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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]I have extremely bad allergies, but would never give up my dog or stop having a dog. So I just keep popping the Zyrtec.

Oh and OP it's just allergies, MYOB. There is no cure for allergies and even if you got rid of the allergens, the allergies might still be there (this was my case). [/quote]

It sounds like the child needs repeated medical care (ie., ICU) due to these "just allergies." I would continue to talk to the parents if this were my niece or nephew. [/quote]

Allergies are not life threatening. Food allergies can be and so can asthma. Allergies can make your life a living hell, though. [/quote]

The child is currently in the Intensive Care Unit...they don't just admit the sniffles to the ICU.[/quote]

What is he in for? There must be something else going on? [/quote]

My good friend's 5 year old daughter ended up in ICU for a week due to undiagnosed asthma.  There was nothing else going on.  I don't know much about asthma myself, but apparently the child's asthma went undiagnosed for so long because she doesn't have the usual, obvious symptoms.  The parents felt terrible, of course, especially her husband because he's an asthmatic himself and didn't recognize his daughter's condition.  They had always had a cat (and frankly, a very cluttered house that was far too small for them), but had recently gotten a dog.  Perhaps that is what finally pushed the daughter health into a critical state.  They immediately rehomed the pets and radically changed their living conditions.

What is especially interesting is that the child had had various developmental/educational issues.  For example, she potty trained very late and still often had both urine and poop accidents at school.  [b]Once the asthma was diagnosed and treated, those problems went away.[/b]  Her pediatrician told my friend that the girl's body was so focused on trying to breath that it couldn't also handle other tasks.  She also started reading easily once she was healthy.  [/quote]

Or she just grew out of those problems.  I find it irresponsible of the pediatrician to make the very unsubstantiated claim that asthma caused the other problems.  It's like the people who find out their kid has autism right around the time they get their shots.  Coincidence, likely, because around the time those things are usually diagnosed is usually around the age kids get those specific shots.

I hate when people draw connections and insist on them, even when they're very unsubstantiated.

I also think your post assumes people with asthma can't have pets, which is a stretch.  My brother and husband both have asthma and both have ALWAYS had pets.  And yet their asthma is under control.  The only time they both have flare-ups is if they get a cold or flu (like when I have a cold and then my husband gets it) or, in my brother's case, when over-exerting himself in heat.  My husband also gets a flare up when he's doing any kind of construction with saw dust.

Neither of them have issues with cats or dogs.

You simply can't always make the assumption that that is the  issue.  Asthma is also different from allergies.  [/quote]

PP you quoted here.  It's true it could be coincidence that she outgrew her problems, just like it could be coincidence that they got a dog just before her asthma became critical.  We will never know.

Also true that asthma doesn't always rule out having pets.  Everyone has their own particular triggers.

But OP stated that her niece's and nephew's asthma is [i]not[/i] under control.  They have repeated trips to the ER and ICU.  There is no way that any doctor [i]hasn't [/i]suggested they remove the pets and see if that makes a difference, so her siblings are probably not complying with medical advice.  OP said her sister's pet just died and they have an opportunity to live pet free.  Why would any responsible parents not at least wait for a while to see if that helps the child's condition stabilize?  Maybe it helps.  Maybe it doesn't and they get a cat or dog six months from now instead.  It's not like they need a working dog in their home; they simply want a pet.

I get the desire for a pet.  Except for the time I lived in a college dorm, I've never lived without pets.  I am significantly allergic to cats and dogs, and I choose to just deal with it because I love animals.  I don't have a child with asthma, though.  It would be incredibly painful for me to give up our pets, but this seems like just one of those things you have to consider when you're responsible for someone else's well-being.[/quote]

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