About Pet Allergies

JENNIFER D asked:


My babygirl is the only child and I want her to have a pet. We tried a cat, she is severely allergic. I don’t want to get anything with fur or anything that will irritate her allergies. Fishes are okay, but she can’t play with a fish. She’s too scared to hold anything like a hamster. Any suggestions???? I thought maybe a turtle, but how fun are they?

Rosemary

pepper_0713 asked:


I have an Akita mix, and I have read that they are more likely to get seasonal allergies. But every year about this time she just scratches and scratches. I have given her oatmeal baths, which seems to help for a bit. I have thought about giving her just regular old benedryl, but I am not sure how much to give (she weighs maybe 50 lbs). Any suggestions for either home remedies or products I can buy to help her? I am having a temp money crunch and cant afford to take her to the vet at this moment.

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Barney Garcia asked:


Home is where we spend most of our time and therefore it is important to keep your house free from allergens that can trigger of an allergic attack. So when you sleep in your bedroom, when you watch television in your living room, when you have food at the dining room or when you are spending time at the garden, make sure that the environment around you are free from allergy causing factors.

Keeping Yourself Free From Allergens: Things to Consider

The first step to making a home that is free of allergens is to determine the cause for your allergy. One of the reasons that cause allergy is pets. So it is better to avoid keeping pets if you are allergic to them. If however you happen to have own then try to stay away from it as much as possible. Also make sure that your pet is properly vaccinated and clean. Remember to wash your hands after playing with your pet.

Allergy can cause itching, coughing, nasal congestion, headache and skin rashes that can make your life very uncomfortable. However, if you are careful about small things this can be avoided. The usual suspects that trigger an allergic attack are pollens, certain food, dust and mold. So take measures to keep away these allergens away from home. Keep your bed clean and don’t store things under the bed. Keep out stuffed animals and toys as it attracts a lot of dust.

How to Avoid Allergens

Reduce the number of picture frames, showpiece, trophies and books in your rooms as dust deposit on them. Using an air filter can help you in keeping the air free from dust. Avoid using carpets at home; instead use hardwood on the floor. In case you have to use carpets make sure you clean with a vacuum cleaner regularly. Limit putting plants and flowers inside home. If you go out make sure you bathe and clean your clothes to get ride of pollen that may have got stuck to you. Use dehumidifiers to keep away dampness as it assists growth of molds.

Keeping your home free from allergens is half the battle won in tackling allergies.

Inhalant allergies

It is not always necessary that you have to be outdoors to inhale substances that you may be allergic to. These substances are airborne and may occur even indoors. You may be allergic to the scuff of animals like cats and dogs. Formaldehyde, rubber, molds, newspapers, pollen and various other articles may also be allergens. All these may lead to hay fever and cause effects like, sniffing, heavy head, headache, sneezing, etc. If inhalant allergies tend to take a more serious turn they may even lead to asthma



Neil

Yukski asked:

the part where Osaka said she got the allergies and she demonstrates how she blow her, use eyedrops and how she sneeze lolz

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Victoria H asked:


I recently bought a lionhead bunnie, and she gives me eye allergies, she was intended to be a house bunnie, but my vet suggested getting her a little bunnie friend and keeping them outside together. Then having playtime outside with the bunnies rather then indoors. He did say never to cuddle them near my face etc, but was just wondering that if i keep them outside and play outside will this reduce my allergy?

i really dont want to rehome my bunnie.

Vincent

Donna Spector asked:


As the temperature and humidity increase, so do the incidences of allergies in dogs and cats. Your pet’s allergies can be the result of various contributing factors, such as flea bites, mites, atopy (inhaled allergies), skin infections, skin-fold diseases and food allergies. If your pet shows any of the following signs, he may be suffering from pet allergies.

* Skin rashes

* Digging at their ears

* Chewing their feet

* Excessive grooming and licking

* Rubbing their faces against furniture or the floor

Preventing Flea and Other Insect Bites

Flea bites are the most common and frequent cause of itchy skin in pets. However, when a pet is regularly exposed to the outside, many insects can contribute to bites and itching. Some of these insects are:

* Fleas

* Flies

* Mosquitoes

* Spiders

* Ticks

* Other biting insects

Cats that have fleas itch the most around their heads. Dogs tend to itch more near their tails. The best way to prevent fleas from biting your pets is to apply a topical flea prevention medicine on a monthly basis. This is very important in protecting your pet and your home from flea infestation.

Mites also can cause a lot of irritation for your pets. They can cause skin diseases, such as ear infestations, mange, scabies and dandruff. Mites are contagious and abundant in shelters and grooming facilities. Treatment involves using a medication which kills mites and also is used as a de-wormer.

Preventing Skin Diseases and Infections

Dog breeds like pugs and sharpeis have a lot of excess skin that folds and creates large wrinkles. This creates a warm, moist place for skin-fold diseases to develop and spread. Using baby wipes and acne control wipes can aid in preventing infections in these areas. If the problem is serious enough, surgical procedures can be an option to discuss with your veterinarian.

Skin and ear infections can be caused by excessive amounts of bacteria and yeast on the skin. In these cases, the primary skin disease must be treated along with the secondary, resulting infections.

Pet Atopy and Food Allergies

Atopy is caused by inhaled allergies. Pets that suffer from this type of allergy often itch all over and have patches of hair missing on their bodies. Cats with this allergy usually develop skin rashes and scabs on their necks and heads. This is often a seasonal allergy and symptoms are much worse in the warmest months. Your veterinarian can perform skin tests on your pet to diagnose and determine treatment for these allergies.

Pets with atopy often have food allergies, too. In some cases, the symptoms are the same so it is important to have your pet tested to determine exactly what is going on. One major difference is that pets with food allergies often have gastrointestinal problems. Additionally, their skin itch is not seasonal. Treatment for food allergies involves placing your pet on a strictly enforced hypoallergenic diet.

Treatments for pet allergies usually require antibiotics and antifungal medications that are either given orally or placed directly on the affected area. Sometimes, dietary changes are required. There are natural products available to repel insects and soothe skin itch. There are also natural foods and dietary supplements that you can feed your pet in order to prevent health and skin problems from becoming issues as your pet grows older. Talk to your veterinarian about preventive measures you can take to protect your pets from many types of allergies and health issues they may be susceptible to.



Mildred

Evelyn Lim asked:


You can use herbal remedies to help reduce your allergy symptoms. You really do not need to contend with having to live with endless rounds of sneezing, coughing and wheezing for the most parts of your life. You also ought to know that over a long period of time, too much reliance on drugs for instant relief can also produce several side effects.

Herbal remedies for allergy symptoms is something that you can consider as an alternative. Having said that, there are many herbal remedies that deal with a wide variety of ailments. So what are some of the herbal remedies for allergy symptoms that you should consider?

- Horseradish. You can clear up sinuses by eating a spoonful of horseradish. Some experts suggest that you eat a spoonful every day until you have succesfully reduced your allergy symptoms and then take it a few times each month to help prevent further allergy attacks.

- Camomile. Camomile has anti-inflammatory and anti-allergenic properties that make it suitable to be used as a herbal remedy for skin allergies. One of the allergy symptoms is itching and skin rashes. This can happen in cases of food allergy, pet allergy or other types of allergies.

However, if you suffer from hayfever, you want to refrain from using this herbal remedy, because it is a member of the ragweed family, which may cause an allergic reaction.

- Gingko. Gingko contains several unique chemicals that can help to decrease the trigger response of inflammation, asthma, and allergies.

- Garlic and onion. Garlic and onion have anti inflammatory benefits and these are helpful to your sinus problems. You can find breathing easier and with less effort after using garlic to help fight inflammations.

- Feverfew. Feverfew is a known herbal remedy that is effective for treating migraines, but it can also be helpful in treating headaches and other symptoms of allergies. Pregnant and breastfeeding women should exercise caution and not take feverfew.

- Stinging Nettle. Nasal symptoms can be treated by using freeze-dried stinging nettle.

The above list does not include many more herbal remedies that can possibly help. If you want some herbal recomendations that are suitable for your condition, then you should consult your herbalist or naturopathic doctor.

You may find many more herbal remedies for allergies available through your herbal store or herbal health practitioner. So if you want to stop having to live with your allergy symptoms and want a safe alternative, why not try taking some herbal remedies?



Neil

Paul J asked:


We’re allergic to cats, some dogs & guinea pigs. Are Robovorski Hamsters covered with fur/dander or hair?

Sandra

Mitch Endick asked:


Having multiple house pets actually seems to decrease the allergy risk of children, as long as the children have been exposed from infancy on. Recent studies have shown that children raised in a home with two or more cats and/or dogs in the first year of life are less likely to develop allergic diseases than are children raised without these pets. In fact, exposure to the allergens associated with pets very early in life seems to have a long time protective function.

This seems to fly in the face of conventional wisdom. Most people would believe that the less pet allergens in the home, especially for newborns and very young children the better. But studies are showing that exposure early in life not only protects from pet allergies but also grass, ragweed and dust mites. Pet exposure seems to cause the immune system to settle down and shift from allergic type responses. The layman explanation for this strange turn of conventional thought is rather obvious. Our bodies have only recently been subjected to antiseptics and clean germ free environments. Television and other mass media hammered away at us about the dangers of germs, all germs. Commercials sold us products to help keep our kids free from germs and we actually strive to do this. We forget that we would die without the help of billions of beneficial bacteria that co-exist with us in and upon our bodies. Our bodies have an immune response system that distinguishes from good germs or bacteria and bad. The bad bacteria is attacked, killed and or rendered harmless and removed from the body. This war goes on in our body twenty four hours a day. Occasionally things get out of hand and we come down with a cold or flu. That is all part of the beauty of the system because our bodies can more effectively fight against these diseases once we have had them. When our bodies immune system has very little to do because we keep our environment too sanitized and clean, the immune system starts lowering its threshold of activation. That means the immune system kicks in at the least provocation and you have higher sensitivity to allergens which causes allergic response. It is even said that this same mechanism is partly to cause for arthritis in many cases. The immune system actually attacks our joints because it has little else to do. Studies suggest that exposure to more than one pet the first year of life is more beneficial, probably because the variety of potential allergens are increased, giving the babies immune system plenty to deal with. The actual statistics were children 7 years of age were 70% less likely to be allergic to common allergens when exposed to pets as babies. Scientists are trying to figure out the exact mechanisms that make this a reality. They think that pet bacteria release endotoxins that, when a baby is exposed, eventually shift the babies immune system away from responding to the common allergens. Scientists can pick through this mystery as much as they want to but there is a common sense explanation to this. People, even babies, are just not meant to live in sanitized surroundings. Our bodies have spent too many thousands of years evolving and protecting us from the ravages of germs. Giving our immune responses little or nothing to do by having a germ free environment is setting this powerful germ killing machine against its own host.

Pamela

Masni Rizal Mansor asked:


Recognizing a dog allergy symptom and treating it is an option we have today; we do not need to part with our best friend anymore due to allergies.

Fact

As hard as it may be for some to admit that their dearest friend (dog or cat), it is a fact that approximately 10% of the U.S. population suffer from pet allergy.

Dog allergies are caused by a protein present in dog’s dander and saliva. All dogs have dander despite the common myth that dogs with shorter hair do not cause allergies.

Dog allergy symptom

A dog allergy symptom is the same the regular allergy symptom runny nose, itchy eyes, sneezing etc. some even experience itchy patches on the skin.

A few steps to preventing dog allergies

* Keep your dog out door or limit him/her to a room which does not have carpeting or furniture. Clean the room daily.

* Usage of a good air filter helps clean the airborne allergens.

* Clean your dog once a week this will get rid of at least some of the allergens in the fur.

* Do not put the clothing used around your dog in the closet put it straight in the washer.

* Take a shower or clean hands and face after playing/touching the dog.

* There is also available allergen free bedding which can be of great use for your dog allergy symptom.

Treating dog allergy symptom

Since the dog allergy is basically the common allergy but triggered by your dog; the medications used are the same used to cure regular allergies.

* Antihistamines they help reduce the sneezing, runny nose, itchy and watery eyes. A helpful tip antihistamines work best when used before exposed to an allergy.

* Decongestants These temporarily help to clear the stuffy nose. These are best used for short time or else you risk irritating your nose and provoking the whole cycle again.

* Nasal steroid sprays this reduces the reaction of the nasal tissue to inhaled allergens, helping to reduce swelling in the nose. This is only available by prescription.

* Cromolyn sodium this is a great nasal spray which helps the body to react to allergens. This is available over the counter and is best used before you are exposed to the allergens.

Dog allergy symptom is as painful as any other allergy. Some dog allergies can be controlled and some cannot, that is for your doctor to decide. I am sure no dog lover will give up their dog because of any dog allergy symptom without trying everything possible to keep him/her.



Lois