Labradoodles and children's allergies

elisa · Junior Member Joined: 17 Feb 2008 Posts: 20

Hi, I wanted to know if anyone online has a labradoodle and family members with dog allergies. My husband and I had to give away our yellow lab 3 years ago when both of our children became highly allergic to her. (Our lab was here first - we never considered the possibility that the kids would be allergic. On a positive note, she lives with a great family, and we have visitation rights and a key to their house.)

Our family is very ready for another dog, and we've been researching the "hypoallergenic" breeds. Obviously, if we could get a dog that has lab personality with the right coat, we'd be thrilled.

Labradoodles sound perfect, but because they're relatively new, our vet doesn't feel right recommending them from an allergy standpoint. We'd love to hear a few success stories to make sure we're looking into the right breed for the kids.

Thank you!

CherylB · Posted: Sun Feb 17, 2008 6:27 pm Post subject:

The problem with allergies is that not everyone reacts the same. Do they have IgE allergies to dogs? (This would be an allergy that shows up on blood or skin testing). For what its worth, my kids don't have IgE allergies to dogs but I do. However, my kids have non IgE allergies to which they react to most foods and have always reacted to a lab that my friend has... In addition, they react to most people's houses that have had any dogs (except poodles) that live there - even if the dog is not present when the kids are there. However none of us have ever reacted to our labradoodle. (we all have asthma too...)

But it depends on the specific labradoodle and the person. We got an F1b because I believed we would have the best chance with a non-shedding dog.

elisa · Junior Member Joined: 17 Feb 2008 Posts: 20

Hi, thanks for the quick reply. What's f1b mean? I know it has to do with the generation of the dog, but I don't know the codes.

Our kids do both test for IgE. The older one reacts in all houses with dogs or cats, and she had asthma issues when we had our lab, which was when we finally accepted reality and realized we were fighting a losing battle (changing the air filters, ripping out carpet, etc., etc., etc. to keep Pluto).

She is now on allergy shots, which was part of our agreement with her - get the shots, and we'll get a dog you're not allergic to. Our youngest only gets a mild skin rash these days when she's around dogs (she apparently outgrew the worst of the allergy), so we think she'll be fine with any type of "hypoallergenic" dog.

momoftwo · Senior Member Joined: 03 Mar 2007 Posts: 265

My family has allergies and although Labradoodles in general are less likely to cause problems, it really comes down to the individual dog. The breeder I went with raised her dogs in the house and allowed us to come visit several times and stay for several hours at a time. Since we did not react to the 8 adult dogs in the house or the litter I felt safe in getting a puppy from her. Good Luck!

Heather

elisa · Junior Member Joined: 17 Feb 2008 Posts: 20

Thank you! I've been in initial contact with a breeder nearby and asked if she had a few adult, 2nd generation labradoodles that we could come play with to see how the kids do.

Our 2nd choice of breed right now would be the wheaton terrier, but we'd rather have the labradoodle if the kids do alright with the breeder's dogs and if we don't hear any "horror" stories from labradoodle owners.

gene · Posted: Sun Feb 17, 2008 7:00 pm Post subject:

I don't have allergy issues, but the lack of shedding in the F1B (3/4 poodle, 1/4 lab) is a wonderful thing. Best thing to do for the allergies, would be to test it out with exposure to someone who has doodles, like a breeder or just an owner. That would give you a better feel for them. Good luck in your search......hope you get a doodle!! Wink

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lmtoth2 · Posted: Sun Feb 17, 2008 7:45 pm Post subject:

my husband is allergic to some dogs so we got a F1B labradoodle. He has no problems. We then adopted a F1 Irish Setter/Poodle and once again - no problem. We have had many people to our house and nobody ever mentioned having any allergy problems. I think if your kids could visit the person you mentioned to see how they react. I think your best bet would be to get either a F1B or a F1 that looks more like a poodle than a lab...you should have a better chance of being allergy friendly.
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Leslie M

dreamer728 · Posted: Sun Feb 17, 2008 8:23 pm Post subject:

another thing - make sure they are not allergic to the saliva if they don't have a reaction just being around the dogs...my mom does get a reaction to our F1b when she gets licked (kissed) by Riley. the lack of hair and dander makes her able to pat her though.

i would almost think adopting an older dog - maybe the breeder you know has a breeding female they are thinking of retiring at some point that you could get. i would be concerned that the puppy might not trigger allergies and then once it grows up, blows it's puppy coat, and becomes a shedder that there could be allergy problems.

unfortunately even an f1B can't be a guarantee for being hypo allergenic. i would hate to see you fall in love with another dog and then have to give it up all over again in 8 - 12 months...

but i would say it's an absolute must to spend time with the litter and the mom at least to see if allergies pop up.

a multigen would most likely be your best bet - good luck in your search!! i hope you find the perfect pup to join your family Cool

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Brooke and Riley (F1b)

CherylB · Posted: Sun Feb 17, 2008 8:32 pm Post subject:

Well - since starting allergy shots, have you had the blood testing done to see if the number is going down?? You may want to check that first before moving forward with getting a puppy. However, I agree that with these reactions, you should go visit the breeder and see if a reaction happens. I'm assuming the kids may be on allergy meds right now as well? I wanted to make sure that my kids would not be forever stuck on Zytec, Singulair and Pulmicort due to our puppy... so I brought them to the breeders when they were off meds (because of other medical testing). The lack of instant reaction was a great sign for us - since the reaction to other people's homes are practically when they walk in the front door. We were still nervous that it may be a problem for us - but thankfully it wasn't for our family.

I also agree you may be safer with an F1b or a multi-gen. A first cross (F1) would probably not be the safest bet for you since their coat is more likely to shed (but not all do).

Napathedoodle · Posted: Sun Feb 17, 2008 8:38 pm Post subject:

My boyfriend and I both have mild allergies. We got an Australian labradoodle so that the possibility of having problems would be minimized. However, the best way to test is to actually be around other Labradoodles. You will want to be careful that the labradoodle you do visit haven't been around other dogs. Where abouts do you live? I know that most of us would be willing to have a "play date" to let you visit various types of labradoodles, since most of us have a labradoodle because we wanted exactly what you wanted- lab personality with less allergy problems. So, good luck with your search. You can do a search on many breeders sites and they have links of their success stories. But, you will want to stay away from a first generation pup (lab and poodle as parents). They are more likely to shed. Although, it isn't guaranteed.

Best of luck!
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Kristen and Napa-doodle, the chocolate doodle!

MaxandMe · Posted: Mon Feb 18, 2008 6:43 am Post subject:

I have SEVERE allergies and my son has asthma on top of it all....
to-date we're fine with all 3 doodles.

Max a f1 LD will shed minimally to almost not at all for the past 2mos now
he's 19mos

peanut and beau are f1 GD nonshedding
but usually goign with F1b LD (labradoodle) does help to ensure a very low to non shedder.

MY son does not need to use his nebulizer, nor his inhaler...he's doing great
no sinus infections or bronchitis for us, no post nasal drip etc which many of us allergic to animals both cats and dogs , get these symptons.
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elisa · Junior Member Joined: 17 Feb 2008 Posts: 20

Hi, Everyone! Thank you for all the great information.

As to the questions:
My oldest is the only one getting the allergy shots, so even if they work, we're still looking for a "hypoallergenic" dog for our youngest. Her allergies are mild, so we're avoiding the shots for now, and we would love to get a dog that doesn't irritate her skin.

I've heard about the saliva before and will be sure to have the kids let the dog kiss them before making a decision.

We're in South Florida - are any of you in this area or aware of any breeders down here? We've been in touch with one person so far who may have a litter later this year where both parents would be labradoodles. That should be fine for us - we would take a puppy sooner if we found one, but we're happy to wait for the right dog.

Thanks again!

Napathedoodle · Posted: Mon Feb 18, 2008 9:59 am Post subject:

One more thing, there are Doodle Romps held annually. They haven't put up any information yet, but you can keep checking back to check if there are any near you. You might not want to bring your kids, because they're held at dog parks. But, you could go, get a feel for breeders around you, see dogs, ask some of the owners if they would mind having play dates with you and your kids.

Anyway, here's the website http://www.idog.biz/RAW2008.html
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Kristen and Napa-doodle, the chocolate doodle!

elisa · Junior Member Joined: 17 Feb 2008 Posts: 20

Just took a look at the romp page - nothing is scheduled right now, but that looks like a great resource. Thanks!

gracielou · Posted: Mon Feb 18, 2008 1:22 pm Post subject:

Some breeders will let you visit an will make special arrangements so that your only around the pups that are available and not the rest of their dogs. This is what I do for people with allergies. One time I gave the puppy a quick bath and they came and we sat in their vehicle since I do still have one Lab here. I know several good breeders in FL if you want to PM me I will give you their names and contact info.
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Valley Center, KS
http://www.4pawspuppies.com