my asthma in any way . My asthma is primarily triggered by pollen / hay fever , so for example giving hay to my horses can trigger it - but not the horses themselves .

[Poobah]

I'm allergic to most animal dander, however, any family pet hasn't been a problem after a while as I became desensitised to them. But desensitisation therapy (immunotherapy) is available if a patient wants a quicker route to combating a specific allergy. The NHS would only offer it to the most severe cases but it's available privately.

Your new doctor doesn't sound like they have a great bedside manner. Sometimes we just won't get along with a doctor - at our GP practice it's common to see whoever one can get an appointment with (clearly some are more popular than others). I avoid anyone who's proved to be a disappointment. Are you able to see someone else? It maybe worth asking which GP is interested in allergies or stress/anxiety; some doctors have a greater interest in certain conditions and will therefore be more likely to listen and understand.

[liz4949 in reply to Poobah]

This is my hospital consultant, which is why I’m extra disappointed. I’ll see if I can change drs though!

[Poobah in reply to liz4949]

I should be surprised, but I'm not. I rarely see the same Dr at the hospital & every now and again one of them will come out with something I want to take issue with. Last year I had a NZ Dr tell me that Ventolin is no longer being prescribed. I couldn't let that one go and left with my meds in tact.

If they want to inflict their theories on me then by all means monitor me carefully while they do so, but not if I have to wait 6 months before I can say "that didn't work & my asthma is now rubbish, thank you."

My hospital team aren't allergy centric. They acknowledge triggers but they don't specialise, therefore they don't test. And they don't treat beyond Montelukast. I've had these discussions and even when I knew that one of my meds was causing asthma flares it was my decision to stop the med and present my improved health as evidence. Even then there was reluctance to accept the reality.

But I have since discovered that the research nurses attached to the team are very good when it comes to listening to the patient and exploring resolutions. They are good advocaters too.

I take Montelukast and find that I can tolerate friends and family pets much better than before.

But that doesn't help you with what you know your trigger to be. Would you feel comfortable discussing your stress and anxiety with your GP? That can be treated separately from your asthma. I've had treatment in the past and found it very helpful and my GP was very supportive.

If your old consultant treated your asthma with your stress in mind, can you seek similar treatment from your GP?

[Hidden]

Hello liz4949. I am going through something very similar! I know I react badly with cats, but have owned dogs of several different breeds all my life( now 63yrs old). We have owned our current JRTerrier rescue boy for 3yrs, but after a truly rotten year with my asthma, plus grotty post nasal drip, my absolutely fab, dog owning, GP and I suspect that some of it may be triggered by our dog. I have been referred back to the hospital Respiritory team who I haven't needed to see for 11yrs, & they are phoning on Friday next week. Our house is a very small end terrace, but I have got myself an "isolation space" in the conservatory and now sleeping in the spare bedroom which has been declared a "dog free zone" with an air filter installed!! GP has started me on Montelukast tablets and gradually building the dose from 4mg to 10mg( I am really sensitive to side effects so we always start low and build up slow🙄). I still have time with our furry family member when we go out for walks and can make a fuss of him in the fresh air. It's a right dilemma!! And it's done my anxiety no good either😳. Hey Ho!! I am sure there's a solution out there, just hope the consultant has some bright ideas too.

[hilary39]

I think it's definitely good to get allergy testing done (bloodwork and skin testing if you can) and to know exactly what your allergens are + how severe they are.

Many people who are allergic to pets still live with them and just take extra precautious--bathing pets regularly, keeping them out of the bedroom, vacuuming more often with a HEPA filter, using an air purifier, and taking allergy shots.

You may find you are able to do some/all of the above and happily keep your dog. And maybe if your parents' dog is setting you off too (I think you live separately?) you could ask them to vacuum more frequently.

But at the end of the day, it's important to know your bloodwork and triggers rather than guessing what makes you allergic since asthma is a serious disease and flares are nothing to mess with since they can cause dangerous attacks.

[liz4949 in reply to hilary39]

Hi, thanks for your reply! I should reiterate that I have multiple known allergy triggers, incl dogs, but my consultant seems keen to place the blame of my asthma attacks on this specific dog.. even though I lived away from home for three years and saw no difference in my health. I'm actually a biomed with specialisms in immunology so I'm not going to take risks with my health. I just get frustrated with drs not listening to me and my experience!

[hilary39 in reply to liz4949]

It is so frustrating, I completely understand. I have secondary adrenal insufficiency caused by years of prednisone use for asthma and it's a really rare condition so most of the time I know more about the condition than my doctors (I have read so many academic papers trying to understand it!) There's primary and secondary insufficiency and they actually manifest quite differently but most doctors refer to the textbook definition of primary insufficiency and get important things really wrong (e.g. how much I should be supplementing hydrocortisone and potassium and when) and it is SO frustrating to have to advocate for myself all the time and not be listened to.

The same has happened with my asthma too. It is so hard to have to be your own advocate when you feel awful and to have to gently and kindly repeat so many years of experience and knowledge about your body to doctors who are often overstressed and harried and running behind (especially with all the covid precautions slowing things down).

Just saying--I empathize! And I hadn't realized you'd lived away from the dog for years. Does sound odd indeed. Hopefully you can keep seeing a few different doctors til you find one who is better fit!

[liz4949 in reply to hilary39]

I do feel sorry for the Dr, she must be under stress at the minute, and it makes sense that they would look at the "textbook" facts first. Unfortunately it seems like many are reluctant to think outside the box. I dont wheeze during attacks and that has caused years of problems with some drs. Thanks so much for your advice, and I hope you're safe and well!

[hilary39 in reply to liz4949]

Oy I could write a thesis on how I don't wheeze during severe attacks and how so few doctors understand that severe asthma often manifests in the small airways where it's much harder to hear wheezing...!

So interesting how many of us on here say the same thing!

[liz4949 in reply to hilary39]

I’ve had one or two really fantastic consultants who have clearly spent time researching more severe / atypical asthma. sadly the majority of Drs seem to have really narrow experience. It’s validating to know I’m not alone but also deeply depressing that many people have been through the same pain!

[Banditqueen]

I can't speak to Asthma but I do have several allergy problems. It is made worse by stress and anxiety, most health problems are and your GP is the moron.

One thing I would say is get the blood test. At least then you can make an informed decision. I would also push for referal to an allergy or asthma clinic. You can also desensitise your reaction with the help of your specialist. You can also help with exposure at home. You might add some dietary changes and natural choices which help with calming you. Meditation can help as can aromatherapy and some other things, in addition to the medical help.

Don't stop taking medicine. Take the blood test. You can then discuss the problem with your family.

If the dog does go, then please rehome them yourself and vet the new home. 🙏 Don't send them to a shelter.

[liz4949 in reply to Banditqueen]

Unfortunately this is my specialist consultant. I already limit my exposure at home etc. Don't worry though, we've had this dog for a decade - we'd never get rid of her as there is absolutely no correlation between dog contact and my asthma attacks.

[Banditqueen]

Ah, yes and she is part of your family. The odd thing I found with my allergies which are very severe at times is no reaction to animals. Its a myth that you are allergic to everything on the list. I don't get hives either. I have had cats since I was twelve, that's ten years before my seasonal rhinitis began and it was another before all year rhinitis started and became very bad, with sinusitis thrown in for good luck and now I can't breathe properly. I have an allergic reaction to almost everything on the planet except animals. I have no idea why or how I developed breathing problems as well. My doctor started babbling about managing something else the other day which I didn't catch and now I can't get back to the surgery to ask. They seem to be unable to answer the phone. I had some blood tests all of which were normal so I think I will live, but it would be nice if doctors spoke in terms we can understand and didn't just blurt out a condition I didn't even know I had. I don't have any new symptoms apart from my knee but I know what that is and I really want to know what it was just in case. Now the surgery appears to be closed again and I don't know what the doctor was on about.

Sorry I shouldn't be babbling about me. The consultant sounds as if they need a better manner. Its not helpful to be so dismissive of your concern.

I would still go for the blood test just as a way in to probe them more. I know negative results are good but if something is wrong, we still need an explanation. I am wondering if your medication is having a negative effect on your reaction to things or is another trigger. You could be more stressed with all the unusual things going on now and not knowing can be stressful. I am guessing that may make asthma worse. I hope you find an excellent answer and good quality of life again. Stay safe and well and take care.

[Jimmy-Lyden]

This may not be the correct thing to say but, who's to know if you just say the dog has been rehoused? You only see this person in a work environment so he doesn't actually see the inside of your home. You appear to work in a similar field so I'll have to take you at your word, but I'd just tell a li'l white lie.

[peege]

Id just like to add that I think your doctor is an idiot! I cannot believe any doctor with knowledge of asthma would disagree that stress is a huge factor. Of course it is - and I agree with Jimmy-Lyden, just tell a little white lie.

I be.ieve its not written in stone that you have to see your allocated gp in a practice. My brilliant respiratory nurse suggested I see each gp in the practice until I find the best one for me.

Good luck with everything. P

[BrookeMyers]

Hi Liz!

I agree with peege. You really need to consider getting a second opinion from another doctor or change your doctor. I suffer from severe pollen allergies and bouts of asthma when the air quality is bad, which I manage with meds and apps (i use climacell). When I have doubts about what my gp says, I go to the emergency room saying that my allergies are flaring up, and seen a doctor. Or as others have suggested, you can just get the tests done for your peace of mind. Take care!

[AP92]

I have the same issue with my resp team. I have had a cat for 7 years but my symptoms have only started over the past 2 years when we moved into our new house. Doc is convinced it’s the cat as my specific IgE to cats was high.