Can you have a pet dog if you are allergic
Pet Allergy
Avoiding animals is not always possible nor the choice many people make. When you cant completely avoid pets or animals, there are medicines and steps you can take to control your symptoms.
Over-the-counter or prescription medicine options for animal allergies include antihistamines and corticosteroids.
Allergy Medicine Guide for Pet Allergy
Nasal rinse: Using a saline (saltwater) nose rinse can help cut down mucus and rinse pollen out of your nose. Remember to use these as directed.
Nose sprays: Corticosteroid nose sprays are effective and have few side effects. They treat the swelling and inflammation in your nose. (Examples include Nasacort, FLONASE, and RHINOCORT.) Antihistamine nasal sprays such as Astelin and Patanase are also effective options.
Eye drops: Allergy eye drops can be very helpful in managing eye allergy symptoms. They can relieve burning sensation, itchiness, redness, increased tearing, and swelling. Common eye drops include SYSTANE ZADITOR, Optivar, and Pataday. In addition, artificial tears can be helpful.
Antihistamines: Antihistamines come in pill, liquid, or nasal spray form. They can relieve sneezing and itching in the nose and eyes. They also reduce a runny nose and, to a lesser extent, nasal stuffiness. Look for a long-acting, non-drowsy antihistamine. (Examples include ZYRTEC, Claritin, Allegra, CLARINEX.)
Decongestants: Decongestants are available as pills, liquids, nasal sprays, or drops. They help shrink the lining of the nasal passages and relieve stuffiness. They generally are only used for a short time (usually three days or less examples include SUDAFED, Vicks Sinex, Afrin). Check with your doctor before using decongestants if you have high blood pressure, glaucoma, thyroid disease, or trouble urinating.
Leukotriene modifiers (such as montelukast): This medicine can help by blocking chemicals your body releases when you have an allergic reaction. (Examples include SINGULAIR, Zyflo CR, ACCOLATE.)
Cromolyn sodium: This is a nasal spray that blocks the release of chemicals that cause allergy symptoms, including histamine and leukotrienes. This medicine has few side effects, but you must take it four times a day. (Examples include NasalCrom)
Allergy shots: If other treatments and steps are not working, allergy shots (immunotherapy) can be very effective. They require a time commitment and multiple appointments. Your allergist injects a small amount of allergen into your skin. They watch you for symptoms. Over time, the amount of allergen they inject is increased. This treatment trains your immune system to tolerate the allergen better. Talk with your allergist to see if this option is right for you.
Allergen-reducing cat food: If you have a cat, you can now buy cat food that can reduce cat allergens. One product available is Purina Pro Plan LiveClear. The food neutralizes a common allergen, Fel d1, found in cat saliva.
Are You Allergic to Dog Dander? 12 Vet-Approved Things to Do
The information is current and up-to-date in accordance with the latest veterinarian research.
Learn moreIt was a long-held misconception that when you have pet allergies, you are allergic to the animals hair. In truth, if youre allergic to dogs, youre actually allergic to a protein that is secreted in their dander, saliva, and urine.
If you have dog allergies but desperately want to bring a canine into your family, there are steps to take that might make this possible.
The 12 Things to Do When You Are Allergic to Dog Dander
1. Get an Allergy Test
This is recommended because you might not actually be allergic to dogs! There could be something else in your environment causing your allergies.
You might also be interested to learn thatstudieshave shown that about 30% of people are allergic to unneutered male dogs only.1 So, you might be able to live with a female dog or a neutered male.
2. Brush Your Dog Frequently
The more hair your dog sheds, the more dander hitches a ride on the hair and floats into every nook and cranny in your home. The more often your dog is brushed, the less hair and dander will come off your dog while theyre inside and the fewer allergens will be in your home. It would be best if someone else whos not allergic does the brushing, or you should at least wear a dust mask. Just be sure to do the brushing outside or in an enclosed space that you dont need to use. Some people suggest bathing your dog weekly, but keep in mind that too much bathing can dry your dogs skin, which will only lead to more dander.
3. Keep Your Dog Out of the Bedroom
Its best to limit a few of the rooms in your house to your dog. For example, your bedroom should be a dog-free space, as having an allergic reaction while trying to sleep can guarantee a bad nights sleep. Allergens will still find a way into your room, but there will be considerably fewer of them.
4. Vacuum and Clean Regularly
The bad news is that owning a dog that youre allergic to means doing much more cleaning. Invest in a vacuum with a HEPA filter, which will prevent the allergens from escaping back into the environment. Youll also want to use statically charged products like those from Swiffer and mop and dust with damp cloths. Avoid using brooms and regular dusters, as these will only kick up the allergens rather than remove them.
5. Have Someone Else Do the Cleaning
The good news is that you have an excuse to ask someone else to do the cleaning for you! If you can afford it, use a cleaning service, or ask a family member without allergies to help out. You can also use a dust mask while cleaning if no one can help you. Be aware that the allergens will take a few hours to settle once the cleaning is done.
6. Invest in a HEPA Filter
A good HEPA filter placed in your furnace and air conditioning units can help reduce the dander in your home. You should also consider investing in an air purifier with a HEPA filter. You can get multiples and put one in every room that you use frequently or just get one or two. These are particularly helpful in areas where your dog spends the most time.
7. Consider Allergy Medication
If you have allergies, you are likely already stocked up on allergy medications. You should still speak with your doctor about the best treatments. You can also consult with an allergist about immunotherapy, which is a course of allergy shots designed to build a tolerance to dog allergens over time.
8. Launder Bedding Often
Make a point of throwing your dogs bed and/or bedding in the wash at least once a week. Wash your clothing frequently too. You should use hot water when possible and look for detergent and dryer sheets that are designed to repel dog hair.
9. Check Your Dogs Diet
If your dog has dry skin, it might be from allergies, but regardless of the cause, dry skin will mean more dander. To fix this issue, speak to your veterinarian about your dogs diet. High-quality food should keep your dogs skin and coat in good health. Ask about adding supplements like omega-3 fatty acids, found in fish oil, to your dogs diet. These can help keep your dogs coat moisturized.
10. Replace Carpets With Hard Floors
Carpets are like Velcro to dander. If one or more rooms in your home have carpet, you should consider switching to hard floors like hardwood or tile.
11. Wash Your Hands After Touching the Dog
Every time you touch your dog or something that belongs to them, like their bedding or the toys that theyve slobbered on, wash your hands. Dont forget that a dogs saliva can also cause an allergic reaction, so its safest to wash up after every interaction.
12. Look For a Hypoallergenic Breed
There isnt such a thing as a hypoallergenic dogeven hairless dogs still have dander and saliva. But some breeds dont shed much, which makes for less dander. Youll still be allergic to them; your reactions might just be more tolerable.
Tips for Choosing a Dog When You Have Allergies
Selecting a dog, particularly if youve decided to opt for a hypoallergenic dog, must be done with thought and research. Beyond the risk of allergies, the dog must have the right temperament to fit in with you and your family. For example, if youre a bit of a homebody, consider a small breed like the Yorkshire Terrier rather than a Standard Poodle, which needs 1 to 2 hours of exercise daily.
You should also realize that you might have a different allergic reaction to different breeds. For example, you might do better with a Schnauzer than a Havanese. Before committing to a puppy or adult dog, try to interact with the breed that youre most interested in. Speak to breeders in your area, and ask if you can visit their dogs to gauge how well you can handle being near these breeds. You might find your allergies are the same regardless of the breed, or one breed might stand out.
Conclusion
Remember to get your allergies tested before worrying about the rest. Perhaps youre not allergic to dogs after all! Also, speak to your doctor about the blood test that might let you know whether youre only allergic to intact male dogs.
Its possible to have allergies to dog dander and still live with a canine. It will take time and hard work to prevent issues, but if your love of dogs overrides your dislike of cleaning, its well worth it!
Featured Image Credit: New Africa, Shutterstock
How to live with allergies and pets
Millions of people enjoy sharing their homes and their lives with pets, even those who are allergic to animals. Unfortunately, some people believe that once they are diagnosed with a pet allergy, they have no choice but to remove their pets from their family.
Thankfully, there are many solutions that can be explored that would allow an allergy sufferer to keep their beloved pets while successfully managing their allergies. You'd be surprised to know how many people with allergies that aren't life-threatening are able to live happily with their pets.
In many cases, the benefits of having a pet outweigh the drawbacks of pet allergies.
Understand your pet allergies
It is important to see a doctor and be tested to determine what allergies you actually have. You may find that you're allergic to something else and not your pet at all! For example, you may assume that you are allergic to your beloved dog, only to find out through an allergy test that you're actually allergic to a specific tree pollen that got on his fur during a walk together, and that's actually what's bothering you.
If an allergy test shows that you are allergic to your pet, it is important to understand what causes your allergic reaction to them. There are allergy-triggering proteins called allergens in saliva and skin glands that cling to an animal's dry skin (dander) and fur. The fur and dander then stick to walls, carpets and clothing.
The reaction of someone to these allergens is different from one person to the next. The reaction may range from mild sniffling and sneezing to life-threatening asthma. The reaction can be made worse if a person is additionally exposed to other things he is allergic too, such as pollen, dust mites, cigarette smoke, and mold.
Whether someone has an allergic reaction depends on both the individual person and the individual animal. A person with animal allergies may react less to dogs with soft, constantly growing hair, or one specific cat or dog may cause more or less of an allergic reaction than another animal of that same breed.
You may hear claims about breeds of dogs and cats that are non-allergenic (don't cause an allergic reaction) or cats and dogs that are hypoallergenic (cause less of an allergic reaction). However, even hairless breeds may cause a severe allergic reaction.
9 Tricks for Living with Dogs When You are Allergic to Them
It is possible to enjoy a wonderful life with dogs if you suffer from allergies to them, or if you have family members who are allergic to dogs. Not that its necessarily entirely comfortable, mind you, but it is doable. I should know.
Minus a few years in college, Ive lived with dogs since I was born despite being allergic to them. I adore dogs beyond measure and refuse to live without them. Im lucky that allergy treatments as a child and careful use of medicines now make that possible.
Still, Ive been tested and am indeed allergic to dogs and cats, and Im not the only one.Cathy Lester, an artist specializing in soulful works of animals, including pet portraits, suffers from both asthma and allergies. Since she also has many dog grooming clients, I asked her how she manages to live with dogs and breathe at the same time. Here is a list of tips we use to manage living with dogs, from one allergy sufferer to another.
1. Consult with an Allergist
When the allergists first recommendation was that the dogs had to go, Lester replied, That's not gonna happen. What else? Lester sticks to a strict schedule for medications and uses the tips below to minimize her exposure to allergens.
Ive learned that nothing works for me like certain antihistamines. Some dont work for me while others do the trick quite nicely. I use a daily over-the-counter antihistamine nasal spray which I layer with another OTC antihistamine on especially troublesome days (usually a couple of times a week). Prescription medications and allergy vaccines may also be in order.
2. Create a Regular Dog Grooming Schedule
Bathing
Nothing tamps down the allergens that live in pet fur and skin better than a good cleansing. It strips them off the surface and washes them down the drain.
Just in case youre thinking that bathing will make you break out in allergic spasms, my experience is that once I wet the fur, the allergens tend to settle right down. But theres no way of knowing without trying. Bathing at least weekly is recommended. If your pet has sensitive skin, be sure to ask your veterinarian to recommend a specific shampoo for this purpose.
Brushing
Unlike the bath, this approach is not recommended for the allergic to undertake. Wearing a mask might just make the process bearable but I recommend that someone else brush the animals out of doors while the allergic person remains at a safe distance. After brushing, smoothing down the skin with a moistened towel to keep any stray bits of dander from flying about is strongly recommended.Brushes that specifically remove the undercoat(which can trap the allergens) will help lift and remove the offending molecules. The Furminator is a good choice. A twice-weekly brushing in between bathing is a reasonable schedule.
Im also a fan of using wet microfiber towels to wipe pollen off my dogs among other everyday items I use in pet care. Sometimes doctors blame pets, when it isnt as much the pet causing the allergy as it is other allergens sticking to the pet.
Treat Any Skin Conditions Your Dog Has
Interestingly enough, pets with skin disease are more likely to wreak allergic havoc on allergic household members. Keeping these diseases under control, with the help of a veterinarian, can be transformative for those with allergies.
3. Keep the Dogs Off the Bed
If you let your dogs on your bed, youre increasing your exposure to more than just the pet dander. Common allergens, like pollen and dust, can stick to a dogs fur. If you let your dogs on your bed, those allergens can and will transfer to your bedding.
Lesters three dogs two Border Collies and a new Papillon-mix puppy do sleep in the bedroom, but they are not allowed on the bed.
Being a small dog, the puppy sometimes breaks this rule. Lester explains, however, that he lies on an easily washed blanket, and he does not spend the whole night on the bed.
4. Rinse Your Sinuses Daily With Saline
Lester does this religiously every single day and has been able to reduce her symptoms by 99%. Yes, really, she adds, for those who are dubious.
I do this too, and it really helps.
5. Choose Hard-surface Flooring
Carpeting plus dogs is an allergy sufferers worse nightmare. It holds all manner of ick, Lester says. She likes hardwood floors because they are easy to clean and stand up to critters.
My own house features tile on the main level. We do have carpet upstairs, but the dogs are not allowed up there.
6. Clean (Roomba, Swiffer, Allergy Sprays)
For those who can afford it, hiring a cleaning crew to do the heavy lifting can help a whole lot. This is especially true of the semi-annual kind of cleaning where a lot of reaching behind furniture and rearranging of items is required. All that hair and skin builds up!
For the routine kind of cleaning everyone does on their own, investing in a robotic vacuum cleaner to accomplish this task while youre out of the home can be a godsend. The only problem is that a non-allergic person needs to empty the filter. Also note that using a Swiffer-style cloth on the floor or employing any wet-style cleaning approach is always a safer alternative to traditional sweeping.
7. Change Your Air Filters Regularly
Changing the air conditioning filters in your home more often (every two weeks or so) can be expensive, but it can also lower the amount of dander in the house to manageable levels.
8. Dont Touch Other Dogs
At dog classes, when meeting friends' dogs, or seeing other dogs in public, Lester does not touch them. Because others dont bathe their dogs as frequently or as thoroughly as she does, Lester is sure to develop swollen eyes, clogged sinuses, and hives within minutes of touching a dog other than her own. It makes me look like I hate dogs, she says, but you know its exactly the opposite.
9. Choose a Dog Breed That Sheds Less Than Other Breeds
The theory is that dogs that shed less, for example, are better for allergy sufferers. However, after analyzing hair and coat samples from various breeds of dogs, then testing samples of dust from their homes for a major canine allergen, researchers concluded the following: There is no evidence for the classification of certain dog breeds as being hypoallergenic. However,there are certain dog breeds that might be better for allergy sufferers. All dogs producesomedander. However, these breeds dont shed as much as other dogs and will produce less dander.
