I’ve had my dog for 2.5 years now. This might seem like a silly question to most, but I’m kind of oblivious to some things that are obvious to most people (e.g. having allergies, knowing when I’m hungry, when I should go to the doctor, etc.) so I would appreciate helpful responses.
Signs
- If my dog gets on my bed, I sleep poorly until I change the sheets.
- If I sleep with my dog in my room, I wake up tired and like I had trouble breathing all night. It’s like if my airway was smaller/tighter. I’ve already been assessed for sleep apnea and they said I’m okay.
- Even without my dog in the room or on the sheets, when I sleep at home, I wake up pretty tired and it takes me a while to get going in the morning. This doesn’t happen when I sleep elsewhere like at hotels.
- If I clean up my house really well and change the air filter, it seems like I have more energy for a few days.
- If I take a cetrizine (Zertec) or loratadine (Claratin), I feel a little better in the morning, but it’s not like if I slept elsewhere. I don’t feel fine, just a little less bad.
- Basically, I’m always tired when I sleep at home.
- If I pet a dog and touch my eyes immediately after, my eyes get itchy until I wash them out. This will happen with their saliva as well.
- If I run my forearm across a dog’s back from tail to head and the dog has thick fur, I will get hives from the fur slightly poking my soft skin.
- If they lick my skin and I don’t rinse it off, I may get hives too.
Contra
- I’m mostly fine throughout the day with regards to what I assume are allergies. My nose is fine, and I rarely sneeze. It’s only related to sleep.
- My nose doesn’t get stuffy like I see in other people.
Writing this out, it seems like it’s highly probable. If so, what options do I have?
- Could it be something else causing the sleep issues at home?
- Is this a reason to see a doctor?
- Are there meds that work better than Zertec & Claritin and wont make me feel funky like with Benadryl?
- Do I need to accept that I can’t have a dog?
- Maybe I can make my dog an outside dog? But that seems terrible for a dog that’s been inside their whole life and follows me everywhere I go in the house (she’s a Rottie). I don’t want to sleep poorly and be at 60% for another 10 years.
This is a lot 😬
Edit: Alright, I’ve got an appt with the doc in 2 weeks. Thanks for the help, everyone!
All of the above plus: allergy covers for pillows and mattress, nasal irrigation with a neti pot or squeeze bottle (they sell the nasal rinse bottles and saline mix near the allergy medicine at the pharmacy), bathing your dog frequently . An allergist will have a really specific list of recommendations. Making your dog an outside dog is a terrible idea, it would be better to find a new home for your pup, rather than exposing them to the elements and leaving them outside all alone with no companionship
Those are good addendums, but I’ll add one more qualifier to your nasal rinse suggestion. Never use tap water. Use only distilled water or water that has been boiled. Pharmacies also sell aerosol cans with saline solution, which is what I use for the convenience factor. Then you don’t have to worry as much about sanitized water and mixing up a solution. Saline rinses should also have at least half an hour of being upright before laying down. Don’t do a rinse then immediately lay in bed.
If budget isn’t tight, all bedding including the allergy covers benefits from getting in duplicate so you can take your time with the laundry. I was a lot worse about washing bedding when remembering late in the day meant there wouldn’t be enough time to wash and dry before bedtime.