itching
Hi I have a problem which I'm wondering if anybody else has experience of. I've started to itch like mad and come up in a red rash whenever I touch Pepper (NOT Toffee though). I have tried bathing Pepper in case she had rolled in something but it's made no difference. As you can imagine this is a problem for both of us as I'm trying to give her plenty of attention but just end up scratching like mad whenever I go near her. Any ideas why this has suddenly started to happen,? She is a short haired dog where as Toffee is much longer & softer. Help!!!! Anita

What a nightmare! Don't really know what to suggest other than speaking to your doctor, and possibly vet. It's usually said that people who are allergic to pets are actually reacting to the dander on their coats rather than the hair itself. But it seems odd that if that were the case, you haven't had a problem until now. My OH has a slight cat allergy (we have 3 cats and it was his idea to get them!!) and it always seems to be worse around November - we always assume its as their coats change for winter. In the meantime, can you think of ways of interacting with her without touching her? eg hiding morsels of food and getting her to 'find it'. That would mean she still gets attention but from a distance :D Hope you manage to sort out the problem v soon

Hi Anita, what a nightmare for you to be having an allergy of some sort to Pepper. As Elaine says its starnage how its just happened and you have had her for ages now. I became allergic to my horses when I became pregnant with my first daughter 16 years ago, and at the time I still had 2 horses. After my second daughter I was still terrible, and it became worse and worse, so much so I have now ended up with permanent asthma, having to use inhalers everyday. My doctor said it was the change of hormones and it would settle after my hormones went back to normal, but it has got worse if anything. And now I can not go anywhere near horses without my eyes puffing and itching and my skin coming up in huge hives, and also not being able to breath........really sad as I have had horses since I was 3. So could it be a hormone thing I wonder......!!?? I also react to one of my labs.....out of 16 of them only one makes me itch. He has a different coat to the rest and when you cuddle him with bare arms his fur almost pricks into your skin, and this causes me to itch like mad. None of my others make me do this, good job cos I just could not be without my dogs. There is a product from Boots I think, called aller D......or something like that, and it is something you put all over the dog and it is supposed to help if you have an allergy. They do one for cats as well. Or they did a few years back.......might be worth a try anyway. Try taking an antihistamine a day too. If I have dogs that come into the kennels that have been around horses I can instantly have a reaction, so I carry the little pills with me all the time, just take one if I need it and it really stops me reacting so badly. Hope this helps. Tracy