A good dog for wheezy kids?

Q AMy grandson wants a dog, but he is asthmatic. Are there any breeds that do not trigger this condition?

The short answer is that, according to the articles I have read, there is no evidence for the classification of certain dog breeds as hypoallergenic.

The most recent was a study from Korea looking at 52 dogs, all popular breeds in the country.

They found variations in allergen concentration between breeds, but overall no evidence of low allergens in so-called hypoallergenic breeds.

To complicate matters, dogs have eight potential allergens secreted in the saliva, and all would need to be inactive for any dog to be considered hypoallergenic. Contact with salivacoated hair and dander (skin flakes in the hair) triggers the allergic response in sensitised people.

Online you’ll find lists of breeds that are said to be hypoallergenic – often dogs with wiry, low-maintenance coats, such as the wire fox terrier. There are also people who state they have found a dog that does not cause symptoms. But these opinions are anecdotal and refer almost always to allergic signs such as runny eyes or sneezing.

Asthma is potentially a much more serious problem than hay fever in a child. A way forward could be to suggest that your grandson’s parents get advice from the family GP on the advisability of getting a dog.

Their doctor will have seen many cases of asthma in children and will be the best person for professional advice.

My German shepherd dog has been treated four times for ear problems, the last being only a month ago, and the problem is returning again. He is raw fed

and has had no spot-on treatment. We have been told about allergies, which seem to be a minefield. What do you suggest we do?

AGerman shepherd dogs have well-designed ears, with generally good ventilation in comparison with dogs with floppy ears.

This means that ear problems should rarely be a problem due to poor drainage, for example. Your vet has cleaned the ear canal under general anaesthetic, sent off swabs to identify yeasts and bacteria, and used standard ear preparations to treat these.

The fact the problem keeps occurring after such thorough investigation and treatment suggests an underlying cause that may need further investigation.

There have been tremendous advances recently in the understanding of ear diseases as a result of clinical research by veterinary dermatologists.

Nowadays problem ear cases are usually referred to dermatologists.

Your vet has suggested underlying allergies, and this would be a sensible starting point.

There are various allergies and fortunately all specialist veterinary dermatologists are well aware of these.

You could perhaps discuss a referral with your vet as an option for your dog. This involves additional expense, of course, but the specialist will have time to rule in or out the likely underlying causes, and is usually cost-effective.

Investigations follow a logical step-by-step approach to arrive at a diagnosis and are not as much of a minefield as you fear.

David Grant MBE has been a vet for more than 50 years. Email questions to him at pamperedpets@people.co.uk