# Sticky  Poodle crosses and allergies.



## wellerfeller

Cockapoos and allergies, eczema, asthma etc

I have decided to write this down as I feel that cockapoos and poodle crosses are being unfairly pushed as the dog to get if you have allergies. While symptoms may well be less with this type of dog, I think it is unfair if allergies are already present and absolutely cannot be tolerated should they flare up, that dogs are being bought in to a family home and if things don't work out they are getting moved on.
If you are looking for a puppy and have anyone in your family with allergies towards dogs, please please think very long and hard about getting a dog if the allergies are not able to be lived with and treated.

Do not assume, what ever you may read on line or get told by breeders that a Cockapoo or any other poodle cross for that matter will be hypoallergenic because it just isn't true.
As a cross breed coats are still fairly unpredictable, some moult, some do not, some will have a thicker cocker type coat and therefore more likely to produce higher levels of dander, which is what many people are allergic to. There is no hard and fast rule regarding Cockapoo coats.
You or your family member may be fine with a puppy but react when the adult coat comes in. You may be fine with some cockapoos and not others. It may not only be the coat that causes reactions, saliver and scratches also do this. Having a puppy will involve lots of these things so bear it in mind.

I have both eczema and asthma in my family, we used to have a greyhound and we dealt with flare ups if and when they happened. I knew we could manage it. So when searching for a new dog I knew a Cockapoo MAY not irritate previous conditions but it certainly wasn't an absolute nessesity for the dog to be ' hypoallergenic' it was going to be a bonus if symptoms lessened but it wasn't a deal breaker.

So please please please consider the puppy/ dog in your decision making. Having to move them on because of an already existing allergy just isn't fair. If you know you wouldnt be able to keep your dog IF a family member reacts to them then I would urge you to err on the side of caution and not buy a puppy. It will save a lot of heart break for everyone.


----------



## Lilies

i found a lady with a puppy i could spend time with in an intense situation, ie the car, to see if i reacted, i was fine. Then the lady who owned teh stud poodle arranged for me to meet an older cockapoo which i again spenttime with in a confined space - front section of our campervan in this case - one hour later still no wheeziness.... from there on in i realised i should be ok , but made sure it was one of this poodles progeny as the liklihood was something similar to what i had sat with.
One definitely cant buy on the offchance


----------



## crazy lady

i agree- and it really annoys me when i see some people advertising cockapoos and other poodle crosses as "good for allergy sufferers", not fair on the dog or the perspective buyers.


----------



## wellerfeller

Thing is, you may very well find a Cockapoo IS the dog for you as an allergy sufferer. I do know of people that have been able to have a Cockapoo but are allergic to all other dogs BUT it is not a definate. 
I just think lots of people are being misled into thinking Cockapoo= hypoallergenic.
Unfortunately the dogs are soon moved on to who knows where when things don't work out.


----------



## Sezra

I agree! I went for Cockapoos because of having allergies myself and thankfully my two don't moult and I am fine with them. However no dog is hypo-allergenic and should never be sold as such. It is not only their coat and dander but also what a dog brings into the house on its coat can trigger allergies. A dog's coat (especially long haired or curly coated) can hold/collect pollen, seeds, dust and spores and these can also effect allergy sufferers.


----------



## MillieDog

Totally agree. A good way to 'test' to see if a family member has an allergy reaction is to contact the breeder and discuss your concerns. A good breeder will offer you a piece of material with all the cockapoo hairs etc on it. You can then live with the piece of material and it will help you see how things pan out.


----------



## Mogdog

The definition of "hypo allergenic" is *"less likely *to cause an allergic reaction" .... "hypo" means "less than", not "none at all".

So I would say a cockapoo is a hypo allergenic dog. I agree there are no guarantees though, and if you suffer allergies you should arrange to spend time, ideally indoors, with a cockapoo. My son, who has asthma and eczema, buried his face in the fur of a friend's cockapoo and was in the same room for about an hour ..... no reaction at all which was amazing to see.

We have 2 cockapoos now. One with a poodly coat which is non-shed, the other with a loose wavy coat that sheds a little, and he is fine with both.

It would probably be possible to find a breeder or someone via a club who has a cockapoo to test for allergy, rather than leaving it to luck.

S x


----------



## JasperBlack

If anything it is the allergens on the coat that flare me up! So the fact the coat is hypo allergenic is of no use to me! I will just take precautions in summer such as dampening his coat before I brush him, a water sprayer was one of the first things I bought 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## Cat 53

Jasperblack, try and get some Bowen Therapy now. You may find your allergies are no longer a problem. My daughter had awful hay fever and was unable to eat raw fruit and veg (her throat would itch and feel swollen) and anti histimines didnt help. since having Bowen treatment she spends time out doors mows the lawn and has enjoyed salads and summer fruits for the first time in 19 years. As a therapist I would advise you to get treatment now whilst allergens are low.


----------



## JasperBlack

What's Bowen therapy? X


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## Cat 53

Bowen is a gentle hands on holistic therapy that aims to rebalance the whole person being treated. It consists of gentle rolling movements over specific muscles, muscle groups, nerve endings and tendons interspersed with two minute breaks. The breaks are an integral part of the treatment allowing the body to react to the moves and make small adjustments in muscle tone. It can be used to help with a range of problems from muscular/skeletal, to emotional, digestive, eczema, asthma, arthritis, fibro, hay fever. Neck problems, migraine. Because it's so gentle newborns right through to the elderly with oesteoporosis can benefit. I personally have treated my newborn granddaughter and my 87 year old mum and all ages in-between. I personally benefitted from it when it released a frozen shoulder. The treatment is wonderfully relaxing to receive. I also treat my dogs with it too. They go all floppy. It's great. There are qualified canine and equine Bowen therapists out there too.


----------



## sugerlump

my ginger does not shed .when i brush her nothing comes out of her fur, i have to brush her with a wire brush very hard to get the smallest amount of shed. but not all poo are like that.some shed just like a regular dog .so why do the breeders say this to people .it is just not fair to the puppy when they end up in a shelter


----------



## Abby

I think it is definitely a matter of "less likely to be a problem." Years ago I had a golden retriever and as much as I loved her, I was horribly allergic and could not touch her without a reaction. My next dog was a lhassapoo and I was always fine with her, no reactions at all but I think she had more poodle traits than lhassa also. No with my cockapoo pup I am fine but occasionally I react to her. It seems to have more to do with her coat than with her on her own - giving her a bath always clears up my allergic reaction! This tells me that I will need to keep an eye on the length of her coat and that baths will be a regular part of our routine. I knew this was a possibility when I got her and was prepared for it.


----------



## Jerseygirl

My Mother is very allergic to animals. She was told early in life that it was the hair and dander. But recent tests showed it was the enzymes in their saliva that she's allergic too! And that is why cats really cause a flare up because they groom themselves so much, and then they shed that hair with the saliva on it! She doesn't react to our dog, Jersey doesn't seem to lick herself as much as other dogs. But I do bathe her if I know my mum is visiting, just in case!


----------



## darkangel

*Allergies etc*

Hi,

It is true with cats, it is their saliva that causes the allergic symptoms predominately as opposed to the fur. I should call myself the allergy queen, lol. Since I hit 25 quite a few years ago, I became allergic to cats (all cats) pollen (tree mostly) dust, dust mites etc. I also have chronic sinus headaches to boot. I was fine growing up with my Springer Spaniel but became very allergic to him in his last year. I cannot touch my dad's Bearded collie without a huge sneezing, itchy eyes reaction. I have always adored dogs and really thought I would never be able to have one until I got my Jonah. I went to the breeders and met his mum, a couple of times before I went to see the litter. I was shocked to find that I didn't react at all, each time. I visited 4 times in all and then took my little pup home. He is 7 months now and besides some v small rashes on my hands when I first got him, I have absolutely no reaction to him at all now.I groom him and brush daily. Maybe i'm setting my self up here ((gulp)) but I just don't react to him at all. I appreciate everyone is different and some can become allergic whilst others become immune to the animal. I really cannot stress enough how important it is to try to visit the breeder and mother of the litter a few times if at all possible. Don't wash your hands immediately afterwards as you won't know if you react then. All dogs shed and poo crosses are no exception. All I know is that I don't react to him at all and hopefully won't in the future.
Sorry about the long and rambling post!

Sally


----------



## [email protected]

Hi there
I read your thread with interest as I have recently purchased a cockapoo puppy who has been with us for 3 weeks and in the last week I've started experiencing swollen eyes and tight chest. I grew up with dogs and was fine, but we got a golden retriever puppy who I became very allergic to and had to give up after 5 months. Since then I've been with other dogs and even tested a cockapoo for a week and have been fine, but it seems that I have a low allergy to dogs, so am fine for a week or so but if I have constant exposure, will react. However, I really don't want to give our cockapoo puppy up as he's fitted right into the family and we adore him. But if I continue to react badly, like the golden retriever puppy, we may have to. Any ideas on how to control the allergies or overcome them?


----------



## emjon123

High dose of antihistamine. I have allergies to certain things and certain dogs but thankfully not my own. Allergies can get better with more exposure .


----------



## Jerseygirl

Hi Johunter, sorry you are having these reactions! This is hard, I know. We got a lab cross a couple years ago and my youngest daughter was having a lot of allergies. We also moved a few thousand miles away around the same time and did not know if it was the dog or new environment. After several different testing she was negative on all her allergy tests but the Doc. said you can still be sensitive to it, especially in the winter time when the dogs are locked up more inside with the windows closed. So we have to regularly bathe the dogs in the winter. This will reduce the saliva and dander. Also my daughter takes a daily antihistamine in the winter. The last two years she had really bad sinusitis and was on a daily prescription pill (Singulair), prescribed nasal steroid spray(nasonex or flonase), prescription allergy eye drops for the eye swelling, and we made her take saline sprays a lot too. This year was the best winter so far, we kept her on the nasal steroid sprays, and an over the counter antihistamine (reactine) and she's been great. Either she's acclimated to the climate here or her body isn't reacting to the dog as much. It was a very hard decision for me to keep our dog. We love her so much and really struggled with keeping her these past few years, but we are so glad we kept her! I would try and have other family members help bathe and groom your dog, if your puppy licks you, wash up right away etc....But honestly, if your symptoms are severe I would not want you to keep your puppy out of guilt, I'm sure if it came down to it you could find a loving home for him/her. Make sure you go to a good doctor, they will most likely know what allergy treatments you need or send you to an Allergist. Goodluck!


----------

