Am I allergic to my dog?

Allergic reaction to friend's dog?

• I slept over at my friend's house last night who has a hypoallergenic portugese waterdog and I've become allergic to dogs within the past 6 years (I'm 17) and I usually get allergic to her dog (hives if he licks me, coughing sneezing itchy etc) and so anyways I didn't take a claritin that I normally would take to subside the allergic reaction. I got super allergic with sneezing and all of those symptoms but I didn't do anything and today my ears are all clogged and ringing (I have tinnitus but it's gotten worse now) and I still have ALL the allergic symptoms even though I came home took a shower and a claritan. could being so allergic to an animal possibly give you an actual cold? just curious thank you!

• Answer:

  No, it won't give you a cold. But it can take a while for the allergens to clear out or your system and the symptoms to subside, as much as 24-48 hours wouldn't be unheard of. Taking a shower was a good idea. Be sure to wash the clothes you were wearing, and anything else you had with you.