A bit more about allergies and greyhounds

Quite a few people seem to have come to this blog to find out more about why some people who have dog allergies are not allergic to greyhounds.

There seems to be a lot of myth and misinformation around dog allergies - and the cause of my dog allergy is still a bit of a mystery to me.

I discovered that I wasn't allergic to all dogs several years ago, when - to my initial horror - I found that I had to spend Christmas in a house with a dog that was, at least partly, Irish wolfhound. He was certainly Irish wolfhound in size and had a wiry coat, however, he definitely was a bit of a mix of other breeds. Probably several. And a total loony.

No-one had warned me, I had no asthma inhaler or anti-histamines with me (the anti-histamines don't tend to work for me anyone), and all the pharmacies were closed for the festive season. To add insult to injury the next door neighbour's poodle seemed to spend most of her day lounging around with the Wolfhound. I resigned myself to a miserable Christmas.

The allergies never appeared, and I spent most of the holiday either tickling the Wolfhound, or sitting with the poodle staring mournfully into my face, begging for cuddles.

Since starting to walk greyhounds from the local rehoming kennels it also seems that I'm not allergic to these dogs.

I've recently discovered that greyhounds and poodles have something in common - they both have just a single coat. Most dogs have a undercoat underneath their top-coat, so I think it may be this undercoat that I'm allergic to.

However there seems to be no rhyme or reason to the dogs people are allergic to - a friend's son is OK with golden retrievers. I am not. Wheaten terriers are often named as good dogs for those with allergies. I come in bumps when I touch them.

So, the only advice I can give to those looking for a dog that will not trigger their allergies is spend tons of time with different breeds. And don't forget the anti-histamines.