Achoo! Dealing with allergies to pets

With spring in the air and who knows what is blooming in the desert, many people suffer from allergies. The CAPS staff meets a lot of people who relinquish their pets due to allergies. To combat this issue, here is some information that might be helpful in keeping your pet where he belongs, with you.

Allergies can be a nuisance or even life-threatening, and this article intends to address the nuisance issue of pet allergies, not the life-threatening type such as asthma.

The Humane Society of the United States reports that 15 percent of the human population is allergic to cats or dogs. Yet one third of that 15 percent still have a pet and will replace that animal if it dies, even if advised by a doctor to not own a pet. Obviously, these people feel that the companionship of the pet far outweighs the discomfort of the allergy.

One CAPS volunteer is allergic to cats. She takes medication to thwart the symptoms and washes her hands each time she encounters a cat. However, she wouldn't dream of not coming out to CAPS because of the allergy. She just deals with it.

The following advice is from www.hsus.com: "All cats and dogs are allergenic (allergy-causing) to people who are allergic to animals. Cats tend to be more allergenic than dogs for allergic people, although some people are more sensitive to dogs than cats. Contrary to popular belief, there are no 'non-allergenic' breeds of dogs or cats; even hairless breeds may be highly allergenic.

"Dogs with soft, constantly growing hair - the poodle or the Bichon Frise, for example - may be less irritating to some individuals, although this may be because they are bathed and groomed more frequently. One dog or cat of a particular breed may be more irritating to an individual allergy sufferer than another animal of that same breed.

"The source of irritation to pet-allergic humans? Glands in the animal's skin secrete tiny allergy-triggering proteins, called allergens, that linger in the animal's fur but also float easily in the air. Allergens are present in the animal's saliva and urine, too, and may become airborne when saliva dries on the fur. The severity of reaction to these allergens varies from one person to the next, ranging from mild sniffling and sneezing to life-threatening asthma, and can be complicated by simultaneous allergies to other irritants in the environment.

"If you or a family member's allergies are simply miserable but not life-threatening, take these steps to reduce the symptoms:

• "Create an 'allergy-free' zone in the home - preferably the bedroom - and strictly prohibit the pet's access to it. Use a high-efficiency HEPA air cleaner (available at almost any home and garden store or discount department store) in the bedroom. Consider using impermeable covers for the mattress and pillows because allergen particles brought into the room on clothes and other objects can accumulate in them.

• "Use HEPA air cleaners throughout the rest of the home, and avoid dust-and-dander-catching furnishings such as cloth curtains and blinds and carpeted floors. Clean frequently and thoroughly to remove dust and dander, washing articles such as couch covers and pillows, curtains and pet beds. Use a 'microfilter' bag in the vacuum cleaner to effectively catch all the allergens.

• "Bathing your pet on a weekly basis can reduce the level of allergens on fur by as much as 84 percent. Although products are available that claim to reduce pet allergens when sprayed on the animal's fur, studies show they are less effective than a weekly bath. Even cats can become accustomed to being bathed; check with your veterinarian's staff or a good book on pet care for directions about how to do this properly, and use whatever shampoo your veterinarian recommends.

• "Don't be quick to blame the family pet for allergies. Ask your allergist to specifically test for allergies to pet dander, rather than making an assumption. And understand that allergies are cumulative. Many allergy sufferers are sensitive to more than one allergen. So if you're allergic to dust, insecticides, pollen, cigarette smoke and cat dander, you'll need to reduce the overall allergen level in your environment by concentrating on all of the causes, not just the pet allergy. For example, you may need to step up measures to remove cat dander from your home and carefully avoid cigarette smoke during spring, when it is difficult to avoid exposure to pollen.

• "Immunotherapy (allergy shots) can improve symptoms but cannot eliminate them entirely. They work by gradually desensitizing a person's immune system to the pet allergens. Allergy-causing proteins are injected under the person's skin, triggering the body to produce antibodies (protective proteins) which block the pet allergen from causing a reaction. Patients are usually given one dose per week for a few weeks to months (depending on the severity of the allergy) and then can often manage with one injection per month.

• "Additional treatments for allergies to pets are symptomatic, including steroidal and antihistamine nose sprays and antihistamine pills. For asthma, there are multiple medications, sprays and inhalers available. It is important to find an allergist who understands your commitment to living with your pet. A combination of approaches - medical control of symptoms, good house-cleaning methods, and immunotherapy - is most likely to succeed in allowing an allergic person to live with pets.

"Of course, if you do not currently have a pet and are considering one and know you are pet-allergic, be sure to consider carefully whether you can live with the allergy before you bring a new pet home. Except in the case of children, who sometimes outgrow allergies, few allergy sufferers become accustomed to pets to which they are allergic. Too many allergic owners obtain pets without thinking through the difficulties of living with them. And too often, they end up relinquishing pets, a decision that is difficult for the owner and can be life-threatening for the pet."

Visit the CAPS Web site at www.capsnv.org to see what we have in store.



- Jennifer Williamson, a Churchill County resident, is president of CAPS.