For those who are allergic to animals, the minute they enter a house with pets, they start sniffling; their eyes start to water, they can’t stop sneezing and often find themselves itching all over. Studies have shown that almost 15% of Americans are allergic to cats and dogs.For years, there was a misconception that allergic reaction to cats and dogs was caused by their fur. Many people, who were keen to keep a pet would opt for less furry breeds.
However the allergen, or the substance that triggers an allergy, is not from animal fur. It is actually a protein in the dead skin, which flakes off (like dandruff) every 21 days or so. It’s been found that this flaking is more rapid in breeds that are groomed frequently and in breeds such as Cocker, Springer, Spaniels, West Highland White Terriers and Irish Setters. The same protein allergen is found in pet’s hair, saliva or urine. The allergen from their saliva and urine gets deposited on their fur and once dry are released in the air, attacking the eyes and respiratory tract and inducing wheezing, sneezing, itching and so on.
Cats release a higher quantity of allergens, probably because they lick themselves more often. In dogs, any breed of dog that has frequent skin problems, like West Highland White Terriers, is likely to produce more allergenic protein.
Once they enter your respiratory tract they cause your immunity system (if you are allergic to pets) to produce histamine, to counteract the effect of the allergen. Histamine causes irritation in your upper airways and causes typical hay fever and asthmatic symptoms.
Typical Pet Allergy Symptoms
The most common reaction is hay fever or seasonal allergic rhinitis. This causes sneezing, a running or blocked nose, itchy and watery eyes and coughing and wheezing. Sometimes it triggers eczema like reaction. Your skin itches and you develop a reddish rash.
What Can You Do?
Give your pet away!
But we know that’s easier said than done. No one, who has ever kept a pet would dream of abandoning it, even if it affected one’s health.
So here are some tips to help you reduce the severity of pet dander allergy symptoms.
• Wash your hands thoroughly every time you touch your pet.
• If you have a dog or a cat, bathe him at least once in a month in plain water and dry him properly afterwards. Bathing your pet on a weekly basis can reduce the level of allergens on fur by as much as 84 percent.
• Wear a 3M mask and protective gloves when grooming your pet.
• Don’t clutter your house with furniture. Use plastic or wooden furniture rather than upholstered furniture that allows animal dander to permeate its hidden recesses.
• Clean your house, walls, floors and the woodwork several times a week. It might be a good idea to polish your floor as often as possible. Vacuum your carpets. Use a vacuum with an allergen filter. Hang plastic curtains (I know – that sounds tacky! But then they can be cleaned easily!)
• Do not sleep with your pet. In fact your bedroom and bathroom should be off-limits to your pet. That’s one concession you will have to make to try and reduce allergens in your bedroom. Breathing in allergens all through the night is definitely not recommended.
• Wash your bed linen regularly. Use cotton sheets. And try and use washable mattresses and synthetic blankets and pillows.
• Allergy to dust mites aggravates pet dander allergy. So, try not to accumulate a lot of bric-a-brac that would need regular dusting. And don’t touch dusty objects such as old books, boxes in the attic and so on.
• Follow a strict “No Smoking” policy at home. Cigarette smoke makes allergies worse.
• Rabbits and guinea pigs should be cleaned by someone who is not allergic to pets. Moreover, ensure that they are kept outside the house – their urine is a potent breeding ground of allergens!
• Install anti-allergen filters in your home to reduce allergen counts to a minimal level.
Not Just Cats & Dogs
If you are allergic to cats, you might also be allergic to other domestic animals such as dogs, rats, mice, guinea pigs, hamsters, pet birds, horses and even cows and poultry.
Which means a trip to the zoo can trigger the same kind of reactions as visiting a friend who keeps a pet.
You Avoid Contact and Yet Experience Dander Allergy
Pet dander is so microscopic; it can latch itself onto your clothes or your child’s clothes from anywhere. From school, from a taxi, from a mall – anywhere that someone else who is closely associated with pets visited and transmitted the allergen from her to the air around her.
Allergy to pets is often hereditary, just as most other allergies. Also, if you had asthmatic bronchitis as a child and had a cat as a pet, more likely than not, you will develop an allergy towards cats in your adult life.
Anti-Allergic Medications
1. Antihistamine tablets or syrup (eg loratadine, cetirizine, chlorphenamine). These lessen the allergic reaction by blocking the actions of histamine. They relieve hay fever type symptoms.
2. Nasal sprays or drops containing sodium cromoglicate, corticosteroids (e.g. beclometasone) or antihistamines (e.g. levocabastine) can be used to reduce nasal inflammation and control symptoms in the nose.
3. Eye drops containing sodium cromoglicate, nedocromil, or antihistamines (e.g. azelastine) reduce eye inflammation and can be used if eye symptoms are a particular problem.
4. For a long lasting treatment, consult your doctor about allergy shots. You will be injected (vaccinated) with allergy causing proteins, triggering your body to produce antibodies to counteract the pet allergen. Over time, and with the dosage being gradually increased, till it reaches a “maintenance level”, your immune system will become desensitized to pet allergens.