Furry, feathery, or scaly pets can be great companions and a lot of fun. Unfortunately, those furry coats, feathers, and scales can trigger an allergic reaction in some people. If you think you’re allergic to your pet, an allergist can help you find out for sure. Allergists can perform skin or blood tests to determine if you have sensitivities to a variety of allergens, including dander, the most common pet allergen.

Your first appointment

Before your diagnosis, you may be asked to fill out a detailed questionnaire about your symptoms and possible triggers. This helps your doctor narrow the field of potential allergens, and reduce the number of tests required to find your particular sensitivities.

At your appointment, your doctor may ask follow-up questions to complete the medical picture. This is also your chance to ask questions of your own. It’s a good idea to make a list of questions to ask and bring it with you to your appointment. Based on your medical history, your doctor may order a skin test or a blood test to find your animal allergy triggers.

Skin tests

Skin testing is an inexpensive way to spot an animal allergy. As the body’s most sensitive organ, your skin reacts quickly to allergens. The skin also reacts in a very localized way, meaning an allergy is immediately obvious. These tendencies let doctors use a skin test to identify allergens quickly and reliably.

In a skin test, a tiny amount of the suspected allergen is scratched or pricked into your skin, usually on your arm or back. If you are allergic, the spot forms a mosquito bite-sized welt within 15 minutes, at the exact place where the potential allergen was pricked. People are rarely allergic to dander alone, so your doctor may test for many allergens at once. It isn’t fun, but the information gained is valuable (and the swelling usually goes away within half an hour). If the test results are inconclusive, the suspected allergen may be injected just beneath the skin’s surface to yield better results. Antihistamines can interfere with skin tests, so don’t take any over-the-counter allergy medication before your skin test.

Blood tests

In some cases, especially where symptoms take the form of a skin rash or eczema, skin tests are more difficult to read. Your health care provider may order a blood test called a RAST (radioallergosorbent) test instead. Processing the RAST test takes longer, and costs more, but it can pinpoint your allergy.

OK, I’m allergic. Now what?

The conventional allergy wisdom is to avoid your triggers whenever possible. But few people have strong emotional attachments to pollens or peanuts, so avoiding these common allergens is less of a hardship than sending your pet to the shelter.

If you have animal allergies and you choose to keep your pet, you’re not alone: over 40% of people with animal allergies refuse to give up their pets, according to an international survey quoted by the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology. Other surveys put that percentage far higher. By taking steps to minimize cat or dog dander in your home, you may be able to live comfortably with your pet — and your animal allergies. You certainly won’t be the first to do so.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, February 7th, 2007 at 9:58 pm and is filed under Pets. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.