Living with Allergies.....

In February this year our little boy Bob L became very poorly, I am not going to bore people with the whole fiasco that took place; however, suffice to say, it took three months and a one week stay in hospital, to get to the bottom of it.

It turns out Bob L is allergic to cats (and, to a lesser extent, dogs) - which was a problem as we had two cats, so it is no wonder that he was not recovering. 

Unfortunately for us this meant rehoming our cats; fortunately, they went to a lovely new home with family and they are very happy (in fact, I would go so far as to say they are happier there than they were with us, as they now have unlimited room to run and hunt due to the huge gardens in their new pad).

I do feel for Bob L as it could prove difficult for him when he is older.  For the moment, we are just taking it one day at a time, ensuring he has his medications and dealing with outbreaks as and when they happen.  

Outbreaks seem to spring up on us; for example, when they started kindergarten Bob L's skin broke out. Whether this was due to other children having pets at home or the dog that lives in the flat above the kindergarten we are not sure. Thankfully after he was there a few days his skin improved and it doesn't bother him now.

For the most part we are fortunate that we got to the bottom of it. That is largely down to a fabulous person who works in our medical centre. She really fought Bob L's corner every step of the way. At least we know what we are dealing with and can try to limit his exposure. 

We are hoping he will grow out of it (the expectation is that he will grow out of the dog allergy at least). For the next few years we have to ensure we bring him up to have love and respect for cats / dogs (and not be frightened of them), without letting him touch them - no easy job when my first instinct is to jump in front of him should we see a cat in the street!