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There are certain breeds of dogs that are relatively hypoallergenic that your DH might be okay with. Labordoodles are the only ones off the top of my head that I know have this characteristic but I'm sure there are others. You'd have to try visiting with a potential dog a few times before committing in order to make sure your DH doesn't react, but there may still be some possibilities for you to consider.
EDIT: Here are some sites I found that list dogs that could be possibilities. Definitely something to look into if you and your DH want a pet!
http://www.akc.org/about/faq_allergies.cfm
http://www.dogguide.net/dog-breeds-for-allergies.php
http://www.dogbreedinfo.com/allergy.htm
http://www.petplace.com/dogs/top-dog-breeds-for-people-with-allergies/page1.aspx
http://www.dogbiz.com/faq-allergies.htm
@Mrs.KMM: Apparently even the hypoallergenic dogs give off enough dander that it would affect DH horribly. The doctor said the only way we could do it would be to have a small hypoallergenic dog, like a Yorkie, and have it groomed twice a month and specially bathed to get rid of the dander at least monthly. We could also not let it in the bedroom and we could never have any type of carpeting. It would just become a huge hassle.
@Mrs.KMM:Those dogs usually help when the allergy is a pet hair allergy. All animals have dander, as it is just dead skin. So unless they are making a dog that never sheds skin flakes, dander allergies are hard.
I feel your pain! I would love to have a pet, but my SO is highly allergic too. He's never been tested, but sometimes he has trouble breathing if we're staying somewhere that has pets, and he get itchy too. We were going to try and get a Schnauzer dog because they are a breed that has hair and doesn't shed. Only problem was that when we went to visit one, my FH got hives all over his arms. Whenever I get sad about it I just try to think of the good things about not having a pet... like we don't have to change our schedules to be home for a dog, and we save money by not having a pet. Weak arguments, but they make me feel a little better.
Check this out: http://www.allerca.com/ a company that sells hypoallergenic pets.
Haha they are like $8000 for a cat!
@KatNYC2011: Certain dog breeds produce very small amounts of dander while others produce a lot of dander (this has no corolation to the amount of hair and shedding). Many of the breeds that produce very little dander produce a small enough amount that most allergy sufferers don't have issues with them.
Oh, no! I'm so sorry.
I love dogs and would be equally upset in your shoes. Fingers crossed that there are some new allergy drugs in your future.
What about a pet pig? Seriously...they're smarter then dogs, I want one.
@mrs.peters.to.be: Yowza! Those animals are over $10k! I don't want a pet that badly, lol. Plus the site kinda creeps me out...it's like made to order animals.
@Mrs.KMM: Thanks for the suggestions...like I said, we would have to have the dog groomed constantly and bathed specially at least once a month in order to make it even bearable for DH, and I would hate to go through that and bond with a pup and have him STILL have allergies.
@PinkBubbleGum: Thanks I'll try to use those reasons as well!
@teaadntoast: Thanks :( Especially living in NYC--I feel like everyone here has a dog, no?
@hilsy85: Yeah. My husband jokes that I have puppy fever like some people have baby fever and sometimes it seems like everyone has a dog but us.
A bird? Not cuddly and cute like a puppy though.
@soonerpsych: exactly :( kinda the same issue with a reptile and a bunny, and the main reason I wanted a dog, not a cat (even though I know they can be cuddly too).
Oh, I am so sorry! I know the feeling of being in NYC and not being able to have a pet (building has a no pet policy), it bites.
I'm sorry, (((((HUGS)))))
I feel your pain--I'm highly allergic to basically everything--and I'm a huge animal lover, especially dogs (well, I can't even be around cats for more than a couple minutes so I can't really love them). I still manage to have 2 wonderful doggies. Some suggestions:
1. Allergy shots--did em for 5ish years. Always had a bad reaction to them, and they didn't help. But they work for some people so it's worth a try I guess.
2. Meds! I take two allergy meds every single day (Zyrtec and Singulair, which is Rx only), and I have a stash of Claritin for when the allergies are really bad.
3. "Hypoallergenic," small dogs. My oldest dog is a Pomapoo (hence the name) and I got him b/c I thought since he was half poodle, he wouldn't shed or make me allergic. He's adorable and crazy smart, but he sheds and if I spend a while petting him I have to go wash my hands. The second pup we got is a Yorkie-poo (half yorkie, half toy poodle). Since neither parent sheds, he doesn't either, and I have NO allergies with him. I shave him when his hair gets long. He's the sweetest dog on earth.
4. Hypo-allergenic bedding, furminator (get it on Amazon, not at a retail store), leather furniture, hdwood floors, vacuum and wash pillowcases once a week...
Good luck hun!
@hilsy85: I know I'm sorry I had to post it! Just shows the lengths some people will go..... That website is almost like they're selling cloned animals or something right? I think they are similar to that because they must be genetically altered.
I know it's not the same, but I had a parakeet in college when I lived my parents, and they really bond with their humans. He would sit on my chest and press his beak against my lip and fall asleep like that. He also had about a ten word vocabulary that included my name. In my native language he would say "Meliss, dear Meliss, sweet Meliss". Of course not knowing what it meant, but still :)
Did the allergist speak with your FI about the quick method of allergy shots? It can cut two years off the treatment. You go in one day and get two years of shots all at once. It's MISERABLE that day, but it's totally worth it. It's also what cured me of my needle phobia. I was highly allergic to cats, trees, weeds, grasses, molds, etc., and I was at the high end of moderately allergic to dogs, horses, dust, etc. After two and a half years of shots, I ended up moderately allergic to cats and one or two weeds and one mold, slightly allergic to several other trees/weeds/grasses/molds, and completely cured of my dog, dust, horse, etc. allergies. I live in an apartment now with two cats, and as long as I take a Claritin D every morning, I'm fine. I still have some slight reactions, especially during hay fever season, but it's manageable and totally worth it for my kitties and the dogs we hope to someday have.
my mom is allergic to dogs for both some protein in their saliva plus dander, and for years as kids she said we couldn't have a dog, and then she made the mistake of once saying that in front of a doctor who told her to check out bichon frises. we had one for 17 years and my mom didn't have any problem with her. she definitely didn't groomed all that often but we did brush her once or twice a week. i'm sure each person is different, but jusy throwing it out there, as i know how sad i'd be if i found out i could never have a dog! be careful with rabbits though....we once tried to get one and my mom had such a bad allergic reaction she ended up in the hospital...and our rabbit went back the same day we bought it :(
my other pet obsession is miniature pigs, i totally want one! i saw someone walking one on a leash in union square just last week.
http://www.nydailynews.com/lifestyle/pets/2009/10/08/2009-10-08_teacup.html
Aw, I feel for you, that is sad! If even the hypoallergenic pets aren't a solution for you guys, maybe you could scratch your pet-lover itch every once in a while by going with a friend (not your husband) to watch dogs at an off-leash dog park, or volunteer to play with the animals at a shelter or adoption event. Or go over and dog-sit for a friend who's going out for an evening.
I'm so sorry. I have two furbabies, and I can't imagine not having a dog. When I was in undergrad, I was away from my parent's dog and obviously couldn't have one in the dorms, so I'd go to the shelter and play with their dogs. Walk them, pet them, force myself not to adopt them RIGHT THERE. It's not the same as having your own, but it's still nice to be able to play, and it's nice for the dogs to get out of the cages.
My dad is highly asthmatic allergic to dogs and cats. If we had one growing up it probably would have killed him it's that bad. So, needless to say I've never had a "fur baby." I don't want to be a sourpuss, but even "hypoallergenic" dogs trigger my dad's allergies. To add to PinkBubbleGum's reasons to look on the bright side, there is (of course) your husband's health :) Make friends with dog owners and borrow them for a walk and playtime, maybe?
I have two parrots (and a dog). They amke me laugh CONSTANTLY, they love being hugged and petted, and they talk!
:)
@pb and j: Completely agree with you about rabbit allergies! My mum has a slight allergy to dogs and when my childhood dog passed we got a rabbit and mum had pretty bad reactions to him (we kept him outside and mum just kept her distance or took meds if she wanted to play with him)!
Maybe you could get a smaller cage pet so that dander around the house wouldn't be an issue? Maybe something like a hamster or ferret or rabbit. (I'd have him tested though just to be sure.)
I think it's important to put your DH's comfort above your desire to have a pet. Dogs are great. Dogs and a sneezing miserable husband? Not so much...
@MightySapphire: No, of course...I would never ever want DH to be miserable. And he's so sweet--he's totally willing to go through with the allergy shots, but I would feel terrible making him get a shot a week for 6 months, and then the next 4 years, just so I can get a pet. As for ferrets and rabbits, I don't know...they don't really appeal to me. I want a cuddle furry puppy, the bigger the better (I love big dogs), so I think it's a dream that will have to die!
Thanks to everyone else for the ideas and your condolences, lol. I'll have to live vicariously through other people's fur babies!
My husband is extremely allergic to cats. An hour or two at my BIL's house and his asthma acts up. He's actually allergic to dogs as well btu they've always had pets and he's since grown immune to dogs. Every now and then his allergy acts up with our pup but 98% of the time he's good.
So, there's hope!
@hilsy85: :( That's too bad since puppies are such a blessing.
Maybe you could get your fix by sitting for a friend's dog or spending some time working at a shelter or boarder. It's not the same but you could get some cuddly puppy time.
@hilsy85: lol okay so maybe i'm crazy for saying this... but if he's willing to get the shots, and the shots will make him not miserable around a dog, and they won't be a financial hardship... let him get the shots! I am just such a pet person and I honestly feel like my dog drastically improves my (and FI's) quality of life. I really think pets are "worth it" if you can afford them.
@CorgiTales: Ahh I would just feel so bad, especially because he doesn't even really want a dog. He never had one growing up and finds the concept of owning a pet kind of strange, so I would just feel so guilty making him go through this extensive treatment for something he doesn't even want. You're right, I SHOULD just take him up on the offer...but I feel bad, lol.
Also, we'd have to wait til he's done with allergy treatments to get a dog, and that wouldn't be for another 4-5 years...
I feel bad for your DH... nobody wishes to have those kinds of allergies or symptoms. Just think of a pet alternative... there are many out there.
Turtles make great pets... I know it's no dog or cat... but they do have personality :)
As far as the shots go...I have to get shots all the time. Like more than just annually. I had one shot series that was 2 weeks, 4 weeks, 8 weeks, 6 months, 1 year, and now annually. I had another shot series that's biannual. I have 6 annual shots I have to get. I have two 5 year shots.
All that to say: Shots suck. For like, a day. Then it's done. If he is willing, I'd take him up on that. If after the first shots he changes his mind, no loss. But maybe once he's done with the shot series he WILL be excited to have a pet because he knows it won't be associated with pain or discomfort. Maybe he'll fall in love with a fluffy shelter dog and you'll all live happily ever after.
I guess what I meant by my last comment was I don't think you should push him, but if he is offering, then accept. You're giving him an opportunity to be good to you. Take the offer, and love him all the more for his sacrifice! :-)
@redbullfanatic: oh my god did you see the teacup pig they had in one of the magazines!!! I want one so bad!
Hey,
I am just like your DH. I am highly allergic to cats and dogs as well as everything else in the world. I'm serious... I'm even allergic to a chemical in rain. Can you believe that? Plus, I'm also highly asthmatic. I started undergoing the shots and they didn't really help me all that much. I went through a shot a week for about a year and a half. What I do now is I just take prescription allergy pills every morning and I can now be around my dogs and cats with little to no issues. My favorite over the counter pill is zyrtec. I would recommend him trying that and going to an animal shelter and spending an hour or so with some breeds. Then you can see how well his allergies will match up. That way you can see if the meds will allow you to have a pet.
Good luck. As an animal lover myself, I hope you get to get a pet! :)
That totally sucks. :(
My husband was allergic to pet dander when he was a kid, luckily I'm pretty sure he's grown out of it (we have three cats).
awe thats really just too bad. at least you were able to have animal love while growing up though. I really really want a pet soon, but no animals are allowed were I'm currently living, and I grew up with no pets whatsoever, I'm hoping I'll eventually be able to get one.
@redbullfanatic: lol if only they were more common! I love piggies <3
There are dander free dogs out there. I'm pretty allergic to dogs, a bit allergic to cats. We had a Bichon Frise and poodles growing up and I didn't have problems with them. As for the cats, we try to keep things vacuumed and have a fan on constantly in the bedroom to filter the air.
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DH went to an immunologist today to be tested for allergies. He's had pet allergies all his life, but I"ve really been pushing for a puppy lately and so he went to go see just how bad it is. It turns out that he's HIGHLY allergic to dogs for multiple reasons, but mainly their dander. If he wanted to do treatment to get rid of his allergies, it would be 4 1/2 years of shots. He's also highly allergic to cats. Sooo this basically means no pets for us, ever :( I'm feeling really bummed about it, especially because I always imagined us having a dog while we had kids--I had a dog growing up and loved it.
Maybe they'll come out with new allergy medications in a few years...