Shedding allergies

[Guest]

I am looking for our famiy's first dog and we are very interested in a cairn terrier. They meet alot of our desires. However we are getting mixed messages as to their shedding and being a hypoallergic dog. Some in our family have allergies and we want a dog that is somewhat suitable for this problem. Can any one give us some information? Mark

[Posey]

We have a five month Cairn and do not notice any allergy from him. And my husband and I both have seasonal allergies. Hair shedding is little or next to none. We bathe and groom regularly.

Posey

[Guest posting as: Vicky]

I had a beautiful cairn pup for one week, but was forced to return him because of a severe allergic reaction (swollen eyes, mouth, and throat closing over). I have heard that it is not the actual hair, but rather the protein in saliva, dander, and urine that cause the reaction. I've never had this reaction with other dogs. My advice would be to really expose your family to the dog. My breeder had encouraged multiple visits, but I didn't pay attention to my reaction. The cairn certainly is a beautiful dog. I'm considering allergy shots!

[wags]

Wow!

My son at the age of 4 had a reaction like that and also hives from a German shepherd.

We have our cairn over a year and none of us had a reaction.

Good luck

[mOmOfaBe]

Hi,

Everyone in our household has some type of allergies. We have had Abe since October, we wonderful success!!! We do not follow cairn terrier recommendations about bathing however, he gets bathed regularly, and so far so good!

Good luck, because I can't imagine our life without Abe

[Melanie]

No allergies even though I am bothered by lots of other things. However, Maxwell is by far the worst of all my other dogs for shedding. We actually started clipping his coat even though they say to hand strip. He is much cuter with his hair on his body a nice length and his face hairy. I brush him but I find his hair all over our bed, furniture and wherever else he sits. But....he may shed the most but he is the most comical, loving and energetic dog I have ever had as well. I love him so much and enjoy every day with him.

Good Luck,

Melanie

[CarCarDawn]

Hi! Having had golden retrievers all my life - -and having to raise the last 2 outside due to severe allergies on behalf of my husband and youngest daughter - - we have found that a Cairn is a great dog to raise inside without all the shedding and allergic reactions! Riley hardly sheds at all - - and all my family members can hold him and play with him without consequences.

[Nellie]

My husband and I got Martin when he was 9 weeks old and he is now 2 years old. I have had severe asthma since forever and have never had an allergic reaction to him. He even sleeps in our bed. He does shed.....a lot! What is this "stripping" that others have spoke of?

[hallswel]

My oldest son has allergies and when we had just the Cairn in the house he didn't have any problems. When our bird a sun conure gets in his new feathers he has some problems. But now we have the little pug and they really shed, I have to brush him every other day or we have hair everywhere and my sons allergies are worse. Rebel the Cairn does shed some but if I brush him once a week and use the Mars rake once a month he doesn't have much hair lose.

We also add a supplement to his food to make sure his coat keeps the oily texture. Now that his coat is healthy his shedding is almost non exsistent.

[springlady]

Drew, at 8.5 months, has never shed a hair to my knowledge. My son is allergic to everything that flowers, breathes or walks and has no problem at all with Drew. Our former dog, an Aussie, shed like the dickens. I am talking tumbleweed. Drew seems to hang onto his hair and I also use a Mars rake on him every once in a while. No bath as yet, and he smells as sweet as a, as a, well, a dog. I don't want to strip him much yet as the weather here in Connecticut is too cold still. Would love some input on how to get the face cleaned up. Anyone able to help?

[Padfoot]

Our current pup is the 3rd Cairn I've known in my life, and shedding has never been an issue. My take is that if you brush them frequently, the loose hair will end up on the brush, and not on your carpet or furniture. Maybe the confusion in what you've read has to do with the fact that they are just very hairy little dogs! They do have a lot of hair, so of course some will fall out. But the only time I've seen hair on the carpet was with my previous Cairn, who had severe allergies himself, and would chew himself raw and pull out his own hair (until he was treated for the allergies).

I'm quite allergic to cats, but have never had problems with dogs, and definitely not with Cairns. My kids and I both have a lot of pollen allergies, so I suppose the dog may contribute a bit by bringing in grass and whatnot on his coat, but a couple swipes with unscented baby wipes, and a quick brush, and that's pretty much taken care of.