Please help me to save my relationship - severe itching

[laura44v]

My boyfriend complains of severe itching all over his body and he claims this started when we began dating about 6 months ago. He believes this could be due to my two pet dogs whom I've had for several years and that he could have an allergy to them. I am skeptical of this for reasons I will explain below. We are now at the point that he won't come to my house and yet I can't leave my dogs alone for long periods of time. We would like to move in together but this is causing a lot of heart ache. We have discussed the situation at length and many tears have been shed but we have both agreed that rehoming our dogs and breaking up are both not an option.

His skin does have a history of being sensitive - he cannot use aftershave or perfumed toiletry products as he comes out in a rash of small red dots (particularly on his genitals).

The symptoms he is experiencing now is an uncontrollable itching sensation but with no visible rash or spots. The only place this is apparent is in his hair on the scalp where there are some spots that can burst or bleed when scratched.

What makes me skeptical that it's my dogs is that he experiences this even after having gone days without contact with me or the dogs. He itches even when in the bath and when freshly washed. The itching is concentrated around the 'crevices' of his body including groin area, inside the ears etc.

I've researched this online a lot and I can't understand the science of how this could possibly be my dogs (I'm a biology teacher so I have a basic understanding of these things but not in depth). Surely if it was the dogs he would be worse when in their presence and washing would help to relieve things? I understand dog allergies as a mainly respiratory problem due to particulates of fur, dander etc in the air.

Is it possible to have this type of reaction to dogs? What could be the cause?

Other possibilities I have considered are:
He uses biological washing powder - could it be this?
His shampoo is perfumed, could this be causing the rash on his head and then irritating the rest of his body when he sits in the bath water?
He has recently been taking SSRIs but stopped taking them about a month ago, could this have any contribution?
Could it be psychological and all in his head?!

Any suggestions or hints would be really helpful. We both really want to make this work and have reached a stalemate  as he just can't bear to come here any more. He's convinced it is the dogs so we can only see each other for short periods of time at the weekends when I haven't left the dogs whilst I'm at work.

Thank you,

Laura

[naturaldetoxhelps]

Laura it could be a demodex mite infection, or seborrheic dermatitis (which is basically an overgrowth of yeast).  White camphor, tea tree, cedar oil, and neem essential oil will kill the mite and yeast, Only use 2 drops per ounce of carrier oils.  I highly suggest seabuckthorn oil, virgin coconut oil, and rose hip oil.  Use this blend in bath, about 1 tablespoon and 1 tablespoon of borax, soak for about 1/2 hour.  Then add 1-2 drops each of peppermint oil, tea tree oil and clove essential oil to his shampoo, start out with one drop and if he doesn't get a burning sensation increase by 1 drop each.  Also get some Diatamaceous Earth, it is an antiparasitic.  Dust you dog very lightly with the powder to kill mites, fleas and ticks.  It is completely natural and safe,and you can also deworm them if they are under 35lbs (the dogs) mix 1 tsp in with their food for an internal cleanse.  Also have your boyfriend take up to 2 tablespoons in any liquid a day for 7 days straight, it will internally cleanse him of any parasite and also has so many other amazing benefits for the body like detoxing heavy metals. I found a link where you can see the benefits and where to get it.  http://www.earthworkshealth.com/human-use.php

I am a skincare specialist that has developed many skincare lines and have seen so many skin conditions and it sounds to me like some type of atopic dermatitis or mite infestation.  If you can't find any of the ingredients for the bath oil, etc let me know and I can whip something up for him pretty inexpensively.  Also when he is out of the shower or bath, use the bath oil on his skin as a moisturizer to help stop the itch.  Also make him look at the labels of anything he uses, he most definitely is susceptible to contact dermatitis (chemical allergies). Good Luck

[Bhupinder Kaur, MD]

Hello,
Given the history and symptoms, contact dermatitis to the perfumed shampoo is a high possibility. He should shift to non perfumed hypoallergenic shampoos. There is no dog breed that is truly non-allergenic (not allergy causing) because all dogs produce dander (shed skin cells), saliva, and urine. You can be allergic to the dog dander, dog saliva, or both.
Diagnosis of allergy to dogs can be done by skin prick tests and patch tests. In this a little amount of allergen is injected into the skin of the forearm by a doctor. The skin is closely watched for signs of a reaction, which include swelling and redness. Confirmatory diagnosis is by blood tests (RAST).

It is very difficult to precisely confirm a diagnosis without examination and investigations and the answer is based on the medical information provided. For exact diagnosis, you are requested to consult your doctor. I sincerely hope that helps. Take care and please do keep me posted on how you are doing.