Anyone have a dog that is allergic to humans?

[SunQuest]

Hi all,

We have been having terrible problems with allergies in our pit. He is rubbing himself raw. Anyway, we did allergy testing to see what foods and things that we have to eliminate to help him.

Well, it turns out the his biggest allergy is to Human hair and dander! UGG! What do we do?

I have to give him very expensive medicine right now to help, and a corn/wheat/barley free diet to go with it. He is allergic to peanuts, venison, and brewer's yeast also, so his diet is really restricted as well. This is going to cost me about $200.00 for the first month just for the meds, and then hopefully we will be able to start to taper off the dosages to every other day are less.

But, the issue is that he is also allergic to our back yard also. Grasses, trees, weeds, evergreens, ect. So we can't find any place that he can be away from his allergens.

Any alternative ideas on allergy relief aside from perscription drugs and allergy shots? We are at a loss and this guy is so good natured that we don't want to give up, but something has to help him!

 

[ThreeCFarm]

Sorry, no help here, but I have to say, I never gave it a thought that a dog could be allergic to us! It makes sense, as we can be allergic to them, but still!

Good luck with him.

 

[barefoot]

Have you considered a RAW diet. Also called the BARF diet. Alot of dogs allergies go away when the are put on a biologically appropriate raw food diet. You can look up lots of info on the internet. Their immune system improves. Look into also avoiding vaccines with him. Look up info and make your own decision. I am Not totally against vaccines, but in cases like this I think it just aggrivates the problem. The RAW diet helped a 11 year old crippled with arthritis Great Pyranese(sp?) when we put him on raw meat and bones. His arthritis disapeared and started running and going on long walks. He is now 13 and just started to slow down again.

Emma

 

[SunQuest]

Thanks Emma for the idea. I have considered a diet where I would cook all of his food, but since he is a pitbull, I don't really want to feed him human food as the rule in our house has been no human food for him or any pit that we have ever owned. The reason for this is that although he is a wonderfully sweet dog, we are don't ever want him to think it is ok to just take food from humans so in case he gets loose or is in a park he won't accidentally think he should have a little kid's ice cream or something. I know it is being a bit paranoid, but I just don't even want to risk someone thinking he is agressive. Of course I expect better manners than that and do train all of my dogs not to just take food, but one never knows.

But anyway, yes, I did consider an all natural diet. It is just being allergic to humans that gets me. I never thought that dogs would be allergic to us. OH!

 

[mininik]

I agree with the suggestion of an all natural diet. Your dog's body needs all the help it can get fighting those allergens from the inside as well as out. Whether or not your dog is going to take something from someone will really depend upon the situation and his training. Consider that if your dog gets loose and happens across a child, he or she could just as likely be out with some dog treats for the family dog. Your dog doesn't know the difference between "people food" or "dog food," and in most cases there really isn't one, except quality. Many dog foods contain junk you would never consider feeding to your dog if you could see it before it's processed.

I almost forgot to mention: I would get hepa filters for the air in your home and car (if the dog travels with you), not to mention a vacuum with hepa filter, and start using hypoallergenic and environmentally friendly cleaning products everywhere you can (everything from cleaning sprays to laundry detergent). I'd wash the dog in dog shampoo that is hypoallergenic and environmentally friendly often. Keeping everything clean should help A LOT, but regular cleaning products are very harsh and may cause more problems. I would have your dog sleep and travel in a crate which can be wiped out before use. Outside I would look into building a kennel with raised panneling for the floor, plus crushed granite for a potty area, which will be easy to wash off before you let the dog out.