Allergies From Man's Best Friend

Many own dogs as pets in their homes. Pet dogs are even treated as part of the family and they are allowed to stay inside the house and play with the children. Though dogs are called man’s best friend, there are people who are allergic to them.

Unlike the common misconception, allergens from dogs do not come from their fur. It’s their skin, blood, saliva and urine that contain allergens that are harmful to man. Sometimes, direct contact with dogs is not needed for someone to develop allergies. Dog allergic people can experience allergic reactions even if there isn’t a dog around. Dander, urine proteins, and dried saliva are lightweight and can become airborne. They can be easily spread around and affect allergic people.

The common signs and symptoms that could be observed when someone is allergic to dogs are sneezing, coughing, wheezing, shortness of breath, stuffy nose, itchy and watery eyes, and skin rash. The manifestation of these symptoms varies from person to person. Highly allergic people can experience the symptoms within 15 to 30 minutes of contact with dog allergens while less sensitive people may not develop symptoms for days. There are also cases wherein allergies to dogs trigger other medical conditions such as allergic rhinitis, allergic conjunctivitis, contact dermatitis, and asthma.

There are recent studies showing that owning a dog can prevent allergies from developing in children. The reason behind this is the endotoxin released by dogs that incite the immune system away from allergies. However, if a person has already developed allergies, further exposure to endotoxins can worsen that person’s allergic reactions.

Physicians perform various tests to determine dog allergies. Blood and skin allergy tests are the common procedures to determine if one is allergic to dogs. When someone is diagnosed to have dog allergies, he or she can be given medications. These medications, however, are given to control the symptoms and not prevent allergic reactions from occurring.

Oftentimes, dog owners who are allergic to their pets do not want to part from their pets even though this may mean that they will be suffering from allergic reactions. There are things that dog owners could do to lessen dog allergen exposure like bathing the dog at least once or twice a week, daily wiping the dog with a wet cloth or hand towel, vacuuming the house frequently to clean out allergens, and keeping the dog in the garage or putting a dog house outside the home. These things will not prevent allergic reactions from breaking out but could help lessen the frequency of allergic reactions.