Hi! My almost 2 year old chocolate lab is sneezing every time he sniffs our new Pomsky puppy. He’s had a sensitive stomach to dog food since a puppy but now if doing great on home cooked meals and he always has a runny nose which is allergies (welcome to Florida). Since we got our new Pomsky a few days ago he’s been sneezing and sneezes every time he sniffs her. At first I thought he was just being dramatic because he’s very good at that. Thanks!
Hi there, welcome to the forum! That is a really interesting question! Human allergic reactions to dogs happen when our immune system reacts inappropriately to proteins in their saliva, urine and sweat - a massive false alarm set off by molecules which should be harmless. (I know we usually think of ourselves as being allergic to dogs'fur, but it's actually the dried saliva from grooming on their fur which triggers our allergies). Every dog has their own unique make up of proteins in their saliva, etc. (which is why you often hear of people who are allergic to every dog except one), and it is possible (albeit unusual) for one dog to be allergic to the make up of another dog. It's very important not to attempt to self diagnose allergies in dogs though. Discuss your concerns with your vet - they might spot a different connection, and they will definitely be the best person to help you manage his symptoms. Good luck, and please let us know how you get on!
I have dogs and cats. And I moved to another house that had carpet in my bedroom and livingroom. So I started having allergy. The dust accumulated on the carpets + dog fur caused my allergy, at least thats what I tought. Nice to know that the saliva has much to do with this issue. In my case, I simply removed all the carpets and everything is ok, I never had the allergy anymore. But my allergy could in fact be just because of the carpet, since I dont know if any other pet was in this house/carpet before. Gladly my dogs and cats are never had allergy to each other. greetings
I agree with Sarah that your first stop should be the vet. That said, dogs shake and sneeze as a stress release, so sneezing isn't actually a crazy response to a new dog in the home. It's also perhaps possible that the pom with his longer coat is catching and holding some outdoor(?) allergen.
