Asthma and dog dander with entact male dog, biologic therapy- tezspire.

[Teach66]

Hello all,

I am hoping that someone can advise me please.

I have atopic eczema and have recently been diagnosed specifically with having atopic eosinophilic asthma.

I am now having biologic therapy for my asthma, specifically, tezspire once a month. So far I have had three injections. It's early days, I know, but my respiratory nurse has said that I should start to see an improvement in my symptoms after the third or fourth injection. My biggest and most annoying symptom is a constant phlegmy chest/cough. My chest gurgles all the time. So far, I have not felt any improvement with this.

My consultant tested me for various allergies. My blood test revealed the following:

Aspergillus fumigat RAST tst: 0.41 KUA/L (normal range: - 0.35)

Dog dander RAST test: 52.20 KUA/L (normal range: - 0.35)

House dust mite RAST test: 25.50 KUA/L (normal range: - 0.35)

Grass pollen RAST test: 11.00 KUA/L (normal range: - 0.35)

Tree pollen RAST test: 1.84 KUA/L (normal range: - 0.35)

As said above, I constantly suffer with a phlegmy cough. Sometimes I have a runny nose and itchy eyes, plus, I also suffer from atopic eczema and often get nasty skin flare ups.

As you can see from my blood test result, I have a high allergy to dog dander. My problem is, is that I live with a nearly 3 year old entact male Labrador, whom I adore very much. My asthma was well controlled up until the time our Labrador started to get his adult fur. Before we had our Labrador, we had a castrated, male, cross German Shepherd/Collie for 13 years. My asthma was well controlled and not a problem when we had him. The difference between the two dogs is that my old dog was neutered and my new dog is not.

I have been doing some research and have read that entact male dogs give out a specific allergen called CAN f 5. Research suggests that some people with asthma may be specifically allergic to this allergen. I am wondering if this is me? Research also suggests that people who are particularly susceptible to the CAN f 5 allergen, may be able to live with female dogs or male, neutered dogs.

What I am wondering is this - are my current allergic symptoms, i.e. constant phlegmy cough, etc., a reaction to having an entact male dog in the house? Therefore, I am wondering if my symptoms would improve if we were to get our dog neutered?

I would like to know if, and where, I could get this specific test - the CAN f 5 allergen, carried out? My choice is not to get my dog neutered but if I find that I have a specific reaction to the CAN f 5 allergen, then I would definitely have him neutered in the hope that it would improve my asthma (and eczema) symptoms. I am willing to pay privately for the test.

Would any of you knowledgeable people happen to know or be able to give any insight into all or some of the above please?

Thank you in advance.

[Mandevilla]

I would suggest getting him neutered anyway, unless you are planning to breed from him - it reduces the risk of a number of different conditions for the dog and can make him feel calmer and happier too.

It might also be worth looking at getting advice regarding changing his diet - I know a few people who have altered their dog's diet and found as a side bonus that there is less of a dander issue - grain free and raw food diets might be particularly worth exploring.

[Teach66 in reply to Mandevilla]

Thank you for your reply Mandevilla . I'm sure there are many pros and cons to having him neutered. He is already a calm and happy dog. My worry with having him neutered is a possible negative change in his behaviour. My last dog, who was neutered, was dog reactive, and I don't want to go down that road again if I can help it.

Thank you for your advice regarding his diet. I will look into this too.

Thanks 😊

[Mandevilla in reply to Teach66]

I would discuss your concerns with your vet - I can understand reluctance to neuter if your last dog became dog reactive after, but this would not have been caused by the neutering, so it's well worth considering.

[Teach66 in reply to Mandevilla]

I agree that the reactivity in my last dog was probably not due to being neutered. To be fair, he had encountered a few bad interactions before we rescued him. I have read that neutering can cause a less confident dog to become even more less confident.

[CANINE12 in reply to Teach66]

If your dog was nervous then it's now advised that neutering can make the dog more fearful because of the reduction in testosterone.

Bathing the dog every 3 weeks and using conditioner specifically for dogs as their pH is different to ours. (I used to be a dog groomer.) Blast drying will get rid of loose hair but a dog grooming salon is the place for that as you are allergic. People who are allergic to dogs are allergic to the saliva as well as the dander. No breed of dog is hypoallergenic. Taking antihistamines 365 days a year could be an option but obviously one to be discussed with your medical team.

I doubt very much that neutering would change your dog to being fearful. The only thing that will cause your dog to be fearful is from a bad experience. An animal behaviourist would be the person for advice on behavioural issues as well as dog training. There are unregulated dog trainers out there, but you can be assured that one who has trained in animal behaviour should be OK.

[Teach66 in reply to CANINE12]

CANINE12 thank you for your response.

I already take an antihistamine everyday and have done so for a few years now.

Yes, I understand that regular grooming at a grooming parlour would also be beneficial both for myself and my dog. The amount of hair that comes off him fills my vacuum in two days 🫣!

I accept your point about his behaviour changing negatively if he were to have a bad experience with another dog, rather than the reason being neutering.

I will do more research into the pros and cons of neutering.

Thank you 😊

[fraid]

Your dog should be neutered anyway, unless you intend to breed from him( please don't, far too many dogs not enough forever homes) it would be frustrating for him not to mate, plus he won't get testicular cancer. So I should do it anyway for the dog's welfare and your own. A regular bath, brushing, wiping over with a damp cloth will keep the dander down, air purifier, antihistamines? Don't know if you can get a test for such a specific allergy but hope this may help. So many people give up pets coz they're allergic but you can work round that. Good luck. 🤞

[Teach66 in reply to fraid]

Hi fraid ,

Thanks for your reply.

We do not intend to breed from our dog. I agree with you, there are too many dogs in need of a forever home.

I have air purifiers in the home and I take an antihistamine everyday.

I have absolutely no intention of finding my dog a new home. I love him too much. However, if neutering him would help with my allergies, then I would not hesitate to do this.

Thanks again.

[fraid]

Neutering makes dogs less aggressive, less testosterone, perhaps your other dog had other issues as no reason neutering would make him more aggressive. I had a neutered gsd who was a complete chicken but would run at a dog on a lead. 🤔

[runcyclexcski]

The test result for the dog antigen IgE is very high. In my experience, letting go of the pet is the first advice the doctors give. It's a tough choice, but it's your helath.

I love cats and I am not allergic to them, but I would never get one, b.c. allergies can develop, and then I would not want to face this choice.

[Teach66 in reply to runcyclexcski]

runcyclexcski Thanks for your reply.

[Jolu29]

Hi you can take more than one anthestimes ask your gp consultant, I can take 2 fentofexadine and half puritan if needed gp advice. I hsve 3 cats allergic and in Trespize injection on second not working yet.

[Teach66 in reply to Jolu29]

Hi Jolu29 thanks for your reply.

I take one fexofenadine a day. I wasn't aware that you could up the dose. I will ask my respiratory nurse about this.

Good luck with your tezspire injections 🤞🏻. Please let me know how you get on with them. I'm interested to hear other people's stories regarding their experience with tezspire too.

Thanks 😊

[Jolu29 in reply to Teach66]

Hi, I had bad reaction to first one did have viral infection brewing, had joint pain 2 lots antibiotics and steroids was off work w weeks. I've been told see how this one goes they can change it. I'm on half term hoping just hoping it's not as bad. Chest bit sore today really tired. Il keep u posted. Have you appointment with consultant for 6 months see how u get on.

[Thomas45]

Back in the day in 1974 when my asthma first appeared at the age of 29, I was tested for allergens and found to have 3, cat dander, human hair and house dust mite. I was then given a series of injections during about 3 months which were to desensitise my reaction to these allergens. The injections worked, and I've enjoyed the company of cats ever since. They've all been neutered, to give them a happier life.I understand that the NHS no longer uses desensitisation of allergens.

[lovethemountains in reply to Thomas45]

That's fantastic, Thomas!

my first allergist had that plan, and it seemed to be working. I moved 15 years ago and have never found an allergist who didn't think I was his retirement plan, that is to say, they expected me to receive the shots forever.

I'm allergic to dust/dust mites, feathers & fur, and every green thing for which they tested.

[Photog24]

I’m allergic to dog dander and find I am much worse around dogs with a short coat and read in a book that this is common. I have a Westie and am fine with him. I can’t be around Labradors as much as I love them. I know that isn’t very helpful but don’t know if neutering would be the answer but it sounds as though you have done your research.

[Gwalltarian]

Perhaps a course of antibiotics might dry up your cough - is the phlegm coloured or clear? You could try an everyday cough medicine too. I recently found that taking a tonic - Feroglobulin- following a cough that eventually went low enough to affect my chest and give me asthma symptoms - actually cleared it all. Previous coughs and colds over the last few years have always left me with a chest infection that needed a full course of antibiotics to clear.

I believe there are different strengths of antihistamines - you could ask to try a stronger one or increase the dose. Alternatively or in addition, you could ask to try Montelukast which controls allergies in a different way to antibiotics.

In addition you need to be scrupulous about keeping not only the dog clean but also his bedding - as well as the house etc. I can always smell when either an animal or its bedding affects me

[Teach66 in reply to Gwalltarian]

Gwalltarian thanks for your reply.

My phlegmy is usually white in colour, so I don't think I need a course of antibiotics.

I also already take montelukast.

We clean the dog's bed frequently.

Thanks for the advice 😊

[lovethemountains]

you might try wiping the dog down every morning with a damp cloth or a disposable wipe.

my poor pooch has been living in the laundry room for months now because suddenly, I'm unable to tolerate his dander/shedding fur. He's going on 10 years.

[strongmouse]

I don't know about the test you mention, but I am allergic to both dog and cat dander. It is possible to use a spray on the animal's skin which neutralises the protein causing the reaction. (Test a small patch before using on the animal's skin).

My son asked us to look after his dog while away on holiday and it worked well -

allergybestbuys.co.uk/colle...

I use a Hepa filter at home which extracts allergens from the air. You can also find out a lot about protecting against dust mite allergies on the same website.

[Teach66 in reply to strongmouse]

strongmouse thanks for your reply.

I found this spray last week and ordered it to give it a go. Hopefully it will help 🤞🏻.

Thanks