# Puppy Dander?



## macker905 (Mar 21, 2010)

Hi Everyone

My husbands asthma is unfortunately being aggravated by our 2 standard pups. The vet told us that standard pups have a significant amount of dander with their puppy coat and that this will improve (much less dander) when their adult coats come in. Any thoughts on this?

I am currently bathing them once a week with a thourough brushing every second day. 

I am considering bathing twice a week now. Will this be too much for their skin? and can anyone recommend a puppy shampoo that will let me bathe them twice a week without bothering their skin. I live in Ontario, Canada, but will pay more ( S & H) for a quality product from the States, if necessary.

My husband's breathing does improve greatly after a the pups have a bath. As well I keep their area very clean, sweeping and washing on a regular basis.

Any ideas or thoughts will be greatly appreciated.

Thank you


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## JE-UK (Mar 10, 2010)

My S.O. is also allergic/asthmatic, but luckily my mini doesn't bother him.

I'd done some investigation before we got the dog and found this: The Healthy House Ltd | PetalCleanse for Allergy to Cats and Dogs, but haven't needed to try is.

Good luck!


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## cbrand (Aug 9, 2009)

Dander is a skin issue. The coat change in Poodles changes the texture of the hair not the skin. Did your vet give you a scientific reason why the dander problem would be less as an adult?

Show dogs get groomed once a week, but I think stepping it up to twice a week would be an awful lot. Could you get by with blowing through their coats with a high volume dryer? I use this technique to blow dust out of my dog's coats between baths. 

Also are you sure that it is the dander that is bothering your husband? Poodle coats tend to trap dust, pollen and grass. Are they bringing these things potential allergens into the house? Keeping them clipped down very short will help this.

Finally, perhaps two dogs is simply too much overall dander for your husband. Have you considered the unfortunate possibility that he might just do better with only one dog?


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## partial2poodles (Feb 11, 2010)

Walking dandruff is a common name for (forgive my spelling...cheyatella mange) Its extrememly flakey and I treat it with a lice/mite killing shampoo. However, if you do nothing it will go away. I just cant stand the thought of a mite living in my house.


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## macker905 (Mar 21, 2010)

cbrand said:


> Dander is a skin issue. The coat change in Poodles changes the texture of the hair not the skin. Did your vet give you a scientific reason why the dander problem would be less as an adult?
> 
> Show dogs get groomed once a week, but I think stepping it up to twice a week would be an awful lot. Could you get by with blowing through their coats with a high volume dryer? I use this technique to blow dust out of my dog's coats between baths.
> 
> ...


Hi C-Brand, thanks for the input. To be honest I did not ask the vet why,(just too excited to hear that his breathing would improve) and I should have asked though.. We are going back on the 15th and we will definately ask her why and I will let you know her reasoning.
The dryer is a good idea, I only have my small 'people' one right now, but I could look into purchasing a larger model.

I am finding that the brushing is getting a lot of outside dirt off, as the pups do spend quite a bit of time outside with us in the yard, (always supervised).

I mentioned to my husband about clipping them down for this very reason that you mentioned, but we are also concerned about the cold weather coming up.....will a short coat not be too cold for them in the winter?

My husband's asthma is not considered severe but he is unfortunately having to use his puffer daily and he did not use it this often in the past.

AAAAhhh, well we could never lose one of our girls, they have just grown too close to our hearts. Though no doubt having one would lessen his symptoms, we just love them tooooooo much to consider that.

Thanks again and i will post after I speak to the vet


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## macker905 (Mar 21, 2010)

partial2poodles said:


> Walking dandruff is a common name for (forgive my spelling...cheyatella mange) Its extrememly flakey and I treat it with a lice/mite killing shampoo. However, if you do nothing it will go away. I just cant stand the thought of a mite living in my house.


mange?????, yikes. The vet checked for fleas, lice etc. and she said there were none. So should I use a shampoo like this, will it work on controlling dander??


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## Penjilum-Poodles (Apr 17, 2010)

macker905 said:


> My husband's asthma is not considered severe but he is unfortunately having to use his puffer daily and he did not use it this often in the past.
> 
> AAAAhhh, well we could never lose one of our girls, they have just grown too close to our hearts. Though no doubt having one would lessen his symptoms, we just love them tooooooo much to consider that.
> 
> Thanks again and i will post after I speak to the vet


Sister bonds are really special, Rayah has such a powerful bond with her sister (my mom's spoo girl) Bethany.

Maybe you can clip them down and put sweaters on the girls when going outside in the cold weather?

Also, my mom has allergies as well, but the poodles don't affect her. She has a boston terrier and she does have reactions to her. 

Although her furkids sleep in the bed with her she washes her blankets frequently during the week as well as she puts them in the dryer besides. That helps alot. 
Also if you don't have already, get air purifiers, they work great too.

Best of luck!


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## macker905 (Mar 21, 2010)

Penjilum-Poodles said:


> Sister bonds are really special, Rayah has such a powerful bond with her sister (my mom's spoo girl) Bethany.
> 
> Maybe you can clip them down and put sweaters on the girls when going outside in the cold weather?
> 
> ...



Thanks so much for the help, to be honest I had not even considered an air purifier and reading your response has thankfully brought them to our attention. I am currently researching and trying to figure out the best model, can't believe I didn't think of that.....Thank you

Are Rayah and Bethany sisters from the same litter, or are they from different litters?

It's funny, I always said that I would never dress my dogs up and put sweaters on them, now we have these 2 precious girls and I am certainly rethinking that!

Thanks again


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## CharismaticMillie (Jun 16, 2010)

Penjilum-Poodles said:


> Sister bonds are really special, Rayah has such a powerful bond with her sister (my mom's spoo girl) Bethany.
> 
> Maybe you can clip them down and put sweaters on the girls when going outside in the cold weather?
> 
> ...


Exactly what I do! Even with medicine, my spoos bother my allergies if I am not careful...I can't resist letting Millie snuggle in bed with me so she gets a wipe down with a wet cloth every night before bed and my bedding gets washed 1-2 times a week.


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## CharismaticMillie (Jun 16, 2010)

macker905 said:


> Thanks so much for the help, to be honest I had not even considered an air purifier and reading your response has thankfully brought them to our attention. I am currently researching and trying to figure out the best model, can't believe I didn't think of that.....Thank you
> 
> Are Rayah and Bethany sisters from the same litter, or are they from different litters?
> 
> ...


Air purifiers are a LIFE SAVER! Go get one, preferably a true HEPA.

This website sells lots of good things for allergy and asthma sufferers. I have mite proof covers on my bed and a Honeywell HEPA air purifier. I also use Quick Bath pet wipes every night on my dog. They sell those at this website and also at Petco. http://www.natlallergy.com/


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## neVar (Dec 25, 2009)

clip them shorter (Dog jackets work like a charm for cold weather) 

Air purifier

Keep the dogs out of the bedroom if you can. 

I have a friend with a fiance with bad allergies- and doing the above has saved them from having to rehome their pets. Sure he still takes meds- but now he can at least Breath with the meds


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## PaddleAddict (Feb 9, 2010)

My husband has mild asthma, moderate dog allergies and severe cat allergies. When we first brought our mini home, he was using his inhaler frequently, whereas before we brought the dog home, he almost never had to use it. We've had Jager for about eight months now and my husband is back to rarely using his inhaler. I do think he acclimated to the dog. 

I bathe Jager every one to two weeks. He does sleep in our room, but in a crate, not on our bed. We let him come up on the bed for a few minutes around bedtime. He's allowed on the couch with us, but you might think about restricting your two. You should also encourage your husband not to allow the puppies to lick his face/hands. I found that triggered allergies in my husband in the beginning (although not anymore). I would also wash my own face and hands before bed to help out my husband. I have read that urine has a lot of the allergy-triggering proteins in it, so keep that in mind if the puppies have an accident or pee on themselves. 

I think with two puppies in the house, it's a bigger blow to your husband's allergies. Hopefully, he will become acclimated to them the way my husband did, but it really depends on the severity of his reactions.


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## Curlydogs (Jun 28, 2010)

I am very allergic to dogs (asthma, sneezing, itchy eyes, etc.), which is why I got a poodle. Unfortunately, I am still slightly allergic to Cosmo. We have had him for about 3 years and I have not acclimated to him. I still need tissues and my inhaler around most of the time, but I would say on average my allergies are 75% better than the are around, for example, my parents' lab. At this point, I love him so much that I guess I am willing to suffer a bit.

I have found that an air filter in the bedroom works very well. Also, I cannot be involved in Cosmo's bathing routine - for some reason, when he is wet I am much more allergic to him and my asthma get really bad. The less I deal with his grooming and bathing the better. I know that my allergies get worse when I touch him and snuggle him too much and if I am really good about washing my hands after petting him I do much better. Although, I must admit I am not as diligent as I could/should be with keeping him off the bed, washing up after touching him, and keeping him freshly bathed. 

Hopefully with some work your husband's allergies will be minimized. Good luck!


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## CharismaticMillie (Jun 16, 2010)

Curlydogs said:


> I am very allergic to dogs (asthma, sneezing, itchy eyes, etc.), which is why I got a poodle. Unfortunately, I am still slightly allergic to Cosmo. We have had him for about 3 years and I have not acclimated to him. I still need tissues and my inhaler around most of the time, but I would say on average my allergies are 75% better than the are around, for example, my parents' lab. At this point, I love him so much that I guess I am willing to suffer a bit.
> 
> I have found that an air filter in the bedroom works very well. Also, I cannot be involved in Cosmo's bathing routine - for some reason, when he is wet I am much more allergic to him and my asthma get really bad. The less I deal with his grooming and bathing the better. I know that my allergies get worse when I touch him and snuggle him too much and if I am really good about washing my hands after petting him I do much better. Although, I must admit I am not as diligent as I could/should be with keeping him off the bed, washing up after touching him, and keeping him freshly bathed.
> 
> Hopefully with some work your husband's allergies will be minimized. Good luck!


Your story sounds identical to mine! Except I am not allergic when they are wet


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