Family members often behave like animals and animals often behave like humans! Both humans and pets can develop allergies; when a human is allergic to a pet, however, it’s a tangle of problems with no easy solutions.
Are You Allergic to Your Pet?
Get a clear answer before making decisions about keeping or finding a new home for your pet. A board-certified allergist will perform allergy testing, take a complete medical history, and perform a physical exam to make the diagnosis.
In some cases, the symptoms created by pet exposures can be managed with medications and pet-proofing your home. Other times, the pet is not a good match for healthy living. Long-term exposures can cause permanent physiological immune system changes that threaten the health and well being of allergic family members. In this case, finding a new home for the pet is the best (yet emotional) advice.
Don’t Get Rid of Your Pet
Find a new, loving home if you must, but don’t discard your pet like yesterday’s news. Help your pet (such as a dog, cat, or bird) make a smooth transition by bringing the dog to its new home for short and then extended visits. Encourage the new owners to play familiar games or tricks with your pet, feed the same food, and use the current cage, crate, or bedding until the pet has made a complete transition to the new home.
Bedroom Bliss
Don’t allow pets in the bedroom. Adhere to this rule and you may find your symptoms improving more rapidly! No hamsters, birds, dogs, cats, snakes, turtles, or any critter where dander, urine/fecal pellets, saliva, feather dust, cedar chips, mold, or stinky stuff is part of the package.
Clean Air
Keep the pets out of the bedroom and family room. Keep the whole house air filtration system and/or room air cleaners running. Do not block air flow to a room or use air filters in the duct work without first consulting with a reputable heating and air conditioning contactor or you could create unhealthy microclimates, stress the motor on your system, and invalidate your system warranty.
Be a Clean Freak
Eliminate clutter and clean like a white tornado to minimize dust, dander, saliva residue, urine proteins, and mold! Wash bedding in hot water once a week, put a washable throw or sheet on the couches and chairs and wash them once a week in hot water. Steam clean carpets often and use products proven to neutralize pet allergens.
Wash your pet weekly (for cats, this can be torture for both owner and pet, so consider the pet’s emotional health in your decision-making equation, please) and keep cage, crate, and feeding area clean.
Eliminate as many allergens and irritants from your home as you can! The fewer exposures, the fewer the symptoms.
Use Medications, Immunotherapy, and Nasal Treatments as Prescribed
Topical nasal corticosteroids and topical nasal or oral antihistamines are commonly prescribed for nasal symptoms associated with pet or other indoor air allergies and irritants. It is tempting to self treat with products purchased without a prescription, however, these can cause drowsiness, poor performance at work and school, and accidents while driving.
If symptoms cannot be controlled after exhausting indoor air improvements and using prescribed medications, your allergist may suggest allergy shots or immunotherapy. Like a weekly vaccination, allergy shots teach your immune system that it is okay to be around your pet. However, allergy shots do not always prove effective in eliminating symptoms and it may take months before you begin to see improvement in symptoms.
Multifaceted
Managing pet allergens takes a careful, multi-considerate approach. For some families, psychological counseling is needed to help all members make necessary changes. For others, the answer is clear. A loved one’s health is always prioritized over the family’s adoration of the pet.
For more information, check out these AANMA resources:
