OP, I am on your side and believe your daughter has an allergy. However, it sounds to me like you are in a lot of denial here. Your husband puts the dog's welfare ahead of the child but is a good man and you just need to find the right words to convince him....we are not to bash him.

Not going to work. A good man wouldn't do this.

Time to take a stand. You are too passive in this situation. If it is really as you describe, with your child scratching her eczema into open sores, you cannot remain this passive.

So hang on. Your daughter only has a mild reaction to your dog, but reacts to strange dogs---and you want to get rid of yours?

Nope.

And that said, I'd not get rid of my dogs no matter what......kids can take claritin.

OP, your posts make no sense. What you describe is not an allergy. You want to get rid of the dog and you are blaming it on "open sores"?

Nope. Own it. You hate the dog.

Anonymous wrote:How old is your DH? He sounds like he is 3. For goodness sake, if there was even the possibility that the little DC's open sores and allergies were caused by the mutt dog, the dog has to go asap. WTF? It's a dog. So you have to remove the carpet, that's a great idea for allergy sufferers anyway. Much cleaner and dust free. Why does the DC have to suffer? Sorry, this sound like a larger problelm with DH's inability to adjust his pre-kid life to the reality of today. This won't be the only issue, OP- be ready for more to come.

I should explain, DD does have open sores from the eczema, they are open because she scratches them, not because the sores are "that bad". They itch horribly. The allergist did tell me the best thing to do is to get rid of the dog, as the problem isn't just a skin reaction, it's an asthmatic reaction at times, but mostly when she comes into contact with other dogs. We went from hardwood floors to carpets when we moved, the carpets are brand new, and I honestly saw more issues with DD in the other house.

I do not hate the dog, I do not want to get rid of her, but my child's comfort is my #1 concern. I know it takes years to remove dander from the carpet, the dog hasn't been in entire floors of this house, so I am confident we're in ok condition as we've been here less than a year.

What I want to know is how can I approach DH so he does understand that the dog is an issue to the extent that she is causing issues, and yes, he has been to the allergist, and no, I am not getting rid of him. He's a good man, he just doesn't seem to get the connection between the dog and the allergies. DD has far worse reactions to other dogs, which does lend us to think she's far more allergic to other dogs and does have a mild immunity to our dog, however our dog is still causing issues. But please don't automatically dismiss my DH as a jerk, this is hard for him, too, even though you & I cant fathom keeping the dog, he seems to think she'll only be around a few more years and thinks she should spend those years with us.

I need advice to help convince him otherwise, not just posters bashing him, that does me no good. Removing the carpet in the house financially isn't an option. The previous owners put in new carpet after they moved, before they put the house on the market.

Anonymous wrote:I don't buy that the daughter is allergic. The mom hates the shedding. She admitts the dog is crated most of the time. Sounds like Taylor from Real Housewives. You don't want to be responsible for the dog that is what you should say to your husband. Use "I"statements don't make it about something it's not

You're funny. Taylor from Real Housewives, really? I do not like the shedding, but the issue is the allergic, as a vacuum works just fine on the fur and our dog is 120 pounds, not 15 pounds. Reality tv has gotten to you, eh? In real life, sometimes people really do have allergies to real dogs.

Has the eczema always been this way? The reason I ask is my 6 year old ds2 has had TERRIBLE eczema this Fall/Winter. This is even with regular steroid cream and vanicream which has been effective for years. Due to known animal allergies (dh, and ds 1) we have no pets. At age 2 his allergy testing showed nothing, BUT we have strong family history of allergies, and it is not common for young ones to show negative and then + by age 5. Anyway, we happen to be going tomorrow for repeat skin testing to try to get to the bottom of the eczema, but I wonder if it is something with this up and down weather.

Interestingly enough, dh (and then me ) had a dog until our oldest was 2 (dog died). Dh was allergic, but I guess like getting allergy shots he built up an immunity after 12 years? Plus he was old enough to make a choice to suck up the symptoms.

All this being said, if you KNOW your child is allergic to dogs and that this is possibly the cause of the eczema, the dog has to go. Allergies really suck, and yes, it might get better over time. That said, if there was any way I could keep my son from not having the constant scratching/bloody patches, I would do it in a heartbeat. Take him to the allergist with you, and let him hear it from the doc. My good friend had to do this with her 13 year old dog. Thankfully, her parents were able to take him, so they can still can see him sometimes.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:not to mention that OP fostered the whole problem from the beginning not making DH responsible for taking care of the dog and its messes.

Huh?

DH got the dog but never took care of it. Now OP is complaining about it when it's her fault. She let him get away with this behavior. it's just natural to get worse with time.

This is OP, where did I say that? My husband walks the dog, grooms her, feeds her, he spends time with her to the extent he can while he's home but it's extremely limited. She can't roam the house because of her dander, and she does not stay kenneled 100% of the time, but if she's not on the deck or out for a walk, she is in our bedroom. When we aren't home she has to be in the kennel, which probably would happen even if my child wasn't allergic.

But, PP, I'm but not sure why you are speculating DH doesn't care for the dog.

How old is your DH? He sounds like he is 3. For goodness sake, if there was even the possibility that the little DC's open sores and allergies were caused by the mutt dog, the dog has to go asap. WTF? It's a dog. So you have to remove the carpet, that's a great idea for allergy sufferers anyway. Much cleaner and dust free. Why does the DC have to suffer? Sorry, this sound like a larger problelm with DH's inability to adjust his pre-kid life to the reality of today. This won't be the only issue, OP- be ready for more to come.

I don't buy that the daughter is allergic. The mom hates the shedding. She admitts the dog is crated most of the time. Sounds like Taylor from Real Housewives. You don't want to be responsible for the dog that is what you should say to your husband. Use "I"statements don't make it about something it's not

When I was 5 I was diagnosed with severe allergies. Wasn't allergic to food, medications, mice, feathers and horses. Everything else was a big yes. My parents put hardwood floors in my room, bought allergy protectors for everything and blocked off my room from the dog. With allergy meds(pills and nose spray) I built up an immunity to the dog and as long as I lint brushed my clothes and didn't let the dog in the room, I was fine! I got allergy shots in high school and aside from normal seasonal allergies, I've been allergy free for 10 years. However, if she has open sores then her allergies sound way worse than mine

And I thought my husband was bad....

I would try every other solution but would not get rid of the dog. Your DH has a point.

My daughter had allergies and the allergist told us that getting rid of the dog would do not good if we stayed in the same house. She said that no amount of professional cleaning would get rid of all of the dander. She suggested putting hardwood in my daughter's room and not allowing the dog in the room. Ten years later the dog is still here and my daughter is doing fine.

I'm sorry but the dog has to go. If your husband won't get rid of it, then he needs to go too.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:not to mention that OP fostered the whole problem from the beginning not making DH responsible for taking care of the dog and its messes.

Huh?

DH got the dog but never took care of it. Now OP is complaining about it when it's her fault. She let him get away with this behavior. it's just natural to get worse with time.

I think you're getting OP mixed up with another PP who told the story about finding another home for her dog.