How are you able to tell if you are sensitive 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.
If you’ve never heard of the word “dander” before, I’ll explain it. Dander’s similar to dandruff on human scalps and but they’re much smaller flakes of skin, so small that it isn’t obvious to the naked eye.
Pets normally shed these microscopic flakes of skin throughout the day and are easily spread throughout a home. They attach themselves to carpets, furniture and clothing and have an extremely long life span. This is why when people who have pet allergies enter a house with pets, they start sneezing uncontrollably regardless of whether or not the pet is at home.
Does this mean that allergy sufferers cannot own a dog or a cat? No, in fact, they can. If you decide that you really want to have a pet at home, you will need to select specific breeds of dogs or cats that are hypoallergenic – yes there is really such a thing. The Maltese and Australian Terrier are just 2 examples of hypoallergenic dogs.
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.
The best types are ones that get installed into an existing cooling or heating system and they efficiently clear the air of your entire house so it will continue to remain free of dander.
If perhaps you are scouting about for a fix for your allergy symptoms and to filter the air around your room, you can read a lot more specifics on whole house air purifiers and also other major brands of dust air purifiers.
