Pets and allergies

[Belinda]

I was wondering what you all have to say regarding pets. To date my son does not show an allergy to our cats (he has many allergies) but the Dr. says he could have a reaction to cats in combination with something else that we have not come up with yet. All family members are pressuring me just to get rid of all our pets, including our (outdoor) dog. Clean out the a/c vents, professionally clean the house and see what difference that makes. No one can understand why I haven't taken this step considering all that I have done thus far. Well, the fact is none of the kids, including Jack, want me to get rid of the pets. We have had our indoor cats for 3 years. I'm torn. Do all of you with kids with tics live without pets? Has anyone had pets, eliminated the pets, and had any significant improvements to speak of? Any words of wisdom are appreciated.

 

Thanks, Belinda

[Chemar]

Hi Belinda

 

we also have pets .....cats, dog and (gasp) a Bearded Dragon

 

They bring my son great joy and parting with them would, IMHO, be far more detrimental to his health than any possible allergen effect from them

He didnt test sensitive to any animal hair or dander.

We try to keep them frequently shampooed and well groomed, and I already take maximal precautions to keep our home as dust etc free as possible.

 

I firmly believe in making adjustments to improve the enviroment for tics, but unless our pets were causing a life threatening problem, we wouldnt part with them

They ARE a part of our family.

[Belinda]

Thanks Chemar...I think that it would cause my son more stress than he could handle right now. We also consider our pets a part of our family. I'm glad to hear someone else feels the same.

[Claire]

Belinda,

 

What brought on this question? Is your child getting asthma attacks from cat hair or dog dander?

 

I have many friends with terrible allergies to their pets and they would never part with their pet. In addition to Chemar's commetns, I would also think that you could handle allergies by:

1) not having the animal sleep in your child's room

2) a hepa filter

3) frequent vacuuming, including the couch. My friends give their dog his own leather chair--but they keep him off the couch.

 

Your child's emotional health and happiness is critical. You must follow your heart here. I would imagine that a child losing a pet would be pretty tramatic. Of course, you don't say if they have some debilitating allergic reaction and your doctor said it was critical for your child's health to find the pet a new home, so I am assuming this is not the case.

 

Claire

[Belinda]

Hi Claire,

 

No, Jack does not have asthma. There are severe cat allergies on my son's father's side of the family. Everyone in the family (outside our household)just continues to harass me regarding the pets. They insist (without any knowledge) that my pets are one of the causes of Jack's tics. His tics are so insignificant in comparison to what they used to be, but family members think that if I eliminated the pets, i.e. dander, all the tics would go away. If our chiro/naturopath told me to get rid of them based on his solid findings then I would consider it but that has yet to happen. I decided to post this idea out to you guys to see if anybody rid themselves of their pets and saw a significant change. I cannot see parting with our pets...it would just kill us inside. I am very glad to hear that none of you have had to part with your pets. Thanks for your input.

 

Belinda

[Ronnas]

Belinda,

 

We have a dog who is an amazing addition to our family and he has been a best friend to my son. I adore the relationship that my son and dog have and I would swear they understand each other on a whole different level than I could ever. Not for one second do I regret getting a dog (well, maybe when I am cleaning up dog p**p ). Even if having a dog contributed to some minor tics I would never give him up. My son is very unaware of his tics and for the most part cares very little about them...he would die a thousand, million deaths if something happened to his dog.

 

Ronna