Toxic Drool

Well, it's official. Alex must be allergic to dogs. I have now had two allergy tests ran on him. One skin-prick test that came back positive, and one blood RAST test that came back border-line. The allergist called me two days ago and told me I could probably get a dog as long as it is outdoors. She told me to just monitor his symptoms. Apparently anyone could test positive for allergies. But just because you test positive for one, doesn't mean that you will ever react to it negatively. She just told me to get a dog, see how it goes and if it doesn't work out to just kick the dog to the curb. Well...I can't do that. I want a dog that will stay the family pet. So we figured that one day we will actually have room for a pooch. Of course, our house is quite small and having 2 kids and 5 cats pretty much fills it to the brim.

This theory of getting a pooch when we get a bigger house, is now on hiatus. We went to visit Grandma and Grandpa tonight (my parents...not Josh's). They have 4 dogs...two indoor and two outdoor. When we pulled in and Alex got out, of course the two outdoor dogs came to say hi. Alex, loving doggies, ran to them happily and Cosmo, one of the dogs, licked him on the face. Licked him on both cheeks and his chin. Within one minute, poor Alex had big red spots on his face right where he was licked. For those who are unfamiliar with animal allergies, an allergy to a dog or cat is an allergy to thier saliva...and sometimes urine. It is NOT an allergy to the hair like so many people are led to believe. So those "hypo-allergenic dogs" you hear about aren't worth the big bucks. When a dog or cat licks itself, the saliva dries and when the dog shakes or scratches, the dry flakes of dander become airborne. It is inhaled and causes the allergic reaction. So getting licked caused the damage for Alex. It breaks my heart to think that something he loves so much, like doggies, can be toxic to him. *sigh* I'm a HUGE animal lover. So not being able to have the freedom of having any animal I want for my kids is dissapointing. I always wanted to pass along this love of animals to my children. How am I to do this now? Guess God has a reason for all of this. I just wish I knew what it was.