Thinking of getting a poodle - wondering how will it affect Crohn's?

[Guest guest]

We are thinking of getting a hypoallergenic poodle and I am wondering how this

might affect my 12 yd with Crohn's who has a moderate allergy to dogs. She has

been on SCD for 7 weeks and is doing quite well (her inflammation is now in the

normal range and her iron and folate deficiencies have reversed). When exposed

to a regular dog, she reacts quite quickly with itchy swollen eyes, chest

tightness, coughing, etc. Yesterday we kept the dog at our house for 2 1/2

hours and she only felt a slight tightness in her chest and sneezed just a

couple times. She and the rest of the kids are quite excited, but my husband

and I are concerned that even this small reaction will cause inflammation in her

lungs and send her immune system into overdrive, thus causing a GI flare. Does

anybody know the likelihood of this? I would hate to derail her progress, and I

don't know which type of medical professional to ask. Any quick advice would be

appreciated as I am being pressured to make a decision today. Thank you.

Josie

12 yd Crohn's

SCD 7 weeks

No meds (6mp) 8 weeks

[Guest guest]

It sounds like you already know the answer to your question.

7 weeks is nothing in terms of progress. Why not wait until she has

been healthy and healed for at least

half a year or longer before you risk something like this,

and even then it may not be a good idea.

Mara

> We are thinking of getting a hypoallergenic poodle and I am wondering how this

might affect my 12 yd with Crohn's who has a moderate allergy to dogs. She has

been on SCD for 7 weeks and is doing quite well (her inflammation is now in the

normal range and her iron and folate deficiencies have reversed). When exposed

to a regular dog, she reacts quite quickly with itchy swollen eyes, chest

tightness, coughing, etc. Yesterday we kept the dog at our house for 2 1/2

hours and she only felt a slight tightness in her chest and sneezed just a

couple times. She and the rest of the kids are quite excited, but my husband

and I are concerned that even this small reaction will cause inflammation in her

lungs and send her immune system into overdrive, thus causing a GI flare. Does

anybody know the likelihood of this? I would hate to derail her progress, and I

don't know which type of medical professional to ask. Any quick advice would be

appreciated as I am being pressured to make a !

> decision today. Thank you.

>

> Josie

> 12 yd Crohn's

> SCD 7 weeks

> No meds (6mp) 8 weeks

>

>

>

> ------------------------------------

>

>

[Guest guest]

I'm an autoimmune patient with inflammation and allergies. Whenever my allergies flare, my autoimmune problems get *much* worse, especially my gut. My allergist has suggested, when I want to expose myself to something I'm potentially allergic to, to go ahead and try it in a controlled setting (e.g. small doses), and to be prepared to give it up if I react. In the case of your dog question, that would mean:A) introducing the dog in an area of the home that can easily be de-contaminatedB) trying the dog out for a period of time, to see how your daughter reactsC) being willing to give up the dog if she shows any signs of exacerbationGiven how attached kids get to pets (not to mention kids' parents :-) ), you'd have a challenging situation on your hands if your daughter

falls in love with the dog and is also highly sensitive to it. And this would be hard on the dog as well, so you need to think in terms of having a safety net for the animal, too. Finally, "non-allergenic" dogs are not a fail-safe. I've seen allergic kids react to such dogs.Sounds like a challenging situation! Good luck!Subject: Thinking of getting a poodle - wondering how will it affect Crohn's?

We are thinking of getting a hypoallergenic poodle and I am wondering how this might affect my 12 yd with Crohn's who has a moderate allergy to dogs. She has been on SCD for 7 weeks and is doing quite well (her inflammation is now in the normal range and her iron and folate deficiencies have reversed). When exposed to a regular dog, she reacts quite quickly with itchy swollen eyes, chest tightness, coughing, etc. Yesterday we kept the dog at our house for 2 1/2 hours and she only felt a slight tightness in her chest and sneezed just a couple times. She and the rest of the kids are quite excited, but my husband and I are concerned that even this small reaction will cause inflammation in her lungs and send her immune system into overdrive, thus causing a GI flare. Does anybody know the likelihood of this? I would hate to derail her progress, and I don't know which type of medical professional to ask. Any quick advice would be appreciated as

I am being pressured to make a decision today. Thank you.

Josie

12 yd Crohn's

SCD 7 weeks

[Guest guest]

You would definitely have to weigh the pros and cons of potential health problems and the emotional benefits to having a pet.  I had a lhasa apso and two cats for 15 years.  I'm allergic to dogs, cats and dust.  You have to be on top of the carpet/dust/pet hair cleaning.  I take singulair because right now I'm nanny to two cats.  Do you know anyone or place she can visit on a limited basis before introducing one to the family so she won't get attached?  It's very hard to get attached then lose a pet.  It seems like some company for her would be nice but I don't know your situation.  I have only had lhasa's (one as a kid and one as an adult so no idea on the hypo-allergenic part).

 

Good luck, tough decisions ;-).  They are so good for you on so many levels but they are a lot of work.

 

Debbie cd houston

[Guest guest]

Is that ever the truth! We just got rid of the last of the carpeting in our

house. When I mop my bedroom floor, and discover the huge amount of dander my

bird sheds in a single week (she's an African Grey, who have awful " powder " down

feathers), I'm horrified to think of what was stuck in our old carpeting. It's

great to be able to keep all of that cleaned up!

Holly

Crohn's

SCD 12/01/08

>

> The other issue if you have any family member with asthma and/or have

> pets, is to avoid having carpet in your house; use area rugs on hardwood

> or other natural floors. Even vacuuming carpets very frequently is just

> not the same as not having the carpet for dander, hair and other allergens

> to get lodged in. And it's much harder and more time-consuming that

> vacuuming a few rugs and keeping hair, dust, etc., off the hardwood.

>