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I agree-- get rid of the carpeting in the bedroom and keep pets off the bed-- especially the dog, since it sounds like he might be the bigger culprit. Keep the pets, especially the dog, off all furniture, actually, and limit the soft surfaces that collect fur/dander. DH is allergic/asthmatic with dogs, but we have one and he is fine with him, but we have hardwood floors, leather couches, and the dog isn't allowed on the furniture.

I know you don't want to kick them out of the bedroom entirely, but maybe you could move the kennel away from the bed. From what I hear, training cats not to do something is really difficult, but dogs seem to be easier to train to stay off of furniture and such. I do think just getting carpet out of the bedroom will go a long way though.

@MrsBrewer: When I had my dog in a crate when we first got him, his crate was in the living room and he was fine-- he really didn't care as long as he had his 'room'.

ETA: sorry one more thing! DH is fine with our dog, but when we visit my parents who have wall to wall carpeting and a dog who goes on their cloth couches, his asthma gets way worse. We can never sleep over there or I think he would have a full blown asthma attack.

Yes, for your HVAC unit. If you go to Lowes/Home Depot they should all have HEPA filters. It's suppose to help trap allergens. If you think about it everything in the air gets sucked into the system then blown back out. So makes sense to use one.

Re: the pawing of the cats. My IL's cats do this all the time! They put him in the basement and put a towel up against the door to muffle it! Hahah

I recently listened to a podcast on NPR about starting at home to help control asthma. The name of the podcast is "To control asthma, start with the home instead of the child". Might be worth listening to for some additional tips?

My husband has pet allergies too but more so with cats. Whenever we go over to the ILs his allergies get bad because of their cats. They mean well by vacuuming but they do it right before we come over which just circulates all the dust around which makes it worse! So I also reco trying to vacuum when DH isn't home and open the windows to give the dust ample time to settle before he gets home.

Yeah, it sucks!

@MrsBrewer: I have the same issues and am currently weighing my options. Rapid desensitization was a treatment option, but I got the consent form today and am scared shitless. Now I feel like I'm back to square one!

Had he seem an allergist? I recommend seeing one and pinpointing his exact allergies and asthma triggers. That will help determine his treatment course.

Definitely keep your bedroom pet free. We used to sleep with our kitties but kicked them out of the bedroom earlier this month & did a deep clean. It's made a tremendous difference.

Pet dander can stay in your carpet for 6-9 months once the pets are removed from the home, so I'd look into having them deep cleaned or possibility replaced. I know it's a huge expense -- we're looking into hardwood floors right now, too.

What allergy pills does he take? Claritin did squat for me, but switching to Zyrtec made a huge difference. Again, not a cure-all, but on a scale of 1-10 I'm feeling a 7 on the Zyrtec (I was a 3 on the Claritin).

Lastly, vacuum daily. Wash your curtains and throw rugs frequently and wash your floors -- our kitchen is tiled and the corners seem to collect lots of cat hair. So disgusting. Vacuum your mattresses, move the furniture and vacuum there as well. Dust, dust, dust. Consider an air purifier.

Good luck!!

I have the same problem! We tore up the carpet, kicked the cat out of the bedroom & made the dogs sleep on the floor. I am highly allergic to our pets but the allergy specialist said if I started the shots that eventually my body will build an tolerance.

@Foodnerd81: it's a rapid set of allergy shots. If I go through with it, I'll get 3 months of shots in one day. It's done at the hospital & I'd be closely monitored all day. Then you got 2x a week for 3 months, which is when you reach the maintence level. At that point, I'd go monthly for 3-5 years.

My view is probably not popular, but I see kids all the time who end up in the hospital and ICU because the pets are a non- negotiable. So we temporize and try to make their function tolerable when removing the pets from the home was all it took.

It's a health and safety issue!

@Mrs. Jacks: I'm not sure what this says about me, but we would have to exhaust every single option before I would consider getting rid of the dog for DH's allergies, but if our kid was having asthma attacks because of the dog, he'd have to go live with my family (the dog, not the kid). I really, really hope our baby doesn't inherit DH's asthma or allergies!

You could try getting the carpets professionally cleaned. And I would highly recommend seeing a pulmonologist/allergist. I saw one for a while when my asthma was really bad and it helped a lot. There's daily medication, both inhaled and oral that can help get things under control a lot.

I have a dog too and it would be pretty much impossible to get rid of her. I took responsibility for her and I love her and she's a part of our family. She was a rescue that was dropped over a 6 foot wall to a kill shelter. To me, she deserves to stay with her forever family. I would do pretty much anything before getting rid of her. New medications, allergy shots, regular carpets cleanings, etc.

@Mrs. Jacks: Oh, yeah! I do remember being concerned about the cost when DH first started the shots. He did have to get blood tests done to qualify for the drug. Luckily, we have to just pay for our prescription co-pay. Makes me nervous about me job hunting again. I hope I find a job that has good insurance.

@Mrs. Jacks: Yeah, that and IF benefits. I think MA requires IF coverage. One of the states I'm doing my job search.

@MrsCB: Oh, cool! I'm looking at CT, too. They have IF state mandate. I think there are a few others on the east coast: MD, NY, NJ, RI.

Though my current insurance covers IF testing but not IF procedures. It won't be a total deal breaker if the job I'm looking at doesn't offer IF benefits.