I am very sorry for you and your family! What a difficult situation. I have serious allergies and asthma. Poodle folks have given you great advice. I'd suggest you make a list (even a spreadsheet or a calendar) and keep careful notes on what works.
Prior to getting my poodles, I started allergy shots. That's made it possible for me to have my dogs. My allergist is my hero! It's expensive, but have your mom see an allergist. They have so many resources and there are many new medications available. I take Allegra and montelukast (sp?) it's an asthma medication, daily. I have a daily inhaler and an emergency albuterol inhaler. I now have very few reactions to my dogs and I've even started grooming them myself. Brushing your pup outside is important. I do think puppy fur aggravates allergies more then adult fur. I have no idea why, but my breeder definitely agrees. Fortunately, dog allergies are typically easier to manage than cat allergies.
Additionally I've learned dog dander vacuumes easily, whereas cat dander is actually sticky and will adhear to surfaces like walls. Crazy right?
An idea that won't appeal much to your mom is to have her experiment with eating foods which are less inflammatory. My favorite things to eat are simple carbs and sugar. Sadly these food groups also increase my congestion ( as does alcohol, but fortunately I rarely drink) Basically anything your mom can do to lessen the allergic & inflammatory load on her system will help increase her resilience to your sweet puppy. I get allergy shots for dogs and cats, but also for dust mites and certain pollens. Again the idea is to decrease the overall histimine load on my body so I have more ability to tolerate my dogs.
I have wondered if the grain free diet my dogs eat is also helpful in terms of the proteins in their saliva? I've never found anything to support that theory. It's just my speculation.
To echo what everyone else has said, asthma is a big deal. My first priority would be get your mom to an allergist pronto so she has an emergency inhaler and she can get fully tested. And like all professionals, you may need to shop around to find an allergist sympathetic to your cause. I've had a few people tell me I'm crazy to go thru such extreme lengths to own a dog. Of course these skeptics, have never owned a poodle. They can't understand. We need to be patient with the unenlightened 😉
Good luck!
Prior to getting my poodles, I started allergy shots. That's made it possible for me to have my dogs. My allergist is my hero! It's expensive, but have your mom see an allergist. They have so many resources and there are many new medications available. I take Allegra and montelukast (sp?) it's an asthma medication, daily. I have a daily inhaler and an emergency albuterol inhaler. I now have very few reactions to my dogs and I've even started grooming them myself. Brushing your pup outside is important. I do think puppy fur aggravates allergies more then adult fur. I have no idea why, but my breeder definitely agrees. Fortunately, dog allergies are typically easier to manage than cat allergies.
Additionally I've learned dog dander vacuumes easily, whereas cat dander is actually sticky and will adhear to surfaces like walls. Crazy right?
An idea that won't appeal much to your mom is to have her experiment with eating foods which are less inflammatory. My favorite things to eat are simple carbs and sugar. Sadly these food groups also increase my congestion ( as does alcohol, but fortunately I rarely drink) Basically anything your mom can do to lessen the allergic & inflammatory load on her system will help increase her resilience to your sweet puppy. I get allergy shots for dogs and cats, but also for dust mites and certain pollens. Again the idea is to decrease the overall histimine load on my body so I have more ability to tolerate my dogs.
I have wondered if the grain free diet my dogs eat is also helpful in terms of the proteins in their saliva? I've never found anything to support that theory. It's just my speculation.
To echo what everyone else has said, asthma is a big deal. My first priority would be get your mom to an allergist pronto so she has an emergency inhaler and she can get fully tested. And like all professionals, you may need to shop around to find an allergist sympathetic to your cause. I've had a few people tell me I'm crazy to go thru such extreme lengths to own a dog. Of course these skeptics, have never owned a poodle. They can't understand. We need to be patient with the unenlightened 😉
Good luck!
