Dog Allergy
Dog allergies are surprisingly uncommon, people talk about being allergic to dogs but there really aren’t that many people who actually are. Nevertheless for the people who are allergic to dogs it can be a real problem, after all there are dogs everywhere. In most cases an allergy to dogs isn’t that severe and is more uncomfortable than dangerous. For a small group of people exposure to dogs can result in a serious reaction. For them it is important to know how to deal with their dog allergy.
The primary cause of a dog allergy is actually the dog’s saliva; this is different from most other pet allergies. Usually when an animal causes an allergic reaction it is because of their dander but this is not a common cause of dog allergies. In addition to saliva the other main way that dog allergies are transmitted is through their urine. Because a dog allergy doesn’t usually involve their dander they tend to be far less common than allergies to other pets like cats. Nevertheless there are still quite a few people who suffer from dog allergies.
Usually the most common symptom of a dog allergy is irritated eyes and coughing. There are some people who will have difficulty breathing as a result of exposure to dogs and in a small number of cases it may cause asthma. This is usually only the case if you already suffer from asthma which may be triggered by exposure to dogs. If you do suffer from asthma you are going to have to make sure that you are very careful about being around dogs and that you have your inhaler with you at all times. A reaction to dogs can be serious for a small number of people.
In most cases the best treatment for a dog allergy is to simply avoid being around dogs. While this will minimize your exposure it won’t eliminate it altogether. There is dog saliva and urine almost everywhere because there are dogs almost everywhere. When you go out in public it tends to get picked up by your clothes and spread all over the place. In most cases if you have an allergic reaction it can be treated effectively by anti-histamines. If you are going to be around dogs a lot you may want to consider getting an allergy shot.
A lot of people will make the decision that it is worth it to be around dogs despite their allergy. If you are one of these people there are things that you can do to reduce the severity of the symptoms. First of all make sure that the dog is neutered, allergies are caused largely by hormones that the dog produces so this will help to solve the problem. You are also going to want to bathe the dog on a regular basis. It is also a good idea to have the dog sleep outside, or at least prevent him sleeping in your bedroom if that isn’t possible.