# He's allergic to my dog. Sigh. **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [March 30, 2012, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hes-allergic-to-my-dog-sigh/617312 "2012-03-30T19:53:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Dangerosa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Dangerosa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dangerosa)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2012, 2:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hes-allergic-to-my-dog-sigh/617312/41 "2012-04-02T02:39:37Z")
My parents now have a dog - my sister’s now husband was allergic to him. She had to make a choice. On the plus side, my parents have the dog, so its still around for visiting, but not visits, my brother in law would prefer to be comfortable in his own home. When they were dating, they did their dating at his house, not hers. When the relationship got really serious, the dog was rehomed. ---
**Author:** ![Jenaroph](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e8c25b/32.png) [@Jenaroph](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jenaroph)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2012, 4:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hes-allergic-to-my-dog-sigh/617312/42 "2012-04-02T04:07:03Z")
> [@Misnomer](#): > > He told me: he said that his outdoor allergies typically go away in both summer and winter, and that fall is usually worse than spring (though I have a hard time imagining his reactions being any more severe than they have been this spring). Well, the semi-good news is that the experts are saying this early spring is about as bad as it gets allergy-wise; I’m reading that some places are having record-setting pollen counts. So it’s not a surprise that he’s having a rough time; and perhaps fall really couldn’t be any worse. ---
**Author:** ![Misnomer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/misnomer/32/14897_2.png) [@Misnomer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Misnomer)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2012, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hes-allergic-to-my-dog-sigh/617312/43 "2012-04-02T14:42:38Z")
> [@elfkin477](#): > > My left eyelid is bruised from rubbing it at the moment because mine are so bad right now. It’s funny, but he doesn’t seem to have any of those kinds of symptoms: he never rubs his eyes, blows his nose, etc. His reactions seem to all be of the elevated blood pressure/increased body temperature kind. So he never looks or sounds miserable, he just is (poor guy). > [@Dangerosa](#): > > On the plus side, my parents have the dog, so its still around for visiting If things were to get that serious, having someone I know take the dog might be the best solution. I definitely could never give her to a stranger, or to someone who lives far away: I’d need to be able to see her regularly, and to get her back if we ever broke up. Unfortunately, though, I can’t see anyone I know – who I would trust with her – ever taking her. I think that, for the time being, I’ve decided not to worry about the living together thing; it’s still at _least_ a couple of years off, and a lot can happen between now and then. I’m choosing to just focus on the relationship for the immediate future, and am trusting that we’ll figure something out if/when we need to. I could be setting myself up for a heartbreak – whether I wind up losing the guy or the dog – but right now I can’t see any other way to proceed. Preemptively breaking up with him doesn’t make any sense to me. > [@Jenaroph](#): > > Well, the semi-good news is that the experts are saying this early spring is about as bad as it gets allergy-wise; I’m reading that some places are having record-setting pollen counts. So it’s not a surprise that he’s having a rough time; and perhaps fall really couldn’t be any worse. I’ve been reading the same thing, and our area is one that’s been setting records, so I’m hoping that once we get through April it will be all downhill (until next spring)… ---
**Author:** ![ShadowFacts](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shadowfacts/32/2934_2.png) [@ShadowFacts](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShadowFacts)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2012, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hes-allergic-to-my-dog-sigh/617312/44 "2012-04-02T18:52:16Z")
My wife is allergic to (some) cats and dogs, and she also has seasonal allergies. She began getting allergy shots a couple of years ago and has seen marked improvement in both pet and seasonal allergies. So much so that we now have three cats. (We had one previously, a Devon Rex, which is less allergic than “normal” cats). She still takes Claritin regularly, but with that and the shots she is generally symptom free. She’s at the stage where she is getting one shot per month. Hopefully that will be decreasing even further soon. So, shots can be a very good long-term option. Just make sure they are covered by his health insurance - they are expensive out of pocket! ---
**Author:** ![Misnomer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/misnomer/32/14897_2.png) [@Misnomer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Misnomer)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2012, 1:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hes-allergic-to-my-dog-sigh/617312/45 "2012-04-03T13:38:07Z")
> [@ShadowFacts](#): > > My wife is allergic to (some) cats and dogs, and she also has seasonal allergies. She began getting allergy shots a couple of years ago and has seen marked improvement in both pet and seasonal allergies. So much so that we now have three cats. So you didn’t have any cats when she first started getting them? I wonder whether being regularly exposed to the allergen in question might affect the efficacy of allergy shots… ---
**Author:** ![FasterThanMeerkats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/278dde/32.png) [@FasterThanMeerkats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FasterThanMeerkats)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2012, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hes-allergic-to-my-dog-sigh/617312/46 "2012-04-03T19:07:18Z")
Another option: Inside dog becomes outside dog. ---
**Author:** ![Misnomer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/misnomer/32/14897_2.png) [@Misnomer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Misnomer)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2012, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hes-allergic-to-my-dog-sigh/617312/47 "2012-04-03T19:12:18Z")
Not an option. Absolutely, positively not an option. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hes-allergic-to-my-dog-sigh/617312.md?page=2)