Am I allergic to my pug?

[BellasMommy]

I've never really had any allergies before. We got our pug at the end of January. I've never had a dog before, but i have been around them. after about a week of having her i noticed that every once i a while i would get what looked like little bug bites on the back of my hand. but just one or two ever so often. It's been getting warm here, so the other day i had a t-shirt on and she went to town licking my arms. a few moments later, my forearms were itchy and i had about 15 of those little 'bug bites."

I dont have the same reaction to her when i pet her. so if i was allergic to her saliva, woudlnt I also break out? I thought it might be something that she was eating that i am allergic to. But I handle her food and again, no reaction. And she doesnt make me sneeze or my eyes water or anything.
I was wondering if anyone has encountered anything like this before or know what else could be causing my breakouts.

[Beautifully_Chaotic]

It could be that her dander is only irritating to your skin when its wet. I had a dog i had mild allergies too, where i would break out only when i bathed him or if he came in and rubbed on me after being in the rain. Maybe it could be something you are using on her though, like her shampoo or if you use any perfumes, Maybe her clothes if you didnt wash them before she wore them. Did you happen to change laundry soaps?

[Wally 'n' Leto]

Sounds like an allergy to saliva, not to dander or fur. Dogs don't lick themselves the way cats do, so the protein in the saliva that causes allergies isn't on their fur the way it is on cats - hence only itching when she licks you.

You might want to consult an allergist -- you might get used to it with time, or maybe shots would help if it's really bad.

[CountryPug]

Many people are allergic to dog saliva, including my husband and son. The licking makes them itch, other than that, they are fine with the dogs.

[Eve_G]

I have the same reaction to my 4 month old pug - I have been told I am allergic to the saliva. I did find that I am becoming more immune to it though- it is no where near as bad now as it initially used to be so it isn't a problem for me now. Is your reaction very severe? Perhaps your body will develop a tolerance for it with time.

I just try not to let him lick my face and make sure I wash my hands regularly so it does not get in contact with my eyes. When I get a rash on my hands I rinse the area immediately and it goes away in 15 mins or so. My pharmacist also suggested a barrier cream but I haven't tried this yet.

[diesels.mom]

My boyfriend is allergic to the pugs' saliva. He's fine but if Diesel is nuzzling him and licking him, he breaks out. It's easily remedied with a Benadryl though because really, how can you resist pug kisses?!

[*j9*]

Like others have posted, I have the same, slight reactions to both my Pug and my cat. It passes, so I put up with it. The smooches and snuggles are well worth it! :-)

Besides, my skin is so dang sensitive in general, if I had to give up everything that made me break out I'd never have any fun!

[Stazz]

I think it's defintiely dander allergy. I am allergic to their dander, fur & saliva....BUT, I don't care. I could never not have dogs, or pugs, and I've learned to live with it :) Have a skin allergy test done, it's actually amazing what you find out!!

[Funaek]

Sometimes when Sunny rests her chin on my arm while she dozes, I get small itchy bumps there afterwards. I think I'm slightly allergic to her saliva and maybe even her dander. But it's nothing major and the hives disappear pretty quickly if I don't touch them. She's worth it!

[BellasMommy]

thanks for all your posts. makes me feel a little better that there are other people with the same reaction and that it can go away after awhile. my reaction isnt that bad, and it does go away after a few minutes of washing the area. def cannot resist the pug licking sessions. hopefully with time my skin will get used to it