Have allergy shots worked for you?

Allergy shots have done wonderful things for my brother and father, although no concerning pet allergies, just environmental ones. Which hypo-allergenic breeds have you tried?

I got allergy shots for a number of years. Treatment usually takes quite a while so you wouldn’t know for sure that the allergies had abated for a long time. In addition, my allergist said that they can produce shots for a variety of substances but not for animal-related allergies.

With that said, being treated for my other allergies (molds, pollens, dust mites) took some of the stress off my immune system so I could cope better with other allergens, including food sensitivities. However, I am still terribly allergic to rodents despite 8 years of shots.

Have you considered a turtle or one of the larger lizards? They aren’t quite as companionable as a dog but they do respond to affection.

I had the exact same problem as your bf when I was 10. My family always had cats and dogs. I was extremely allergic to the cat, and somewhat to the dog. I started getting allergy shots and did so for about 7 years. To be honest I don’t remember seeing a difference. I still couldn’t play with the cat and if I would pet the dog I would have to wash my hands right after or I would start to have trouble breathing (my asthma was allergy induced). The allergy shots may have lessened the problem but definitely did not solve it. It’s about 17 years later and I no longer have bad allergies or asthma (it must have been something I grew out of??). On the other hand the only allergy I do have is to cats.

That was just my experience. I would recommend trying it to see how well it works for your bf. What works for one person probably doesn’t for everyone.

I had allergy shots for mildew, mold and dust mites for 3 years. A complete waste of time and money. I now treat the symtoms (post-nasal drip) with a mild saline spray. You can buy them (Ocean or Ayre) or make one yourself and use a rubber baby syringe. (1 t salt to 1 C warm water.)

@TitsMcGhee We’ve tried: a Schnoodle, a Labridoodle, a Shi-tzu, and a Teddy Bear (Bichon Shi-tzu mix). We’re still hoping to try a pure Bichon and a Wheaten Terrier. The problem with “hypo-allergenic” breeds is that it’s really on an individual basis. They don’t shed as much, so that’s nice. But it’s still the saliva that you’re allergic too. So it’s a very person by person kind of thing if you’re allergic to one of these breeds or not.

@Darwin He’s been to an allergist who told him that they do have shots for animal allergies, and that patients have a varying level of success with them. I don’t think I could get a turtle, lizard, or fish. I need something soft and fuzzy :)

@critter1982 It’s interesting to hear your experience with the shots because your symptoms sound very similar to those of my bf. He has a lot of problems with his allergies affecting his asthma, especially with cats. It isn’t so much the case with dogs, but because his allergies are so serious in general I wonder if anything would really every allow him to live with a dog. I think we’re going to try, but I hoped to get some feedback from people with similar allergies. So thanks!

I have never had allergy shots (although I have wanted them for a very long time because I am allergic to horses, hay, and straw – which is hard for an avid rider/trainer/breeder) but, I have had several friends who are allergic to horses as well who have gotten shots and have felt the difference almost immediately (about 5–7 days) – which is interesting since Darwins allergist said that there are no shots for animal allergies? Odd. Who knows. :/ Anyway, one friend was horribly allergic and couldn’t be in the barn with her horses for more than 30 minutes or so, and is now able to be there for a couple hours without problem.

Unfortunately for me, I cannot afford shots, so I simply take my two allergy medicines every day and tote my inhaler everywhere I go. I also try to keep caffine nearby whenever I’m at the barn for emergencies.

As for the dog breeds – keep trying allergenic breeds and different litters. I have a Wheaten, so I can offer a bit of advice there. Make sure to go see a breeder, but it might be better to adopt an adult instead of buying a puppy (a great website is WheatenTerrierRescue.Org). I say this because Wheatens, at about 6–9 months go through a stage in which they shed their puppy coat and grow in an adult coat. You would need to comb your pup 4–5 times a day during this time so that the hair would not shed all over your house or mat. If you adopted an adult, however, it would not shed as a long as you comb it every 2–3 days. And this would also help a dog in need :)

Good luck!

@dlm812 I’m glad to hear that your friends felt such a difference so quickly. It’s too bad that you can’t get the shots as well! We’re a little worried about how expensive the shots will be, and because you have to take them for such a long time. It’s a pretty large investment. I really love Wheatens. They seem like a good dog for us, personality wise, so I’ve got my fingers crossed that they’ll be the one breed that will work! :) I’ve seen that Wheaten webpage, I think, and I’d love to rescue an adult dog. Good tip about the shedding!

Lol your boyfriend sounds exactly like i am with furry animals. I tried allergy shots when i was younger for grass/pollens and animals. For a while it was working, but the shots got pretty painful. Once i got to the higher dosages, my arm would swell really bad(like a baseball sized lump) it was also pretty painful. Finally i just got to the point where it wasnt worth it anymore and i stopped.

I took allergy shots for a year and a half and they helped immensely. I’m allergic to everything except orange blossom, my allergy shots even helped with animals. We have a cat and I’ve done so much better with the shots and being around her, I’m not 100 percent, but it is significantly better. One other suggestion, our bedroom is offlimits to the cat, so I think it helps to not be surrounded by her when I sleep, we keep our door shut always.

I also forgot to add that in some cases (certainly not all), living with an animal you are allergic to can cause your allergy to lessen over time. My brother, father, and I are all alergic to cats – yet when we live with them in the house, our symptoms go away. I actually only noticed that I was allergic to cats after moving away for a year and not living with any cats. When I would go home, my allergies in the house would be horrible. But now, after living with cats again, my symptoms have gone away again.

Maybe after living with the dog for awhile, your boyfriend’s symptoms related to the dog would lessen and he would be able to discontinue the allergy shots?

Also, I think some health insurance companies will cover allergy shots if they relate to the work place (i.e. a maintenance person getting shots because of grass allergies). I’m not positive though, so don’t quote me or anything. Probably depends on his coverage.

I’ve been having very good results with shots for cat and dust mite allergies. Also, as mentioned above, the shots can also help with other allergies because of the reduced stress on the immune system. I used to have all kinds of problems with grasses and other environmental allergens, but the allergist said that the tests for those came out negative and so I couldn’t get shots for them. They explained that the shots might help with those allergens even though the shots were only for the ones that came out positive on the test, and I have indeed been having less trouble with the allergens for which I came up negative. Also, I’ve started to test some of my food allergies lately. I have several, and I’ve been getting bold about one of them that has never been quite as severe as the others. It’s been going pretty well so far.

I’m in my second series of allergy shots. I did them back in the early 90’s and even self administered them and they were a great help. At that time I was very allergic to cats. Now I live with one and she even is able to nuzzle my face with no adverse effects. Now it’s more than 10 years later and I am living in St Louis region and my allergies had become uncontrollable with a prescription med. I am definitely finding relief!