Pet Allergies – How To Cope With An Allergic Reaction To Dogs

If you love dogs, it can be devastating to discover that exposure to your favourite animal companion is inadvertently making you sick. The symptoms of an allergic reaction can include sneezing, coughing, itchy eyes, runny nose, and nasal congestion. Pet allergies can also cause painful, constant headaches and contribute to the severity of asthma attacks. Here are a few things you can do to reduce your symptoms

Choose A Hypoallergenic Dog

If you or your kids have known allergies to dogs, you may be ready to simply give up and start keeping fish. However, if you are currently in the market for a new family pet you do have some options. There are a number of dog breeds that are hypoallergenic. These include Portuguese water dogs (like the one the Obama family has) Wheaten terriers, Bichon Frises, and poodles. These breeds are often well tolerated by individuals who have mild to moderate pet allergies.

Just because a particular type of dog is advertised as hypoallergenic does not mean that it will not cause an allergic reaction. It simply indicates that it has less of a tendency to trigger a histamine response than do other breeds. Such dogs have only a single coat of hair and they shed at a slow rate. They lack the fluffy undercoat of shorter hair that is common in most breeds.

Medication

Over the counter and prescription antihistamines can be used to successfully treat mild allergies. They can generally be taken long term without becoming addictive or losing their effectiveness. However, prolonged exposure to allergens tends to make symptoms more severe over time.

In these cases, cortisone or other steroids may be prescribed to control allergies. Steroid medications have a number of side effects and should only be taken under close medical supervision. Long term use can have serious adverse health consequences. Allergy shots are another option. They take several months to become effective but have been shown to give many years of relief to some patients.

Reducing Exposure

Keeping shed hair, skin, and saliva out of the inside of your home can make a big difference. Turning an indoor pet into an outdoor pet is a solution that can work for dog owners who have sufficient yard space. Dogs that are used to living inside may have a hard time getting used to the change. However, they can usually adapt if you make sure they still get plenty of human interaction each day.

If you need to continue keeping your pet indoors, reduce the amount of carpeting in your home. This makes it much easier to keep hair and dander from accumulating. Make your bedroom off limits to your dog so you have at least one area of the house that is allergen free. This will give your body a chance to recuperate each night.

Using a high quality air filtration system is also critical to reducing symptoms. A HEPA filter that is designed to remove pet dander is a good start. You may also want to consider a carbon filter to help cut odor. You can treat the air in your whole house or just the rooms where you spend most of your time. Request our free ebook to find out which brands and models target pet allergies.

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