Treatments for a pet dander allergy due to cats, dogs, or other furry or feathered pets include taking medications, washing hands often and overboard, and clearing out all the carpets. Pet dander is made up of small, dandruff-like skin flake fragments and proteins from saliva and urine, and this can cause pet allergies and asthma.
Remember that some breeds of pets are marketed as being better for people with allergies, but no cats or dogs are completely dander-free. Here’s what you need to know about dealing with pet allergies:
Separate the Pet and the Allergic Person
Separate your cat or dog as much as possible from allergic family members. Decide whether or not you will or can keep your pet outdoors or at least out of the bedrooms.
Taking some or all those measures may not lower allergen levels to a level that would impact symptoms. This is because allergens must be brought below a certain threshold so that symptoms are relieved. Pet danders are easy to spread, so isolating the pet may not be helpful.
It is very pervasive and can be found in homes with no pets, schools, shopping malls, and all public places. The amount of dander causing allergies will reduce if the pet’s roaming area is limited.
Reduce the amount of dander
Other measures may further reduce pet dander, though their usefulness is debated. Those measures include covering furniture with towels, sheets, or allergy-specific covers that can be washed.
Room air cleaners with high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filters can also be helpful. They reduce pet dander by removing it from the air.
Remove or Clean Carpets and Rugs
If feasible, it is best to replace carpets with tile or wood flooring. Pet dander tends to accumulate on rugs and carpets. In addition, it is a good practice to clean any floor regardless of its type.
Vacuuming may be helpful when someone with a pet allergy will be absent from the house or from the area if you cannot get rid of the carpets or rugs. HEPA-filtered vacuums should be used.
Clean the Pet and Yourself
Bathe your pet on a weekly basis to decrease the number of airborne allergens. Also, clean your hands and face after playing with the pet or its stuff.
Medication
Medications may help if you are allergic to your pet dander. An allergist might suggest that you use antihistamines or decongestants. You can increase the dose of the medicine depending on how severe your allergy is.
People with asthma may need higher doses of inhaled corticosteroids or the addition of other medicines, such as leukotriene inhibitors. In some cases, people may choose to receive allergy shots, also known as immunotherapy, which enhances the body’s immunity to the allergen.
Living With and Managing Pet Dander Allergy
All of the above can be useful in managing allergy to pet dander. Some other things to consider are:
Excluding other possible reasons for your symptoms. A person’s symptoms may be more challenging to attribute to pet dander allergies. Other allergy triggers, such as air pollution or dust mites, can cause symptoms in allergy or asthma sufferers.
Getting an allergy test to confirm pet dander as an allergen. The easiest way to pinpoint a pet allergy is to visit an allergist and get a series of skin tests. A skin prick test, or SPT, exposes the skin to small samples of possible allergens.
Rehoming the pet as a last resort measure. This would not be necessary in all cases of pet allergies. Instead, it would depend on how severe your symptoms are and if you have other family members allergic.
A Quick Review
There are a good number of treatment and management of pet dander allergies that apply to individuals affected or suspected with such a situation. Among those are hand-washing after pet exposure, thorough flooring cleaning, and medical drugs.
It is not necessary always to take away the pet from the house if any family member has a pet dander allergy. With the support of a healthcare provider such as an allergist, a plan of action for treatment can be developed to effectively handle the allergy.
