May People With Allergies Still Own Animals?
Posted by Sarah Conners | Posted in General Advice | Posted on 05-03-2010
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How are you able to tell if you are hypersensitive to the pets in your home? There are a multitude of different causes and sometimes, it’s hard to discern which allergen might be the culprit to your allergies. It might take quite a bit of trial and error to find out, but here are several things to look out for.
Normally for pet allergy sufferers, they start sneezing badly once they’re nearby any cats or dogs, or when exposed to pet hairs left around the house – this is the first sign. Other common symptoms to look out for are also blocked noses or runny ones, not too much different from a cold really. It is easy to tell the difference between the two though as once you get away from the allergen, the symptoms will subside just as quickly as it came.
Just like people who are hyper-sensitive to pollen or dust mites, itchy or red eyes can also be attributed to allergies caused by pets. You might also experience tearing of the eyes as well and they can come about if you rub your eyes after touching a dog or a cat. To be more accurate, the pet hairs are not the culprit, but the pet dander.
What exactly is dander? The majority of animals constantly shed skin, just as we do and they’re microscopic in size. The allergic reactions arise when we inhale these tiny particles of animal skin.
Pet pollen can easily spread through any household environment, and they can sit around a home for several weeks or months if not cleaned thoroughly. This is why people can still get reactions when entering a home even without the dog or cat being present.
If you own a dog, you would have noticed that it scratches itself quite frequently. When this happens, it makes it very easy for the dog allergens to get distributed into the air around your home. For a minority of cases, even saliva from a dog could trigger a skin rash.
If you really must live with a pet and there is no other choice, consider having an air filter. These air purifying units aren’t cheap and can cost you as much as $1000 and over, however if it might be the only solution you have left.
There are several types of purifiers in the market and you might find small portable air cleaners for your room, and larger units for the entire house.
If, perhaps you’re shopping to get a remedy for your allergies and to filter the air throughout your household, here’s a lot more advice for whole house air filters in addition to other professional manufacturers of allergy air purifiers.
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