Pet Allergies

According to my allergist, allergies to anything can develop at any time. I wasn't always allergic to pet dander, but I developed an allergy when I was very young.

Hi I'm S. and I have a 3 year old boy and an 18 year old girl. It is not uncommon for infants to develop allergies to something that didn't seem to bother them before. There is a good chance it is the cats but I would go ahead with the doctor visit just to rule out anything else. If the mucus is clear it is usually an allergy.Yellow or green mucus indicates a cold or other upper respiratory infection. I hope this helps.

Maybe he is teething. My daughter is 5 1/2 months and I thought the same things.. cold, another cold, maybe allergies. Then a month or so later her bottom teeth came in. I didn't put everything together - runny nose, looser stools, and a little bit of night time fussiness. I doubt he would pick up that kind of allergy that quickly.

K.

I am with your husband and think it would have come up sooner if it was the cats. There are so many environmental allergies right now that it could simply be a plant that is near your house, thus not affecting him when you are out and about.

More than likely though, it is probably teething at that age!

M.

Teething can cause runny noses. I was told that babies can't get .. hayfever until around 3 yrs old. I'm not sure about pet allergies, but just a couple of notes . . . I read that kids that grow up with cats in the house for the 1st year of life are 60% less likely to develop asthma! Of course your little boy COULD be part of the 40%, but if it doesn't end up being cat allergies, then you can appreciate your kitties just a little bit more ;)

When my nephew was diagnosed with SEVERE asthma at 6 weeks, they told my SIL not to bother with getting rid of the cats. Dander is already throughout the house. Believe me, I think the kitties are NOT the problem. Don't get me wrong I am biased (TOTAL cat person), but I highly doubt it is them

I think maybe it could be all the pollen in the air. According to news reports lately, there's been a "superburst" which means way more pollen than we're all used to.
It could also be teething. Both of my kids have gotten runny noses at the very least when they have new little teeth coming in.
Also, my son had RSV when he was very small and my daughter has asthma, but we still haven't had to get rid or our cat or dogs. So chin up about your kitties:) I don't think that your little one would have developed an allergy to them after this long.
If you are still worried, you should take him to the Dr. though.
Good luck and hope he feels better soon!

My son was allergic to our dog but what it was was the amount of hair I bought a carpet cleaner and a vacuum with a hepa filter then i was just real dilagent about the hair and not letting the dog go in the nursary it was a lot of work but that dog is now my three year olds bestfriend. The carpet cleaner was 150 dollars but well worth it

my son went through the same thing once his front teeth started coming in, around 7months also, so maybe its just that...

Your son my just have allergy's, my boyreind has allergey's and he has a runny nose so just give him benegrel and see what happens. if his runny nose goes away thaem take him to a doctor and they will tell you he has seasonal allergeis.

I am 36 and have never had allergies until this year! My son who is 3 has also developed an allergy. I did find some claritin for toddlers and I think I may have seen some for infants. If not, try benadryl allergy. Allergies are really bad this year with all the rain we had and the warm weather. If it does end up being your cats, try shaving them. I know it sounds awful, but they do these cute lion cuts on cats and they are really soft!! I have also heard that they are coming out with new products for people who are allergic to dander, something you may want to look into. Good luck!

I have a 2 1/2 year old daughter and when she was around 6-8 i cant remember exactly she used to get that way everytime she went over to my moms house, which my mom had a cat. We didnt have pets and home and i would tell my mom over and over she must be allergic to the cat. Somewhere between like 10-12 months it just stopped. I think that she very well might have been bothered by the cat because it only happened when she spent time at grandmas house, which was quite often. I think she also just got used to it and now she still goes over there all the time and has no problems. Im not sure why it started or why it stopped but she went through it and after a few months she grew out of it. I hope this gives you so hope... and hopefully your son will grow out of it to~!

I went through the same thing with my son and hes three now with severe Asthma it started at about 9 months. The doctor told me allergies in kids don't usually develop until arround one and a little earlier. With our son it turned out the only thing he's allergic to is is cats so we were esentially causing his asthma attacks. Unfortunatly we couldn't get him tested for allergies until he was 2. If you have any other questions let me know. Hope this helps a little. GOOD LUCK

You could always get him tested. It's probably not the pets, but the test would probably put your mind at ease.

Dear R.,
I believe it could be seasonal allergies because this is the time for them and for some reason it's a strong season for allergies. I don't usually have allergies, but this season I did. I also have two cats and my son has never been affected by their dander, however he did have a little allergy for a while and it went away. Try some benadryl at night, (get dosage from doctor), for a few nights and see if that kicks it in the keester. It did for my son. :-) Best wishes..and don't worry about the kitties...you won't have to get rid of them. G.

Hi my name is R. I have a friend who had the same problem with her baby and she was having an allergic reation to mold that was in her house as soon as she got rid of the mold the runny nose stoped. I hope your baby feels better soon!

Being that it is spring time and all the new plants and pollen are in the air for the first time in your little ones life it is possible it is a plant near your house.

Teething could also be a big factor.

Other things to think about are if you have any new products in your home a different soap, laundry detergent, perfume. There are so many possibilities that it may be hard to pin point exactly what it is until he is a little older.

Best of luck and I hope that it is only teething which will pass.

Hi R.,

I wondered the same thing about pet allergies and what age they show up. I was just at the pediatrician with my daughter and she said allergies can show up at any age. However allergies to cats do not show up as a runny nose. Cat allergies usually show in the form of red, itchy or runny eyes. We have three cats also, so that is why I had asked our doctor about it.
Hope this helps out!
H.

Could he just have "seasonal" allergies? My 18th month old has had allergies from day one but it has been worse this last month or so and it got really bad when we changed daycare settings. There must be something in the area of the home she's in now or something in their house because her nose runs and her eyes tear when she is there but when we leave she is fine. You might check with your child's pediatrician.

Hi,
There are medicated clothes (like wet wipes) and shampoos you can buy that take off the cat's dander.Which is what most people are allergic to.My sister in law is highly allergic to cats and was able to have one as long as she used the wipes. I also recommend getting an air purifier this way if he is allergic to dust or something in the house it will help filter those allergies.Good luck,I hope you will be able to keep your kitties!

if these are new symptoms and he didnt have any before it may something else like all the stuff blooming outside. every year for the last 16 years that i have lived in my home, bout this time of year i get a horrible allergy reaction. i finallly coincided it with my neighbors cottonwood tree right outside our front door. every time the tree starts to bloom i get a runny nose, cough (from the nasal drip) and sometimes it puts me in bed for a couple of days. it resolves for about two weeks then it starts again when the cotton wood tree starts spillling its "cotton". i can be sure i will be miserable again during that week or so that it sheds. so maybe it isnt the cats

Allergies can worsen as you are exposing yourself to them so yes it can seem like nothing one day and then bam it affects you the next. If I remember correctly children can't even get tested for allergies till after 6 months so if you are worried take him to the doctor and see what’s going on. Right now so many things are blooming and the air quality isn't very good at all that it could be those put together. There may be a tree that he is extra sensitive to and that why when you leave the house it isn't so bad. Just a thought.
Good Luck!

He is most likely teething,they get runny noses when the teeth come in.

Hi R.!

Here is a link that might be helpful to you:

http://www.babycenter.com/refcap/11409.html

It specifically addresses cat dander.

Best wishes!

L.

My daughter went throught the same thing over the winter- we have two dogs. She had a constantly runny nose that seemed to go away when we were out and about for awhile. I could tell when she was sick, but a lot of the other times it would just be a runny nose with no other symptoms. I took her to the Dr. with this concern and he said it is possible that it was allergies, and that for now I should just treat the symptoms and not get her tested OR get rid of the dogs (a thin layer of vaseline works nicely over a chapped nose). Well, as soon as the warmer weather broke and the house was opened up more and we were outside more her runny nose miraculously stopped! I'm wondering if it is possible to "grow out of" allergies? Anyway, it took some time, but I don't think the dogs affect her anymore. Good luck with your little runny nose! :0)

I agree with many of the others - sounds like teething! That runny nose can come every time a new set of teeth are about to come in. For my daughter, she begins getting a runny nose long before the teeth poke through.

We had the same problem too and we took our son to be tested for just cat and dogs (because we just moved here the doctor said we need to wait until we have been here for 6 months to test for anything else) he was not allergic to either luckily but, he still was having a lot of problems breathing so they are thinking it is asthma since I have it and he had RSV. No test can be done for this but, given his history. I would suggest to having your son tested. The needle is sooooo tiny and Connor (my son) didnt even notice it. They put on a video (Finding Nemo) the place we went to is http://azsneeze.com/ we went to the glendale location Arizona Asthma & Allergy Institute
5605 W. Eugie, Suite 200
Glendale, AZ 85304
Phone ###-###-####
Fax 00###-###-####
I wish you the best of luck!

Hi,

My daughter went thru the same thing last month. At first I thought she was getting a cold because her nose kept running none stop and she would cough. But then it lasted two weeks and her nose was really red and raw. So I took her to her ped and she said it was hay fever and gave me some allergy pills. She said a lot of kids are going thru that right now and this year was going to be really bad for allergy's. I also have a cat and two dogs and my daughter has never been bothered by them. I read that kids that grow up around pets get less allergy's than kids that are never around them. I wouldn't worry. Just take your son into his doctor for a check up. I'm sure it's just seasonal allergy's.

You know, when my son was teething he would get a really stuffy nose, but not really any other symptoms. I could always tell when he was cutting a tooth because all of a sudden I would have to wipe his nose all day like crazy. I know doctors say its a myth that babies get cold symptoms while they're teething but I swear it was such a routine with him. I'm sure your little guy already has a few teeth but you never know.