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You’ve heard old phrases like a dog is man’s best friend, and the attachment to pets it infers is still a strong connection among millions today. In fact, the origin of this connection between humans and animals goes back tens of thousands of years, with research showing the remains of humans with their pets in archeological digs as far back as 32,000 years ago.
Not everyone has been overjoyed to keep pets, and even people who love them do run into problems with cold-like symptoms and other issues when their four-legged loved one is around. To find out if this indicates an animal allergy, let’s find out more about how allergies work, what causes allergic reactions to animals, and how it can be managed.
If you live in the West Midtown area of Atlanta Georgia and you’re dealing with allergy symptoms around your fuzzy friends, Dr. Shivan Amin and his dedicated staff at Midtown ENT can help.
Allergies result from your immune system incorrectly assuming harmless particles (called allergens) that enter your body are a threat. The allergic reaction from the particles happens when your immune system creates immunoglobulin E (IgE) from antibodies. The IgE attaches to allergy cells in several areas, such as your respiratory tract, skin, and digestive system, where the antibodies remove them and cause histamine to form, leading to all too familiar symptoms.
Animals have numerous harmless proteins from their flakes of dead skin (pet dander), saliva, urine, and feces that can create this allergic response. Often people assume pet hair is the culprit for the misery of their allergies, but dander attaches to it, even when they shed. The resulting reaction can appear in the form of rhinitis (which produces symptoms similar to a head cold) or contact dermatitis and can experience an array of signs. These include itching, wheezing, watery eyes, shortness of breath, hives (raised red patches on your skin), eczema, burning sensations, and swelling.
There are a lot of options for dealing with the symptoms of animal allergies. Many symptoms can be treated with over-the-counter antihistamines and nasal corticosteroids, along with prescribed allergy shots. Managing allergies means controlling the amount of allergens in your environment to reduce how severe reactions are. Routine bathing and brushing your pets reduce dander, along with cleaning surfaces and, vacuuming floors frequently, and using air filters to remove as many allergens as possible. Avoid kissing, hugging, and letting them brush against you, as the dander will get all over you.
If you love your pets and don’t want to give them up because of allergies, make an appointment today with Dr. Amin and his team at Midtown ENT.