[RachelandSadie]

Originally Posted by rentfrog

I fortunately have not dealt with allergies to dogs, although I and my oldest daughter do have allergies. I am allergic to cats though. I am so sorry you are going through this. It would be a horrible situation to be in. From my experiences with mine and my daughter's allergies, sometimes doctors are not really positive of what causes hive breakouts.
Prior to rehoming permanently, some things you might look at; what do you use to bathe her? If you are using pet shampoo, you might try bathing her with your shampoo for a while, (don't bathe her as often as human shampoo has a different ph and can dry out the skin, but if you don't have an issue with the shampoo you use right now, chances are you wouldn't have that issue when using it on her.) If the allergist thinks it could possibly be fleas, have her groomed prior to starting to use your shampoo and have the groomer really check well for fleas (I would go ahead and ask the groomer to use your shampoo at that time and explain why) If the allergist thinks it might be Karlee's diet, there are other options for feeding her (chicken, rice, vegetables) that are things you would normally eat and would not contain the preservatives that might be causing the reactions. As for the puppy pads, they could also be an issue, and I might try to start her going potty outside if the other suggestions do not seem to alleviate the issues. You said she was treated for fleas.....if you are treating her with a topical product, those work by secreting the medication through the oil glands, this could also cause an issue, so I might stop using it If you are in an area where it gets cool in the fall and winter it would be a good time to try this out anyway.
If all of these suggestions do not seem to alleviate the symptoms, I would see if I could find someone to temporarily foster her. This would give you time to clean the house thouroughly and see if all symptoms subside. If they do, and all of the above issues did not help, then you may have no other choice, but I would try all of these first.
I wish you all the best of luck!
Michelle

I would advise NOT to use human shampoo on a dog ever! It is not made for their skin and hair and the PH balance could dry out their skin even from one use. Do not use this as it might give the dog an allergic reaction as well. Try another pet shampoo, possibly a hypoallergenic solution, but NO human shampoos!!