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Top: Health: Conditions and Diseases: Allergies: Pets:

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Overview

A pet allergy is a physical reaction to animal dander (small skin flakes), saliva, urine or feces. Although animal fur itself is not a significant allergen, it can collect pollens, mold spores and other outdoor allergens. The presence of allergic dander in cats and dogs is not affected by length of hair or fur, and there are no truly "hypoallergenic breeds." Many pet owners keep their pets inside the home most of the time. These findings may explain why allergy symptoms, such as itchy, watery eyes, sneezing, coughing, wheezing and hives in allergic children and adults, worsen with continued exposure to pets.


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Symptoms in Children

Year-round (as opposed to seasonal) symptoms such as a skin rash, runny nose, itchy, watery eyes, and frequent sneezing indoors are all signs that a child has an indoor allergy to dust mites, mold or a pet. It will take a little work to find out whether it's your pet or something else that's the problem.

Before taking the child to the doctor, it may be helpful to do a little investigation yourself. Start by observing your child’s reactions before and after playing with your pet. If your child's symptoms persist, it may be helpful to spend the weekend away to see whether the symptoms clear up. After a few days, reunite child and pet, and check your child's reaction. Removing your dog or cat from the house for a test period won't do much good since there may be enough pet dander in the house to trigger your child's allergies even when your pet isn't around.

If you suspect your pet is the cause of the allergic reaction, check with your doctor. If the child’s symptoms are mild, the doctor may prescribe some antihistamines and/or a decongestant to handle the symptoms. If these medicines don't help, you may need to see an allergist to determine exactly what the child is allergic to, and to determine the best course of treatment. If it turns out that your child is allergic to the pet, your allergist will probably recommend aggressive methods to reduce exposure to the animal allergens or finding a new home for your family friend. Even if you remove the pet from your home and do a thorough cleaning, don't expect your child’s symptoms to clear up right away; it can take up to six months for allergen levels in your home to drop enough to make a difference.

An allergist may conduct a prick or scratch test to identify specific allergy triggers. In this test, the surface of your child’s skin is scratched in several places and a small amount of a liquid allergen is applied to each scratch. After 15 to 20 minutes the allergist will look for bumps or welts, like small mosquito bites, that indicate an allergy.


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Prevention for Children

If you and/or your partner have allergies, it increases the possibility that your child is genetically predisposed to develop some sort of allergy. If you would like to have a pet and you suspect that your child may be prone to allergies, consider postponing getting a pet until the child is at least 6 years old. Many experts agree that allergy symptoms can be less severe in an older child. An older child will be able to describe how he/she feels after playing with the new pet.

If you get a new pet, your child may not show allergic signs right away. It can take up to six months of exposure before a child develops symptoms because of a new pet.

Keep your child’s room as free from dust as you can. Dust mites are the most common indoor allergen and frequently initiate allergies to other substances.


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Allergy Risk

Some veterinarians say that some pets are less allergenic than others; others disagree. Many people mistakenly believe that shorthaired dogs like poodles are less allergenic than longhaired breeds; however, the allergic reaction is caused by animal dander, not hair. The presence of allergic dander in cats and dogs is not affected by length of hair or fur, and there are no truly "hypoallergenic breeds." Bathing your dog frequently may prevent some of the dander from shedding.

Cats are about equally allergenic no matter what breed. Their allergens are harder to escape than dog allergens since cat dander is smaller and stickier than dog dander. Because cats are always licking their fur, a child also has a good chance of coming into contact with cat saliva, another allergen.

No products (such as a powder or lotion) are currently available that pet owners can apply to an animal to reduce the skin dander.

Although hamsters, gerbils, and other rodents are sometimes recommended as pets for allergic children, children can develop an allergy to their urine and droppings. When caged, these animals can't really avoid stepping in their own urine or feces, which contain allergens that can cause a reaction when they come in contact with a child's skin.

Some birds (especially those in the parrot and parakeet family) and their droppings can cause a uniquely severe reaction known as hypersensitivity pneumonitis (referred to as bird-fancier's lung). Symptoms include a slowly progressive shortness of breath, loss of energy, and fatigue. The disorder can scar the lung tissue and even be fatal. If it hasn't progressed too far, you can reverse the disorder by removing the bird from the home and doing a thorough housecleaning. Parents who have a bird already should monitor their child for slow weight gain, low fevers, and lack of energy, even though this condition is extremely rare in children. Only 61 cases of bird-related hypersensitivity pneumonitis have been reported in the United States this century. But because it can be fatal, allergists advise that parents delay bringing a bird into the house until their child hits puberty.

If your child can't tolerate animals with fur and still wants a pet, you might want to consider fish. Reptiles aren't a good choice for a toddler or preschooler because they can carry the salmonella bacteria, which can cause serious diarrhea and dehydration.


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Treatment

Treatment of pet allergies depends on the type of reaction experienced by your child. For a respiratory reaction, your primary care doctor can prescribe allergy medicine to help control the symptoms. The doctor will most likely prescribe an antihistamine, a decongestant, or both.

Your doctor may advise treating hives with an oral antihistamine. Always check with your primary care doctor before giving your child any over-the-counter medicines. If your child is not getting substantial relief from prescription medicine and taking steps to minimize your child's exposure to your pet doesn't help, you may have to find another home for the pet.


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Prevention

Although it's much easier to avoid pet dander than it is to avoid other common allergens such as pollen or dust mites, some animal allergens such as cat dander can be very difficult to avoid. Experts recommend taking the following steps:

  • Restrict the pet to a few rooms in the house.
  • Consider investing in a central air cleaner. Confining the pet to one room won't keep the allergens isolated because air currents from forced-air heating and air conditioning will spread the allergens throughout the house. Fitting the heating/air conditioning unit with a filter and using it at least four hours a day may remove significant amounts of allergens from the air in your home. Place litter boxes in an area unconnected to the air supply for the rest of the home.
  • Do a thorough cleaning. Furniture, carpets, drapes and even walls can trap pet dander. Consider removing your carpets (they can trap allergens for up to six months) and replacing them with smooth flooring such as linoleum or hardwood, at least in your child's bedroom. Invest in a vacuum cleaner with a high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filter, which will filter not only animal dander but also dust mites and cockroach droppings.
  • Keep your pets off the furniture. Nothing traps animal dander like upholstery. If this is impossible, or if your dog or cat has a favorite spot that you don't have the heart to declare off-limits, try covering that chair or sofa with a removable cloth that you can wash easily.
  • Keep your pet out of your child’s bedroom. The presence of cats and dogs on owners’ beds contributes greatly to the amount of airborne allergens in the home. Consider removing the carpet, heavy drapes, and stuffed animal collections from your child’s room. Limit stuffed sleeping buddies to one or two, and launder them and the linens once a week in water that is at least 140 degrees Fahrenheit.
  • Encase the mattress and pillows in an allergen-proof encasement. Air filters can also help, especially in the bedroom, but they won't clean the air enough to allow your pet to play there.
  • Change your child’s clothes after play sessions with your pet. If you can't wash the clothes right away, store them in a separate hamper to prevent transfer of allergens. Wash your child’s hands right away. If your child will tolerate it, immediately give a bath. If not, make sure you give a bath and a hair washing that evening, before bed. You don't want the child tracking allergens into the bedroom.

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