Pet allergies

[MisterCreosote]

Nice. Congrats. Has he already been broken of the constant barking?

 

[JackReacher]

I don't think that was ever an issue, at least according to the owners, who have had him since he was a pup. We spent an hour or so with him over the weekend and not a peep.

 

[Dyno]

Congratulations!

 

[JackReacher]

Meet Jax, the new addition to the Sonner household.

 

[Vombatus]

Meet Jax, the new addition to the Sonner household.

Congrats, Jack, Jax and family!

 

[Amy]

Meet Jax, the new addition to the Sonner household.

Jax is adorable. Congratulations on the new addition.

 

[cranberry]

Look's exactly like my mom's schnauzer, who was smart and very low maintenance. Good luck.

 

[JackReacher]

Pet insurance. Whatcha got, SJ? Am I overreacting to a couple recent expensive vet visits or is it really worth it? Jax is 7, so we're leaning toward worth it just because who the hell knows what lies ahead as he gets older and older.

 

[MisterCreosote]

What were the expensive visits for? If they were for chronic, recurring issues, then insurance couldn't hurt. If they were for typical rescue dog stuff, like parasites, it's more likely a one-time expense. Seven isn't that old.

One thing to keep in mind is pet insurance is done through reimbursement, so you have to front the money and I've heard horror stories about getting them to cover things. I'd try ASPCA first - they're the least likely to scam you.

Also, most vets offer financing plans at rates as low as 15 percent, so that could be an option for one-time expensive visits.

 

[JackReacher]

Couple minor injuries and his annual check-up. All told, a little more than a grand, so not nearly enough to think about financing through the vet's office. Looks like you can get plans that include both medical and wellness plans, or get one or the other. I looked at ASPCA earlier and they didn't seem to cover as much as others, but like you said, they might be more reliable when it comes to getting reimbursed.

It's something we're thinking about now, but we're probably more likely to seriously consider it a year or two down the road. I mean, chances are, those random minor injuries won't occur at this astronomical rate for the long term, but hell. Who knows.

 

[RecoveringJournalist]

We're considering getting a dog, but our choices are limited given my allergies. I know a few people who have dealt with this, but I also wanted to throw it out here for discussion.

I assume an allergy pill and/or peridodic allergy shots will do the trick. Anyone here been through that process? Any advice?

Thx.

My wife is very, very allergic to cats. When we're visiting my family, if she takes a Zyrtec ahead of time, she's usually OK, but needs to go outside for fresh air every hour or two.

We had a dachshund for several years and a relative who is allergic to dogs had no issues with him. Cool dog too. Same relative also had no issue with a short hair boxer that a friend had.

 

[MisterCreosote]

Couple minor injuries and his annual check-up. All told, a little more than a grand, so not nearly enough to think about financing through the vet's office. Looks like you can get plans that include both medical and wellness plans, or get one or the other. I looked at ASPCA earlier and they didn't seem to cover as much as others, but like you said, they might be more reliable when it comes to getting reimbursed.

It's something we're thinking about now, but we're probably more likely to seriously consider it a year or two down the road. I mean, chances are, those random minor injuries won't occur at this astronomical rate for the long term, but hell. Who knows.

Thing is, in my experience, rescue shelters don't have the time or resources to keep an eye on all of their dogs, therefore after adoption you'll always find a few things piled up that need attention. Now that he has parents, he likely won't get into many injury-causing situations from now on.

 

[RecoveringJournalist]

Pet insurance. Whatcha got, SJ? Am I overreacting to a couple recent expensive vet visits or is it really worth it? Jax is 7, so we're leaning toward worth it just because who the hell knows what lies ahead as he gets older and older.

If you get it, read all the fine print. There are a lot of dogs that have certain conditions that are almost never covered. When I had the dachshund, no back injuries (common with that breed) were covered. Hip injuries are not usually covered with any dog.

For the 14 years I had the dachshund, I had to pay $800 for one surgery, but the rest of the time it was nothing other than standard vet visits.

 

[JackReacher]

Thing is, in my experience, rescue shelters don't have the time or resources to keep an eye on all of their dogs, therefore after adoption you'll always find a few things piled up that need attention. Now that he has parents, he likely won't get into many injury-causing situations from now on.

Well, we didn't get him from a shelter. We got him from a regular family a few miles away. They have two german shepherds and one of them didn't get along with him. He got bit and they decided to keep the german shepherds together and get rid of Jax. But yeah, he's generally healthy and I hope, like you said, that he won't get into many sticky situations.

I do think that even if we go with the Wellness plan, it should save us a few bucks each year.

 

[outofplace]

My wife is very, very allergic to cats. When we're visiting my family, if she takes a Zyrtec ahead of time, she's usually OK, but needs to go outside for fresh air every hour or two.

We had a dachshund for several years and a relative who is allergic to dogs had no issues with him. Cool dog too. Same relative also had no issue with a short hair boxer that a friend had.

This may have been discussed earlier in the thread (it has been a while since I read it), but often the difference is if the person is allergic to the dander or the fur. Shorter fur or so-called hypo-allergenic dogs like Poodles can mitigate the response by somebody who is allergic to the fur.

Speaking from just my own experience, my reactions are different depending on the breed, though I have yet to find a doctor who can explain how that works. It isn't based on exposure, either. The breed I've been around the most in my life is Dachshund because we had them when I was a kid, but my reactions are far worse around a Lab or a Doberman. Both of my wife's sisters have standard Poodles, but every time I'm around either one, it simply debunks the hypo-allergenic claim.

Honestly, I just think doctors don't understand how allergies work nearly as much as they'd like us to think they understand.

 

[RecoveringJournalist]

Doctors told my wife awhile back, "You need weekly allergy shots and should not be around cats ever."

She doesn't get weekly shots and if she takes a generic Zyrtec, she's fine.

I think allergy doctors, just like many other doctors tell people whatever they need to be able to charge them for weekly visits.

 

[JackReacher]

I'm getting allergy shots twice a week (more like once a week on average based on my laziness). I'm also taking a Zyrtec every day. I think I have a couple months of shots left. Thankfully, they're not costing me anything. What a pain in the ass. And they probably won't even work. I'm probably just better off with Zyrtec.

 

[RecoveringJournalist]

I've always gotten the sense that even if allergy shots work, you're trading a runny nose and sneezing for feeling like you're on speed.

 

[JackReacher]

Huh?

 

[outofplace]

Doctors told my wife awhile back, "You need weekly allergy shots and should not be around cats ever."

She doesn't get weekly shots and if she takes a generic Zyrtec, she's fine.

I think allergy doctors, just like many other doctors tell people whatever they need to be able to charge them for weekly visits.

Depends on the doctor. Mine said if we wanted to get a pet, I could try six months of shots ahead of time, but he wasn't recommending it and it might not work. He said my best course of action was to just stay away from cats and dogs entirely.