Allergies to pets are very common. What's happening is very similar to a pollen allergy where something is breathing to the body and the body sees it as a threat, in this case, pet dander. The most common pet allergies are going to be to cats, dogs, we see horses, hamsters, gerbils, rabbits, rats, you name it, pretty much anything that has hair or fur that can generate that dander, which is actually found in the saliva.
The symptoms of pet allergy are going to depend on what part of the body is getting in contact. Some patients will actually develop hives when they pet animals that they're allergic to. Other patients will develop ocular symptoms, so itchy eyes, red, watery eyes, also no symptoms, so sneezing, runny nose, congestion, post-nasal drip. There are some patients with asthma where the exposure to pets that they're allergic to will actually trigger their asthma.
In terms of testing for pet allergies, we have skin testing as well as intradermal testing. We also have blood tests that are specific to the various different kinds of pets. So really to test for pet allergies, you'll have to test for cat and dog and horse, etc., separately.
When somebody comes in complaining that their dog may be causing problems or that somebody else's dog more likely is causing them problems, it's very important to note that the dog can bring in outside allergens and so somebody might be reacting actually to the pollen that's on the dog that's rolled around in the grass. And so what we generally do is we'll test the same test, which is the skin testing or the intradermal testing, for the pet, but also for the aero allergens, just in case that's compounding the symptoms.
Many families already have a pet, and so generally in those cases we will work around the fact that there is a pet in the home and try to limit the amount of dander exposure. Things that can limit dander exposure would be limiting upholstered furniture, rugs and carpets, and then if those things exist in the home, really keeping them vacuumed frequently, keeping them clean, and then wiping down leather furniture as well. In terms of the actual pet, the actual pet needs to be cleaned frequently, and that should be done by somebody other than the allergic person. And then the most important thing is going to be keeping the pet out of the bedroom. So the bedroom should be a sanctuary where overnight all those hours spent sleeping are not also spent breathing an allergen. For patients who have a pet in the home and remain symptomatic to the pet, we'll generally treat the symptoms, so that includes sprays and eye drops and medicines for the lungs if those are being affected by the pet. For patients who don't have pets at home but have friends or family members with pets, we'll often advise that they take an antihistamine before going to a pet's home, or maybe even take two puffs of their rescue inhaler if they know that exposure to the pet is going to cause problems with their asthma. And then of course there's allergy shots. Allergy shots can transition a patient from an allergic state to a tolerant state, and this is a very important option for treatment in patients who have a pet that they know they're allergic to and they know they want to keep.
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