I had a wonderful dog who I loved very much. Sadly he very suddenly passed away last week. Literally overnight, after he has not been in the house, I have had zero asthma symptoms. No wheezing, no sob - nothing!! My allergist says he's not convinced and thinks that at the end of the summer/grass pollen season we will know for sure.
It had always been interesting to me that when on holiday away from the dog that I didn't have symptoms either!!
Has anyone had a similar experience?
I thought that it can take deep cleans and several weeks for allergens to actually be gone (if trying out if a pet not being there helps), if it's been there for a long time, as opposed to a brief visit.
I would have thought if it was the dog then things would have been more obvious if you had any time away from him, eg ok at work but noticeably worse at home. But....did you clear out his beds etc? Just wonder if it could have been those?
Also sorry for your loss - losing a pet is really hard. He was gorgeous.
Hi twinkly29
Yes, I've literally cleaned everything - all the cushions and curtains, his bedding - the lot!!! We have wooden floors, so no carpets to think about.
I did notice when away from him for a week last year I didn't have any asthma either and wondered if...!!
I guess it'll be a waiting game over the next few weeks...
Thanks for your comments about him too - we miss him lots xx
I am sorry to hear that you have lost your dog but am very interested that your asthma has improved so quickly. It usually takes me several weeks after my mother’s dog comes to visit before I can breath easily again and I am considering replacing my carpets with solid flooring in the interest of family harmony. I would be very interested to know how you are getting on in a month or so.
Yes - will do!! We don't really have any soft furnishings, which could explain the rapid change. We have leather sofa and wooden floors, not really any curtains (we have electric blinds outside our windows) and only one rug - which I steam cleaned the day after he passed. I washed all the net curtains, cushions and the blanket he used to lay on....and he never went upstairs.....Let's see! With the grass season just starting, I see a lot of people suffering around me! My allergist says that maybe, although I am less allergic to dogs than to tree/grass pollen, with the constant low level exposure to him, might explain why....
Very sorry for your loss.
sorry to hear about your lovely dog. It is good news however that you are not having asthma symptoms at the moment. Can i ask if you had already had an allergy test to confirm you are allergic to dogs/pet dander? I ask as i had a blood test which confirmed no allergy to pet dander but my asthma/sinuses started at the same time as having our first family pets (rabbit and hamster).
Hi CharlieLondon
Yes, I had an allergy test (prick skin test) and it showed I am allergic to dogs and cats, and various tree and grass pollens. I haven't had a blood test to show if it is dog dander or dogs in general, but I think I will do that soon as I really would like to get a dog in the future as long as it doesn't put my health at risk.
Very sorry for your loss. You must miss your babe a lot. My little one is old and dying of cancer and dread how awful it will be when she goes soon.
Not had the same experiences as you but if your symptoms went when you were away from your dog and then they are gone now it sounds very much like you are right to me, for what it is worth. I have four dogs, they are virtually hairless, as far as I know they have no connection to my asthma, but I CAN get times when the asthma seems to go away totally for no apparent reason, and then get worse or be there for no apparent reason, have given up trying to figure it all out. I won't bother to travel for hours to talk to a "specialist" whenever I did that in the past they would just make wild random guesses which made no sense, I can do that myself.
Allergy test
Pet Asthma Trigger
Allergy to Dogs
