Pet help???

[mad hatter fan]

As far as the doodles go, the only kind I have ever heard of being good for people with allergies are the backcross kind that mates a doodle back to a poodle.

 

[Jey12]

Respectfully disagree - our dog is 100% hypoallergenic. He does not shed and he does not have a speck of dander. He is a coton de tulear, a cousin of the bichon friese. My son and I are allergic, we can't even be in the same room with most dogs for too long or we start getting sniffly. We can pet a dog but must wash our hands after. My dog doesn't leave behind any "feeling" on your hands when you pet him. This breed was recommended to us by our pediatrician, whose brother is an allergist lol (who also recommeds the bichon, as 100% hypoallergenic - poodles are the next best thing though he 'rates' them around 80% hypo.)

(eta - I should say he did shed 2 times... lost his baby coat and his adolescent coat. But he shouldn't shed any more. And it wasn't messy - it was in his bed and if he rolled around on the couch or rug, but it wasn't flying around in furballs LOL! Maybe because he has hair and gets brushed every other day? Anyway, just wanted to say that he wasn't 1000% shed-free )

I agree. Some dogs affect allergies much less than others. As you said even your dog hasn't been 100% shed free. I have known people that were even allergic to the hairless dogs. They were allergic to the dander and skin coat and broke out in hives everytime they touched the dog. Each person is different on what triggers an allergy. I am always sad to see a dog placed in rescue due to allergies when a person was informed and they also found so much "internet information" saying that their breed choice is hypoallergenic. By definition hypoallergenic means to have a tendancy not to cause an allergic reaction. Finding a living creature that is 100% sure not to cause an allergic reaction would be impossible. IMO. I am so glad you and your son found a breed that does work for you! Dogs are great and if I had an allergy to mine I'm not sure what I'd do? Probably walk around in a benadryl daze.

On an opposite side of this I have seen a few dogs who were allergy tested come back as being allergic to human dander. Now what do you do with that?

see this is why you need to research ANY pet you bring into your house!! My niece just lost her hampster and they ended up coming home with a guinea pig instead of another hampster. My niece has allergies and my SIL was just complaining that her allergies are acting up!!
DN plays with the G.P. all day long. It would kill her if they need to get rid of it due to allergies.

It's a long shot but sometimes the person is actually allergic to the bedding and or hay used with the guinea pig. They may want to try a new bedding. Some people who have experienced an allergy to guinea pigs switch out a wood chip bedding to comfort fresh (which is pretty much recycled newspaper with an odor absorber) or fleece. The fleece needs to be changed out every couple of days and washed, but many allergy prone owners have been successful with doing this. You wouldn't want to use fleece with other small rodents like hamsters because they will chew and ingest the fleece. Usually guinea pigs do not, but if they do it would need to be removed from the cage and another bedding used. Hay is a big culprit. Most guinea pig owners offer hay 24/7 to their piggies, as they are supposed to. The types most often used are timothy and alfalfa. These both can cause allergic reactions in a lot of people. Going to an orchard grass sometimes can help relieve an allergic reaction to the guinea pig and still keep the pig happy. www.guinealynx.com is a great site to find out information about guinea pigs and their care. In order to avoid allergies they reccomend keeping the guinea pig out of the child's room.

 

[Cindyrellablue]

I'm sorry to hear about your hamster..I know it's horrible to lose a pet.

I've suffered from sever allergies for all my life. I've tested positive to every animal that the allergist threw at me When I was in 2nd grade, the class had a guinea pig...I became the least popular person in class because the it had to go away due to my allergies that would trigger asthma attacks.

I was able to get a dog though...yes yes...I'm terribly allergic to dogs too...although this one hasn't given me any problems what-so-ever, even though my asthma has not improved since I was a child, it hasn't gotten any worse either with my doggy addition.

I have a maltese dog now for 15 years...he's never shed. My doctor recommended this breed to me and I "tested" it out prior by exposing myself to two Maltese dogs prior to getting mine. The only downside to having a "hair" dog is that he requires a lot of brushing...twice a day if you keep the hair long...if you choose to do a puppy cut, you have to get a haircut about 1 a month to keep them looking not so scraggly. DH and doggy have to get them around the same time each month

Before buying a pet, I'd definitely expose everyone affected by allergies to the animal prior to committing...there's nothing worse than having to give up a pet.

Here's my 15 yr old bundle of love:

 

[r&kmommy]

Here's my 15 yr old bundle of love:

ADORABLE!!! Here's my boy when we brought him home 3 years ago

 

[kaphil]

How about a vote for hairless rats!

I had two, great pets, very entertaining. But, if the rat-tail gives you the creeps a big, pink, wrinkly body might turn you off. Luckily, I already inhabit a big, pink, wrinkly body myself, (the rats actually looked better).

 

[MPwifey]

My vote is for chinchilla all the way!!! They are one of the only small animals that are cute, cuddly and do not smell. They also have a great way of taking a bath and fun to watch roll around in their dust.

We had turbo, then when a family moved away we got fat thing and stealth. Fat thing was so fat he couldn't fit through the tubes and would get stuck. I have no idea how a small animal can be THAT fat. We had to give them away because a cross country move in a car would not be good for them. When our DD gets older I will be getting more as they are absolutely amazing little cuddly creatures. I want to get one now.

 

[angwill]

Hi there.....we just lost our sweet hamster the other day. I know it will be hard to replace him, he was one of a kind, very gentle dwarf hamster. Anyway, due to allergies we cannot have a dog or a cat but would love the next best thing. We would love a pet that won't bite and will be fun to play with and cuddle. Does anyone have a suggestion? We have 2 boys ages 7 &9.
Thanks

If you are looking for any type of caged pet I have been told to buy them from a private breeder who handles the animals regularly if you want another gentle one like you had. It is when they are at a pet store where they don't have the time to play with them and get them used to human handling that they can be less than gentle. HTH

 

[Nandid]

My kids have allergies too. We ended up getting hedghogs. They don't cuddle at first, but now that we have had them for awhile they do. We haven't got prickled by our hedgies in a long time.

We love our hedgies and our hedgie population keeps growing. we have 5 now. We've had our oldest hedgies for 7 years now and the youngets is only 4 months.

They are easy to take care of, and we buy special bedding for allergies. Our hedgies are also well seasoned travelers, they go lots of places with us. Most places don't say anything about a pet like that.

Two of our hedgies even walk on leashes. They are wonderful pets.

 

[cbg1027]

I really think it would be worth checking out if you guys are allergic to rats. They are really wonderful pets! They're like a little dog, but require less training.

I know the tail can be a turn-off, but they are super friendly and love to be held and handled. I would go all over my house with mine riding on my shoulder. She would cuddle with me while I watched TV.

They litter train themselves and I've never heard about a rat biting someone.

I had gerbils before my rat and they were awful - unsocial, disliked people, and peed and pooped everywhere.

The only downside of a rat is their short life spans. 2-3 years can be quite heartbreaking after bonding with these intelligent, social, friendly, and responsive creatures.

 

[Cindyrellablue]

ADORABLE!!! Here's my boy when we brought him home 3 years ago

SOOOO Cute!!!!

 

[njmom47]

We had to put our hamster, Tinkerbell, down in June. I cried so hard! But we still have Minnie Mouse and we got them 2 yrs ago this October as babies. The vet said Tink was the sweetest hammie he ever dealt with. We made sure to hold them and play with them every day, and they were/are very good-natured critters! We also had a dwarf hamster a couple of years ago, and she too was sweet. I guess if you get them as babies and they are used to being handled, that helps.

I don't have any suggestions on pets but I loved reading about other types of small furry critters....

 

[lukenick1]

I really think it would be worth checking out if you guys are allergic to rats. They are really wonderful pets! They're like a little dog, but require less training.

I know the tail can be a turn-off, but they are super friendly and love to be held and handled. I would go all over my house with mine riding on my shoulder. She would cuddle with me while I watched TV.

They litter train themselves and I've never heard about a rat biting someone.

I had gerbils before my rat and they were awful - unsocial, disliked people, and peed and pooped everywhere.

The only downside of a rat is their short life spans. 2-3 years can be quite heartbreaking after bonding with these intelligent, social, friendly, and responsive creatures.

We did go see a rat at the pet store. Isn't their hair the same as a guinea pig? I'm afraid we would be allergic to it. I also find them very creepy looking, just the thought of having a "rat".....eeewwww. Do they pee and poop on you when you hold them??? I wish I could get over their creepiness cuz I would love to have one if they are as great as everyone says. The tail also reminds me of a snake.... I was afraid to hold the one at the pet store. Oh and do females make cuddly pets, or males?? I definitely would not be able to handle the males big testicles on me

 

[mjkacmom]

We did go see a rat at the pet store. Isn't their hair the same as a guinea pig? I'm afraid we would be allergic to it. I also find them very creepy looking, just the thought of having a "rat".....eeewwww. Do they pee and poop on you when you hold them??? I wish I could get over their creepiness cuz I would love to have one if they are as great as everyone says. The tail also reminds me of a snake.... I was afraid to hold the one at the pet store. Oh and do females make cuddly pets, or males?? I definitely would not be able to handle the males big testicles on me

Don't buy rats from a pet store - they're bred to be food. There are reputable breeders out there. I don't know if ours were unique, but they didn't go to the bathroom outside of the cage (sometimes pee, if they were out for hours). Males are actually more cuddly, only compared to females. Female rats are much more cuddly than hamsters (you can't really compare them - it's like comparing a dog to a fish).

 

[Jey12]

My vote is for chinchilla all the way!!! They are one of the only small animals that are cute, cuddly and do not smell. They also have a great way of taking a bath and fun to watch roll around in their dust.

We had turbo, then when a family moved away we got fat thing and stealth. Fat thing was so fat he couldn't fit through the tubes and would get stuck. I have no idea how a small animal can be THAT fat. We had to give them away because a cross country move in a car would not be good for them. When our DD gets older I will be getting more as they are absolutely amazing little cuddly creatures. I want to get one now.

Chinchillas are cute but their dust bath triggers many allergies. Plus they have the hair of a rabbit and that can trigger allergies as well. They are wonderful pets, but do tend to cause a lot of allergic reactions. Especially in a house that already has members that have known allergies.

 

[lukenick1]

Chinchillas are cute but their dust bath triggers many allergies. Plus they have the hair of a rabbit and that can trigger allergies as well. They are wonderful pets, but do tend to cause a lot of allergic reactions. Especially in a house that already has members that have known allergies.

I have to agree, we are also allergic to rabbits so I'm pretty convinced our tiny dwarf hamsters are the closest thing to a cuddly pet we will have. I got 2 dwarfs and so far neither of them bite (thank God), here are some pics....

this is Coco

this is Trixie

This is our poor Luigi..... R.I.P.