Hypoallergenic?

[JackieNY]

Hello,

I grew up with a cairn terrier (and other dogs and cats). In my adult years I developed some allergies. Mostly to cats and horses, and with dogs it really depends on the dog. Finally we are thinking about getting a dog.. and of all the "hypoallergenic" dogs I saw online the only one I like is the cairn. Does anyone know if they really are hypoallergenic? A breeder I contacted said no, a cairn facebook page never responded.. I'm not sure who else to ask so I thought I'd try here. Any experience to share?

[Guest dog person]

It depends.   I know someone, back when, that had allergies to cats and dogs.

They really wanted a family dog,  after much research they got a coton-de-tulear and did well with this breed .  I know things were going well 10 years in.,..,...

lhttps://www.akc.org/dog-breeds/coton-de-tulear/

Even though some dogs don't shed, they still have dander, so, it depends on how sensitive you are, and some dogs give off more dander than others.

Unfortunately, there is only one way to find out.

Good luck

PS:   I am allergic to cats,  however, some cats I react to, and others I don't.

Sometimes the symptoms don't show up till a day or two later after exposure.(nasal congestion, headache)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited July 20, 2018 by dog person

[bradl]

Agree … it depends but I don't think any breeds are guaranteed hypoallergenic. Cairns  *tend* to be on the low end of the reaction continuum for most folks. My wife is very allergic to cats, wildly allergic to birds, quite allergic to her sisters Pyr, but fine with our Cairns. Weirdly, she is sometimes has a slight contact allergy when they are wee pups. 

The very best thing to do is find a passel of them and find out. Most breeders are not unfamiliar with folks needing to get a read on sensitivity by meeting some.

Another way is go to a show with a large Cairn entry and see if you can meet and perhaps pet a few well before show time (once ring time gets close, the exhibitors need to be focused on their dogs and would prefer the dogs not be handled once they are spiffed up for the ring). An hour or so before ring time though they are likely to be brushing and fussing and often enjoy talking about the breed. Just ask if now is a good time, etc. 

[Guest dog person]

Have  you considered getting allergy shots.   I know of someone that discovered he was allergic to cats after he gave his little boy a kitten. He only needed the treatment for less than a year.      He said every thing was fine as long as the cat was kept out of the bedroom :-)   The cat stayed!

I guess everyone is different and maybe his allergy symptoms were mild. 

"Allergen immunotherapy, also known as desensitization or hypo-sensitization, is a medical treatment for some types of allergies. It is useful for environmental allergies, allergies to insect bites, and asthma"

Edited July 21, 2018 by dog person

[hheldorfer]

The only way to be sure is to spend time with the dog.  Our current dogs - Cairn and Silky Tzu - don't seem to affect me, whereas the neighborhood Newfie can send me into fits of sneezing if I get too close.

I have allergies to bee stings, mold, pet dander, pollen and dust mites and didn't know about them until I was in my mid-50's when I finally decided to get tested.  I've always had dogs and I've always been a gardener, but my sinuses had begun to make me miserable.  Long story short:  I tried the immunotherapy injections for about two years and they did absolutely nothing for me.  That's not to say they wouldn't help you, but be aware that they are less effective on older people.  (Not sure where you land on the age demographic.)  

[Sam I Am]

Yes the injections didn’t work for me either...and that was a long time ago. I am actually allergic to dogs also but I just live with it. The companionship of the dogs far out way the sneezing etc. And of course remember allergies can crop up out of know where and they also can seem to disappear. I have had horses all my life and while I was in twenties(many years ago) out of the blue  the allergies hit me full force, and  had to take an antihistamine prior to going near my horse. After about a year they disappeared to never return..thank goodness. 

I did go to an allergist and he said to me , do you have any animals and if we find out you are allergic to them will you get rid of them. Of course my answer was no! So the whole visit was basically useless.