Help! I'm Allergic to my Dog!

What Do You Do When You Discover a Pet Allergy After You Brought in A New Pet?

In my case, a new puppy. But my symptoms didn't begin until a year or so after bringing him home. 

It didn't add up at first. 

I remember in March of 2022 I developed a cold that turned into a sinus infection that was later diagnosed as bronchitis. My symptoms mostly resolved with a dose of prednisone and an Advair inhaler. The sinus infection never left. 

From June until the end of December was great! I can deal with a chronic sinus infection compared to the non-stop coughing and congestion. But now, the cough is back. It started off at night a little here and there, then nightly. Now again, all day and night. NOTHING HELPS! I managed to find some cough syrup with Codeine, and it has helped but I'm all out and the doctor won't give me anymore.

Because of the cost of healthcare these days, I am putting off gong to an ENT.  My doctor suggested an allergy test, B-I-N-G-O! Highly allergic to Dogs, cats, cow milk and egg whites. Specifically, my puppy, a cattle dog/papillon mix. 

So, I was given some Zyrtec 10 mg, a rescue inhaler, and some Tessalon pearls for the cough. Such a cough that I would not wish it on my worst enemy! I'm talking pee your pants and vomit bad! The pearls don't work btw. 

Just to be sure, I am investing in a few additional items that God allowing, I will be able to replace any potential dependence on any prescription. 

Causes of Pet Dander

Duh, easy answer is animals. If the animal has fur or feathers, it sheds dander. I've had hypo-allergenic dogs in the past and they didn't cause a stir. Some dogs just have a stronger proteins in their skin.

What is Pet Dander?

Pet dander is animal skin flakes. Tiny, microscopic flakes that float around the air. It is not necessarily the hair that causes allergies. It is the dander. 

Why Are Some People More Allergic Than Others?

Everyone's immunity is different. I was sick with a cold and subsequent sinus infection (chronic). My immunity was low at the time, I wonder if I invited the pet allergy in and it just took over my system? 

Different dogs emit different dander. Being exposed to dogs over time can increase your allergic reactions. The likelihood of exposure at a time of lowered immunity can possibly take a bigger toll on one's immunity.

Is There A Cure?

No. Pet dander allergies are not curable. The most effective thing someone can do is keep their living areas clean and take over the counter medications like Zyrtec or Claritin. 

The experts say to:

• wash your dog once a week.
• vacuum at least every other day with a vacuum that has a HEPA filter. 
• air purifiers can help keep dander from flying all over the place.
• wash your hands often.

What Are Some of the Symptoms?

In my case, it is a chronic sinus infection. Coughing, itchy throat, congestion and wheezing. Other side effects are:

• swollen nasal passages
• shortness of breath
• hives
• asthma
• cough
• sinus infection
• sneezing

How Do I Keep My Allergies at Bay?

In doing my own research, I discovered a couple items on Amazon that I think can be helpful or at least help your allergy symptoms. 

• Allergena Pet Dander Drops. This is a homeopathic remedy made from animal antigens and some additional herbal ingredients to help for drainage. You are basically ingesting the allergens and creating a natural immunity to them. The directions say to take 10-15 drops three times a day.  It is too soon to tell but, well worth the price if it helps tame my cough. $19.99

• Pet Hair Remover Roller. This on the lower price of the spectrum compared to similar items. Works great in the car. My puppy sheds a lot. Every time i get in the car my allergies act up. after a good vacuuming and rolling, I feel better getting into the car, allergies are a bit less noticeable. $11.99
• Allergy Asthma Clean Allergen Mineral Spray. Just add water, shake and spray. This stuff immobilizes the protein in pet dander, killing it immediately. I use mainly in the bedroom. The majority of my allergies happen at night when I lay down. I start wheezing and coughing like crazy. I notice coughing less during the night. Mainly at the time I law down and wake up with a couple spells during the night but much less than before. $18.99. This can be bought at some Whole Foods stores as well, if you don't have an Amazon account.

• Nasal Guard Airborne Particle Blocker. It's a tiny little tube for $9.95 but, if it works... I can't actually say it works great. I dab it on and go in for a cuddle but still cough and wheeze. I will use the rest, but I am not that convinced.  You dab a tiny amount on your finger. Work it in with your thumb and dab around and under your nose. Should create a barrier for 6-8 hours. I think it makes my nose run. 

            I cuddled my boys without any product and I started coughing right afterwards. I applied the                 product and went in for a cuddle, I think it worked. No coughing! But my nose is running.

•  A VacLife Hand Held Vacuum. $35.99, this thing is amazing. Both my dogs shed a lot. My puppy creates dust bunnies at double the rate as my other dog. In order to keep a cleaner environment, having this little guy handy is a must! I see dust bunnies, I attack! I had virtually no problem sucking up the dog hairs in my car using the brush attachment.

• Febreeze Pet Odor Eliminator Spray.  This is something I had laying around anyways. I think it works great considering the cost comparison to the mineral spray above. In fact, I even have the Wal-Mart brand. It doesn't claim to get rid of pet dander, but I think it works just the same.  I spray the living room everyday. 

These are some of the things to look out for. Zyrtec alone didn't help me. It reduced my symptoms of not being able to breathe out of my nose and everything else by like maybe 20%. There are some over the counter remedies that I hope start kicking in so I can have my cuddle time back!

I made a commitment to my boys. Rex, my puppy is here to stay. That is why I am going out of my way to accommodate my baby. 

UPDATE: I used half of my Advair. The symptoms resolved but come back about every six months. I take a couple weeks work of Advair and Zyrtec, the symptoms go away for a while. This is the best way to reduce my allergy cough. 

Last week I my cough came back with a cold and I am currently going through treatment with Advair and occasional rescue inhaler. I expect I should be good to go in a week or so. Just need to get rid of this phlegm.

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Honest Review of Beetles Gel Polish Kit with UV Light

Ever since the pandemic, I too decided to do my own nails. How hard can it really be right? I tried the glue on nails. I tried the nail stickers. I bought a gel nail sticker kit. That one was great by the way.  

Before purchasing this kit, I looked at quite a few. I tend to fall in the DIY category of people. I'd rather cheap out and create things myself rather than pay someone. I'm not sure it's the cheapest thing, but it is the fun way of doing things. (Full disclosure, as an Amazon Affiliate I receive a small portion of the sale. You are not charged any additional money and this in no way affects my review. I paid full price.

I am a little ashamed to say that I bought this kit for someone else as a Christmas gift but based on the price I wanted to try it out first in case it sucked. So yes, I will buy another one and gladly gift it. I chose the Coffee Cafe collection which is a set of five different neutral brown colors.

Review Summary

This product is easy to use. Comes with clear instructions and everything you need to make beautiful nails in a few minutes time.

This kit is perfect for those who don't have a lot of time but still want pretty and quality nails. This kit is perfect for those of us that don't want to spend a lot of time and money on getting our nails done but still want that fresh from the nail salon look and feel. Plus, it gives you a nice variety of colors. 

What You Get

Cute colorful box that includes everything you need to give yourself a nail makeover.  The kit includes everything except for gel polish remover. Your trustee reviewer does not have the gel remover but has noticed that the paint easily peels right off.

• small UV light with USB cable
• six nail polish colors
• one base gel
• one top gel
• two nail files
• a detail brush set
• gold and silver foil
• cuticle pusher/scraper
• nail clipper

Alternatives

There are so many alternatives. Too many to count. This Beetles Gel Polish Kit with UV Light is so cool. It was the cheapest one I could find with a UV light. You could go out and buy the most expensive, a mid-priced and the cheapest one if you have that kind of cash and time but I don't. 

If I had to choose over, I would go with a bigger UV light. I think this is what most of the reviewers on Amazon also said. Other that the size of the light, this kit is well worth the money. I definitely got a great deal!

Plus, once you have a UV light, buying additional gel colors is relatively cheap.

Results

It has been 4 days since I applied the gel polish. You have to understand that I wash a lot of dishes and I wash my hands a lot too. I tend to use scalding hot water. And my nails chip very easily. I just started taking collagen. I hope it helps. My pinky nails seem to be the strongest. Polish always lasts longer on my pinkies.

That said, Day one was awesome. It only took 10- minutes to apply (I wanted to be careful, and I've never used this kind of kit before) and my nails were so shiny and smooth! 

Day two, I think I started noticing some slight chipping. I must have got my nail caught in something because my entire nail was broken.

Day three, I noticed more peeling on my right hand. I am right-handed, so my right gets used more than the left hand. But once I see peeling, I have to keep going. Just like when I see one nail broken, I have to bite all of them. Weird I know.

Day four, two polished peeled completely off. My right ring and middle fingers are bare right now. 

I am going to do a second coat on these two nails. Otherwise, the rest of my nails still look fabulous, and I can't stop staring!

8 days later... as you can see, only the polish on my pinky and ring fingers remains. I use my thumb, index and pointer fingers a lot. I am probably rougher than the average lady. 

Pro-tip: if you get paint on your finger the chance of it peeling off early is higher. I did that with a couple nails and I started to feel my hair getting stuck in between a couple days ago. 

But the good news is that none of my nails have chipped since the paint, and they are growing out nicely! 

Beetles Gel Nail Polish Kit

Overall, for the price, this kit is worth it. If you have a bigger budget, definitely go with a regular size UV light. I don't mind the smaller light. It works fine. Salon quality nails on a tight budget. 

My nails lasted longer than any regular polish has ever lasted but only by a couple days. 

I will update my post with a double coat and see if it makes a difference.

Click here to go directly to the listing on Amazon (as an Amazon affiliate I get a tiny portion of the sale,
 but this does not affect the price you pay).

A Day Trip to Silverwood Lake with dogs

It was a warm sunny day in December. It rained yesterday, but there was no shadow of gloom or dampness in the air. I heard that there was some open campsites there and thought well, before we go let's check out the campground/ Maybe we can come back with the trailer. 

Silverwood Lake has a day use area with a few different parking lots areas. 

 Location

We listened to the GPS on the way there and ended up going to the east where there is 4x4 off-roading. It led to the back of the lake. There was nowhere to really enjoy the lake here. We turned back around and took the main road back to the recreation area.

Just a few miles up the road was the turn out for the day use area and if you keep going toward the right, there are two group camping sites. These were closed at this time. 

Silverwood Lake Camping

There are two other campgrounds that are open. One is a full hookup campground for glamping and the other is a series of loops for dry camping. All sites in these areas are spacious and come with a picnic table and fire pit. There is hot showers and restrooms. 

Looking past some of the campsites you can see a bike trail that goes through all the camping loops. In fact, there is a lot of bike trails all over the lake area. 

The campground is well cared for. Clean and easily accessible. But be prepared. Buy your groceries before you arrive. Otherwise, you'll be left with the tackle shop and a small general store down the road. 

Day Use

Fishing

This lake is a popular fishing spot. We asked a couple of fishermen on the shore if they caught anything, but no one had. Trout, catfish, crappie and couple different types of bass.

You can fish from the shore or from a boat. There is a marina, and you can fish until sunset. 

Swimming

During the warmer months there is a couple of lake beaches that you can go swimming in. I say two because on both ends of the lake, there is a lifeguard tower. I am sure it gets quite busy during the summer months. 

No dogs allowed on the beach area 😒 

Boating

You can bring your boat, there is a boat launch area by the marina. Enjoy a nice day of fishing or just take in the serene landscape. 

Where to Stay

The area is surrounded by mountains. Besides the campgrounds, there isn't anywhere nearby that you can stay otherwise. If you're planning a day trip, this lake is not too far from the city of Fontana for example. 

There is a motel right off the 15-freeway called Cajon Pass Inn. It is roughly 15 minutes from the lake.  They are pet-friendly for an additional fee.  

Because the road to the lake is long and winding, if stopping for snacks or groceries, one should prepare to stop by the Stater Brothers of the Summit Ridge.

Silverwood Lake Weather

Again, be prepared. It gets cold up there. If like me, you too enjoy cold weather camping, then this is the place for you. Temperatures vary between the mid-50s and low 60s. If the sun is shining, you get the warm sun on your face. 

Pack your gloves, beanie and puffy jacket!

Don't forget the firepit or wood for a natural wood-burning fire. It's gonna be a chilly night. It could chill down to a freezing 30 ॰.  Click here to access up to the date weather condition for Silverwood Lake.

Overall, seems like a nice quiet place to hang for the day or possibly weekend if you're staying in the campground. If you have a California Explorer pass, day entry is free.  Make your camping reservations here.