Keep Your Pet: Even With Allergies

Is it difficult for you to approach your pet without itching or sneezing? If so, your body may be overly sensitive to your pet’s dander. But just what is pet dander and how does it affect your allergies? Mostly, it is a combination of deal skin and hair that can cause irritation of the respiratory tract, nose, and eyes of humans. Not surprisingly, more than 70% of families in the United States have either a dog or cat in their household. Sadly, between 10-15% of the American population suffers from allergic reactions caused by their own pets. Knowing this information, what can you do to protect you family from these harmful effects.Ridding of your favorite household companion is not always the answer, though some families must unfortunately resort to it. As a matter of fact, dander may still linger in the air even if a pet is removed. Animal dander can remain in a household for up to six months after a pet is no longer present since it is an active allergen. The decisions regarding what to do with the family pet should be made based on the severity of the damage it is producing to the family members within their home.

The most common household pets are dogs and cats. As far as cats are concerned, six million Americans develop allergic reactions to them, representing just how imperative it is to be thoughtful of their presence. The substance that causes the allergic reaction is actually not their hair but rather an airborne protein found in the hair and saliva. It can spread throughout a house very quickly and is known to stick to most clothing. Allergic reactions to dogs, on the other hand, are usually less common. However, if you are allergic to dogs then simply being licked by the animal can trigger an allergic response.

The animal’s fur is not the allergen; it is the dander. In order to prevent these loved animals from negatively affecting your everyday lifestyle, there are several measures that should be taken. For one, do not allow pets to rest on furniture, as the allergens that they produce can stick and remain there for long periods of time. In addition, minimizing physical contact with a pet is important, as a basic touch to your skin can produce much unwanted itchiness. Forced air heaters and air conditioners are known to help spread the allergens throughout the household. For this reason it is important to consider investing in an NanoO2 type air purifier to remove the unwanted airborne pollutants that accumulate. Finally, bathing your pet regularly is essential, as it substantially decreases the amount of allergens that can be produced. Bathing the animals helps in reducing the output of oils on their skin even though it might remove some of the shine on their fur. By taking these appropriate measures, you should hopefully not have to part with man’s best friend.