While we had dinner, Zara was playing with Zhu-Zhu, the schnauzer, one of my friend brought along. Zara fed her bread, patted her, and followed her, calling "Joe Joe!" "Dog Dog!" after her. Tuyam then noticed that Zara has some rashes and swelling on the back of her palms. Zara must be like me, allergy to animals saliva. When my skin touches animal saliva, it'll get itchy all over; if the rash has just been developed, normally just rinsing it with soapy water will get rid of it. It will get worse if I don't take immediate action. I quickly got Tuyam to wash her hands, and true enough, soon after that, the red patches and swelling were gone.
Since she has this allergy, we stopped her from playing with the dog. My friend took out a box full of her son's toys and Zara was happily kept busy by the goodies she found.
I'm an animal lover, at one point, I had 2 dogs, 2 cats, 3 kittens, 2 guinea pigs. Dogs and cats were stray whom I brought home (hid in the boot when my mum wasn't looking and innocently said I don't know how it got there). Cared for lovingly by my mum (whom although strict, has never scolded me from bringing stray home) and me. Back then, I always had rashes all over me, but I was ignorant of the cause, and it didn't' bother me.
When I was older, I realise the cause of the rashes and itch, and I started being more careful with animals. After handling any animals, I have to immediately wash my hands. No co-sleeping with animals which I used to do. This helps.
Looks like the 'curse' now had landed on Zara as well, whom also seems to love animal a lot. Isn't it ironic?
such a pity... nvm lah... get her an aquarium and colorful fishes instead if she ever want pets :)
ReplyDeletethanks goodness my girls no allergy to pet, but still I only let the girls touch the pet which I sure is clean, otherwise... sorry leh...
ReplyDeleteI love dogs too but will never sleep with them. :) Geez...that's a lot of pets you used to have.
ReplyDeleteYa egghead is right get her some fishes or some birds or hamster may be. kekekeke...
Loves animal but allergy to animal, so cham! Zara is very brave to feed the dog! My YChing dare not do it!
ReplyDeleteHigh five! I love animal too when I was kid. Dog, cat, and rabbit was my friend when I was kid! I love dog the most! But I felt so sad everytime they die, so dare not have any pet anymore!
Funny thing is I only love live animals but not soft toys!
Wow! You had that many animals, and your mum managed it for you?
ReplyDeleteAgree with egghead and allyfeel.
Kids just love pets. Must get them one.. Teaches them a lot.. at least some responsibility ;P
I am waiting for my boys to be old enough to have a dog.
Oh dear...what a pity. But what about the cat at home? Is she allergic to it?
ReplyDeleteJustin likes cats and dogs too, but he dares not touch them. Only look at them. I'm not sure if he's allergy or not, maybe will get him some hamsters when he grows up.
ReplyDeleteBTW, I'm a animal lover too, used to have a dog and 11 hamsters.
as the saying goes...we humans are always attracted to things which are forbidden..look at what happened to eve....(as in plucking the apple at the garden of eden)
ReplyDeletegood that ur maid is very observant. Close shave :).
ReplyDeleteYeah... pity. If not, I'm sure you'll have plenty of doggies roaming your house!! lol
ReplyDeleteHave u confirmed its the saliva or the fur?? Im sure there is way to overcome... lol
It's always good to teach kids to respect the animals.
Most kids like animals, dunno why! Got to wash their hand properly after play with animals!
ReplyDeleteOpposite with u, I dislike animals, as I dislike the bulu-bulu..hehe..
Damien loves animals too! But he dare not touch them yet..hehe..
ReplyDeleteZara is so brave! I guess just make sure she's properly "wash up" after touching the animals, there's nothing much you can do too...
Personally, i'm terrified of cats..
oh..u r such a pet lover....!!
ReplyDeletetoo bad lar... Zara's get ur curse...
You can always get an Aibo ya? Though I think Sony may have discontinued the line..
ReplyDeletewhen I was younger, I once hid 2 stray kittens in a box under my bed. The next morning, it was gone. My mum had heard the mewing, but me sleeping like a log did not hear a sound. She set them free. And I cried buckets, and hated her for 2 days.
ReplyDeleteawww... pity about the "curse". is there some medication you could take to prevent it from happening? and still have pets? goldfish in a bowl isn't quite as appealing as a happy, furry dog.
ReplyDeleteMy kids also like pets very much luckily they no allergy it. Especially they like to feed them very much, but everytime after they touch the pets i will wash them immediately.
ReplyDeletemy reaction is towards cats... cause me little pimple-like spots... ok with dogs and stuff... is there any anti-allergy that Zara can take next time in case she wants to have a dog??
ReplyDeleteegghead,
ReplyDeleteWe already got some guppies at our lotus plants.. but actually I don't like fish.. so no emotion.
Maria,
Good for your girls.. Yeah, even before I knew she had allergy, I made sure she wash her hands right after she touches our cat.
Allyfeel,
I used to sleep with my cat.. but only that one cat, the very first I have..
Hamster? Eeek.. the poo very smelly one ler.. and they really know how to populate.
Jefferene,
You have pets at home? Maybe b'cos we have a cat at home that's why Zara is not afraid of animals.
Animals and soft toys very different.. I can understand why you like one and not the other. :P
Geetha,
My mum, myself and the maid. :P My mum also loved animals.. she would let the cats lie on her stomach while she watched TV.. Aaah.. how I miss her.
I don't think I can 'afford' a dog. They just need too much love and care, which I'm not prepare to give now since my love and care are all channel to Zara. That is why I chose to have a cat instead.. it doesn't need as much attention, and can keep itself occupied.
Sesame,
Cats rarely lick humans, unlike dogs.. So the cat at home is alright. I always make sure Zara wash her hands after handling him, and he never would lick Zara.. that cat of ours is way too timid.
Shoppingmum,
Wah, you sure you want Justin to have hamster? I know hamster very good in reproducing, 2 hamsters can make you end up with many! I dare not have any..
Mom2Ashley,
Haha.. good one.. life is always ironic huh?
Jasmine,
Yeah.. my maid normally will quickly tell me anything abnormal.. b'cos I told her to. :P I said better tell me earlier, at least I can take action, whether it's caused by her or not.
Helen,
I'm sure it's the fur.. She had pat a dog and our cat before, but never touched their saliva, so this allergy reaction didn't appear earlier.
It was actually tough to 'teach' her how to handle animals. In the beginning she was pulling the tail, smacking, poking the eyes of our poor cat. When she understood what pain pain is, I told her have to 'sayang' animals, or else animals will feel pain. Now she's more gentle. :P
Jesslyn,
I also dislike bulu bulu leh.. that's why I keep cat with short hair, and if I have a dog.. I think I'll go for short hair one too. And yes, I make sure she washes her hands after touching any animals.. (don't want to take the risk).
Blurblur,
Why are you terrified of cats?? Haha..
But cats do sometimes give you the creep, the way they look at you, the way their pupils enlarge.. especially black cats.
Potential Mum,
Yeah.. just too bad.. hopefully she will grown out of it.
LB,
Trust you to suggest Aibo.. It's actually different, stroking a furry animal, and cool steel or plastic..
Jomel,
My sis set my very fist cat free and I didn't talk to her for half a year. It was so bad I didn't even want to be in the same room with her..
May,
I agree with you.. cold blooded fish or Iguana or snake isn't the same as a furry animal.. I hope she'll outgrown it.. but for now, I just have to make sure she washes her hands after she touches a dog or a cat..
1+2mom,
I think most kids like to feed animal one hor? Yeah, hand washing is important.
err... how about cat saliva? she ok with it since u kept a cat at home?
ReplyDelete1 1/2 cups vinegar
ReplyDelete60 peppercorns -- crushed
6 tablespoons salt
12 cloves garlic -- crushed
1/2 cup cooking oil
6 cups onion -- sliced
3 cups tomato sauce
10 cups boiling water
6 cups red pepper -- cut into strips
6 pieces bay leaf
1 teaspoon tabasco sauce
1 1/2 cups liver spread -- ** see note
1 whole fresh pineapple -- cut 1/2 inch thick
1. First,slaughter a small sized dog like Zhu-Zhu.
2. Carefully remove the skin while still warm and set aside for later (may be
used in other recpies)
3. Cut meat into 1" cubes. Marinade meat in mixture of vinegar,
peppercorn, salt and garlic for 2 hours.
4. Fry meat in oil using a large wok over an open fire, then add onions and
chopped pineapple and suate until tender.
5. Pour in tomato sauce and boiling water, add green peper, bay leaf and
tobasco.
6. Cover and simmer over warm coals until meat is tender. Blend in liver spread
and cook for additional 5-7 minutes.
* you can substiture lamb for dog. The taste is similar, but not as pungent.
** smooth liver pate will do as well.
Le coq...meh sei kor-ah?? First insult women drivers, now come to animal-lover blog and give this type of recipe?? *hides behind wok cover and peeks out to see if ZMM is coming*
ReplyDeleteSorry she has the allergy. Good you know how to deal with it though.
ReplyDeleteMy daughter is allergic to animal fur. Really sad as she would love to have one, but her rashes are pretty bad.
ZMM, the good news is... u can keep dogs!! Poodle is the choice! Why? Because, it doesn't shed and it's the recommended breed for those who suffer allergies. LOL
ReplyDelete**running away from flying pots & pans**
ReplyDeleteShiaulin,
ReplyDeleteCat doesn't 'lick' as much as dogs ma.. So far she hasn't kena 'licked' by the cat at home yet. But we always get her to wash her hands properly after touching the cat.
Cocka Doodle,
*dialing SPCA*
Kat,
His own kind has been slaughtered many times, now he wants to take revenge!
Simple American,
That's bad news.. I sure hope both you daugther and mine will outgrown this allergy. Sometimes it happens I believe.
Helen,
Sure or not Helen? But I don't like poodle ler. I prefer golden retrieval!! Can help to protect us mah. :P
Cocka Doodle,
*mumble prayers*
*take out cleever*
cheng cheng cheng..
i have the same allergy as you and lil Zara. my family are dogs lover too and back then, my allegic reaction has not stop me from playing with my family dogs ...altho' i ended up with rashes and even swollen eyes.
ReplyDeleteHowever, i read somewhere that the more you expose yourself to the allergen, the worst it become.
So, it's good to keep lil zara away from the allergen ...esp that she is still too young.
That's really alot of animals! Like a zoo! I'm allergic to cat poo. I know this sounds weird, but I get rashes from getting too close to cat poo...
ReplyDeleteMeandering thru the blogs has lead me here, thank you for the interesting read.
ReplyDeleteFellow blogger,
chicken soup for the dog lover soul food