Roughly 10% of Americans may be allergic to animals, according to the American College of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology. But people who have sensitivities to common household allergens such as dust mites and molds may overlook the chance that they’re also allergic to their own pets. This is because animal allergies might not surface on your first trip to the pet store. In fact, these allergies may develop long after you’ve taken your new puppy or kitten (or ferret, or parakeet . . .) home with you.

Technically, people aren’t allergic to animals. They’re allergic to animal dander — the particles of dead skin produced by your pet. Other animal allergens include saliva, blood, and even urine. If you allow your pet to roam indoors, you can imagine how effectively these tiny particles can travel from room to room. Furniture and carpeting are particularly strong dander magnets. And don’t forget your own role in spreading these allergens around: every time you handle your pet, clean the birdcage, or empty the litter box, animal dander sticks to your hands and clothing, going where you go.

Why do animal allergies take so long to develop?

The tendency to develop certain allergies is often passed on to us from our parents. If you have this genetic predisposition, your first exposure to a potential allergen can cause your immune system to begin making antibodies to that allergen. Once the antibody is present in your airway, it reacts with the allergen to trigger allergy or asthma symptoms. It can take weeks or even years for your body to create a new antibody, which is why you can buy a puppy and not have any symptoms until your dog has reached adulthood.

How can I tell if I have animal allergies?

Animal allergy symptoms are much the same as symptoms for other types of allergies. Common symptoms include:

• Sneezing
• Itchy, watery eyes
• Skin irritation
• Wheezing or shortness of breath

To find out if these symptoms are the result of an animal allergy (and not a reaction to some other household allergen) try this simple test: Avoid contact with your pet for one to two weeks, if possible. If your symptoms decrease as you limit your exposure to animal dander, it’s reasonable to suspect you may be allergic to your pet. Consult an allergy specialist, who can perform skin tests to identify sensitivities to allergens present in the dander of a variety of animals.

If you or a member of your household is diagnosed with animal allergies, you don’t necessarily have to take your puppy to the pound. Many people in this situation are able to keep their pets by avoiding the dander that triggers their allergic symptoms. Talk to your doctor about ways you can minimize dander in the home, such as keeping your pet out of the bedroom, where you spend the most time indoors each day. Depending on how severe your animal allergies are, you may be able to control the symptoms well enough to keep living comfortably and sneeze-free with your pet.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, July 11th, 2007 at 6:44 am 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.