Canine Allergies Contact Article

The Basics of Dog Allergy Care

Allergens can come from various things that a dog leaves behind. While many people love their dogs they can be impacted by dog allergens because their bodies will identify them as foreign items in their immune systems and therefore will not be able to fight them off. Here’s a look at what needs to be done for dog allergy care.

The first part of dog allergy care is to identify what items can leave dog allergens behind. Dander, or shed skin cells, can send off dog allergens because the dog’s skin will be left out and impact the person’s ability to breathe. Saliva, urine and other liquids that the dog may leave behind also contain dog allergens.

When the dog allergens impact a person’s immune system that person can be found as allergic to the dog if the immune system identifies the allergens as foreign items. The system will overreact to these allergens as a result. When the immune system overreacts to allergens symptoms like swelling, itching, sneezing, fatigue and headaches will occur. In some cases asthma, wheezing and even the fatal anaphylaxis disorder can occur.

Another of the dog allergy care basics to know is that it can take a short amount of time for the allergy to kick in after a person is exposed to a dog. It can take about five to thirty minutes for symptoms to start appearing after the initial contact.

There are some breeds of dog that people with dog allergies can handle. The best method of dog allergy care is for the person to avoid dogs, but there can be dogs that are safe. These dogs generally produce less dander on their bodies than other breeds of dog do. These are seen as dogs that are allergy friendly, or as some people like to call them “hypo-allergenic dogs.”

There are some methods of dog allergy care that can be used in the home. For instance, if there is a dog in the home it is best to keep that dog away from the bed or bedroom so that a person with allergies will not be impacted in one particular area. High efficiency air purifiers throughout the house should be used too so that the dander particles will not stay dormant and will be cleared easily.

Using a central heating system with an electrostatic filter in the house is another good method of dog allergy care because the allergens will be reduced easily. It also helps to use leather in the home, as leather furniture tends to collect less dander. Carpets, however, are great collectors of dander and should be avoided.

The last part of dog allergy care is to wash the dog twice a week with anti-allergenic shampoo so that allergens do not go all over the house. All dog toys, beds and other dog materials should be cleaned too.