[mnkygrrrl]

I was wondering if anyone has info on the babies in China and allergies. We have two dogs at home (mini schnauzers, don't shed) and were wondering if anyone has experience with bringing a child home only to find they are allergic to the family pets. I haven't heard anyone mention allergies when talking about the babies in China so I hope it's not an issue with most people. We would be devastated since our pups have been our family for so long now.

[jimanchower]

I would like to know this too - we have a cat and my nephew is allergic. It's miserable for him to come over but he's the only one in the family with the allergy. Of course, we would have to find a good home for the cat.

[mnkygrrrl]

Okay, I am bumping this just in case someone can answer. Maybe allergies are rare with these babies!

[terryb]

I'm also curious about how often this happens.

The topic came up in our visits with our SW (we have two large dogs) and we discussed what we would do...we talked about taking out all the carpets, sweeping/vacuuming more, having areas where the dogs do not go (eg. upstairs, bedrooms), alternative treatments for our child (eg. homeopathy). Part of it would depend on how serious the allergy is too.

[SofiasMom]

I have two cats and was also a bit worried. Even if there were statistics, it really wouldn't be much help if it happens that it's your baby with the allergies. There were some things about the adoption process I just had to let go of or I'd be worrying myself silly!

[Neecie]

I wanted to bump this topic as I too have questions. We have three cats that we love dearly, and removing them from the home would be devastating for us. The best interest of the child would, of course, be a first priority.

I can't seem to find much data on animal/cat allergies among chinese adoptees. Does anyone have any information. I know/don't believe that you can have your child tested for allergies while in China, unfortunately. I would love to know how common animal allergies are, however.

Any input would be greatly appreciated.

[Neecie]

Sorry for posting the same message twice. I'm not sure my initial post bumped the message properly. It didn't show as a new message on my screen.

I'm very anxious to get feedback

Denise

[Lissa]

My understanding from talking to my physician is animal allergies are rare among Asians and that the main concern is lactose intolerance. Lydia is having no problems with our 4 cats, other than they won't play with her. (She's pretty scary to them. She does have drug allergies to several antibiotics though. But of the 48 famlies who travelled my baby was the only one with any known allergies.

[cathsears]

It would be rare for a baby or toddler to arrive in your home with a preexisting allergy to cat or dog. Environmental allergies, such as dust and cat or dog, typically do not manifest until after a certain amount of sensitization has taken place — that may be why allergies are rare in Asians: pet ownership is rare. I myself did not develop a cat allergy until I was in my 20s, although other allergies (primarily dust) were present from my teenage years. My DP, who is American-born Chinese, is also allergic to both cat and dog. I know other American-born Chinese who also have pet allergies.

There is no guarantee, based on ethnicity, that someone will or won't develop an environmental allergy. However, for those current pet owners, it may be heartening to know that a large East German study determined that children under 2 years old who live with at least two furred pets in the home are LESS LIKELY to develop environmental allergies than other children. This does not hold true for introducing a pet or two into a household where a child is known to be allergic to those animals — that WILL NOT help.

Also, if a child has any environmental allergy (hayfever, dust, etc.) they will absolutely eventually develop allergy to cat and dog with prolonged exposure, although it may take years to manifest — I had owned a cat for 5 years when my cat allergy developed and now it is severe. For that reason, do not introduce a pet into a household with known environmental allergies, it will only cause heartache in the end.

If you are wondering why I know this, as a medical writer and editor I recently edited a document for a Pediatrics publication on the topic of allergic disease in children.

[obasan]

I am Japanese and grew up in Japan. this may not be the same, but in Japan, you really don't see people who are allergic to animals. None of my friends had it when we were kids. Like someone else mentioned, you do see lactose intolerance quite a bit including myself. I get upset stomach when I drink milk although I am fine with yogurt(sp) and ice cream. So, while you can never say "never", I don't think you really don't have to worry too much about Chinese babies allergic to animals. This is just my opinion.

[Neecie]

Thanks to all of you who responded. I also received information on another forum re: this subject, and it appears that most of the babies adopted from China don't seem to have allergies to animals.

This information definitely helps to alleviate our concerns.

Denise