I’ve had my dog for 2.5 years now. This might seem like a silly question to most, but I’m kind of oblivious to some things that are obvious to most people (e.g. having allergies, knowing when I’m hungry, when I should go to the doctor, etc.) so I would appreciate helpful responses.

Signs

• If my dog gets on my bed, I sleep poorly until I change the sheets.
• If I sleep with my dog in my room, I wake up tired and like I had trouble breathing all night. It’s like if my airway was smaller/tighter. I’ve already been assessed for sleep apnea and they said I’m okay.
• Even without my dog in the room or on the sheets, when I sleep at home, I wake up pretty tired and it takes me a while to get going in the morning. This doesn’t happen when I sleep elsewhere like at hotels.
• If I clean up my house really well and change the air filter, it seems like I have more energy for a few days.
• If I take a cetrizine (Zertec) or loratadine (Claratin), I feel a little better in the morning, but it’s not like if I slept elsewhere. I don’t feel fine, just a little less bad.
• Basically, I’m always tired when I sleep at home.
• If I pet a dog and touch my eyes immediately after, my eyes get itchy until I wash them out. This will happen with their saliva as well.
• If I run my forearm across a dog’s back from tail to head and the dog has thick fur, I will get hives from the fur slightly poking my soft skin.
• If they lick my skin and I don’t rinse it off, I may get hives too.

Contra

• I’m mostly fine throughout the day with regards to what I assume are allergies. My nose is fine, and I rarely sneeze. It’s only related to sleep.
• My nose doesn’t get stuffy like I see in other people.

Writing this out, it seems like it’s highly probable. If so, what options do I have?

• Could it be something else causing the sleep issues at home?
• Is this a reason to see a doctor?
• Are there meds that work better than Zertec & Claritin and wont make me feel funky like with Benadryl?
• Do I need to accept that I can’t have a dog?
• Maybe I can make my dog an outside dog? But that seems terrible for a dog that’s been inside their whole life and follows me everywhere I go in the house (she’s a Rottie). I don’t want to sleep poorly and be at 60% for another 10 years.

This is a lot 😬

Edit: Alright, I’ve got an appt with the doc in 2 weeks. Thanks for the help, everyone!