# Allergies and purebred dogs

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/allergies-and-purebred-dogs/343859>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [February 10, 2006, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/allergies-and-purebred-dogs/343859 "2006-02-10T14:17:03Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Omega\_Glory](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/7c8e57/32.png) [@Omega\_Glory](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omega_Glory)\
**Post date:** [February 10, 2006, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/allergies-and-purebred-dogs/343859/1 "2006-02-10T14:17:03Z")

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If a person has built up a tolerance to their (non-allergy friendly) purebred pet, what are the chances that another dog of the same breed will cause him to have an allergic reaction? So I guess the question really is: on average, how much variance is there in the skin and saliva proteins of a breed? I know that there probably isn’t one answer, but anything related to the question would be useful.

Thanks

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**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\
**Post date:** [February 10, 2006, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/allergies-and-purebred-dogs/343859/2 "2006-02-10T15:01:35Z")

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I am no expert in this field but have spent a lot of time around dogs and cats. I am allergic to cats but got two that came with my wife and managed to build a tolernce to them. I found that my tolerance extended to other cats as well at least to some extent.

Generally I would think animals of the same breed you built a tolerance to would cause you little to no trouble. The grooming status of the animal may affect this to some extent. If worried go and try to find other animals of the same breed and spend a bit of time with them and see how you react.

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**Author:** ![chiroptera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/df705f/32.png) [@chiroptera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chiroptera)\
**Post date:** [February 10, 2006, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/allergies-and-purebred-dogs/343859/3 "2006-02-10T15:18:50Z")

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I have a cat-allergic friend who is currently looking into a couple of usually-non-allergenic cat breeds, like Siberians. She is being told there _is_ variance in cats among the same breed and reputable breeders suggest she spend some time in the company of their cats. (If she has a reaction it flares up almost immediately.)  
Not a definitive answer, I know. But she’s been told this by several cat-savvy people. Don’t know if the same applies to dogs though I would imagine it might.

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**Author:** ![Omega\_Glory](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/7c8e57/32.png) [@Omega\_Glory](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omega_Glory)\
**Post date:** [February 11, 2006, 1:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/allergies-and-purebred-dogs/343859/4 "2006-02-11T13:11:12Z")

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Thanks for sharing your experiences.