sad news...

most of you know that we suspected that bubba had a gluten allergy. we limited his gluten intake and things got better. since moving back, he's been having trouble breathing. at first they thought it was bronchitis but it didn't get much better after treatment; he was diagnosed with asthma. I had asthma when I was his age but gradually outgrew it. well he's been doing breathing treatments every morning and evening and he's been doing better. my biggest concern was why he had this sudden onset when we moved. the only thing that I could think of was since his birth, we've always lived in a house with mostly hardwood floors but this house has carpet. I wondered if the dust or dog hair or something was aggravating him. I talked to our doctor about my concerns; both the asthma and the wheat allergy. she agreed that it would be a good idea and drew blood, then on the 14th we meet with an allergist.

today, I got the results back. bubba tested positive for allergies, his highest irritant being: dogs.

we have 2 dogs, Rascal and Tito. we got them back when we were engaged, they were our babies when we thought we couldn't have babies, then when B was in Iraq they were all I had to come home too after school and work. i love them a ton. its been harder taking care of them since having kids (and losing the backyard when we moved here) but i've been bound and determined to make it work.

well, obviously we have to get rid of our dogs. I'm bawling just thinking about it.

i'm not going to keep something in the house that he is allergic too. i cannot rationalize making my 2 year old do breathing treatments, if he doesn't have to. i'm not going to put him on a daily allergy medication for something that isn't his fault. i realize that his asthma isn't going to disappear but it will be much more easily managed without their hair and dander everywhere.

the problem (other than having to get rid of them) is that they are SO dependent on each other. they share food dishes, water dishes, and they sleep in the same kennel. tito is very shy and timid both around other dogs and people. he's loving once he knows you but if he doesn't know you, he hides and shakes. I want to make sure that wherever they end up, its together. I honestly don't know how tito would do if he was separated from rascal.

DOES ANYONE WANT TO ADOPT TITO AND RASCAL FROM US?

we have everything they need, i still have some heartworm meds and flea and tic prevention meds. they are up to date on all of their shots and vaccines. you could have their kennel, toys, leashes and food. tito doesn't need a leash but rascal does. (he's been doing better and could probably be trained not to need the leash...he's gotten outside twice since moving back and he didn't run, he came right back when we called him.) they aren't puppies anymore in fact rascal just turned 4 in november and tito will be 4 years old in february. they obviously aren't security dogs with their size, but they are good watch dogs; they bark when ever someone is in/near the house and yard. they are good with kids, pooks has pulled their tails/ears and while they may yelp or growl, they have NEVER bitten or snapped at anyone. they eat pretty cheap dog and snacks and are obviously house trained.

rascal

together
tito

PLEASE if you are interested call me, email me, call my mom or B and let them know. i really want to know where they end up and make sure they go to a good family and home.

------------------------------------------------
So back to the allergy test results...

his highest marker was dogs, followed by milk and eggs. so I was wrong about the wheat allergy (although she said that he may still have a sensitivity) but I was right about a food allergy. she thinks for now we should just limit his intake--no milk in a cup, no scrambled eggs for breakfast--and see how he improves. for now we can continue using it in meals and such but we need to talk to the allergist about further measures.

honestly I'm really glad that we figured out what was bothering him. hopefully once we get rid of the dogs, steam clean the carpets, and change his diet he'll be a happier kid. I really hope we won't have to do daily breathing treatments anymore...that's our goal.

i just hate having to get rid of the dogs.