What are you actually allergic to when you’re allergic to your pet?

Have you ever wondered what it is about man’s bed friend in Houston, Texas that makes your eyes water and your throat itchy? Maybe you’ve always assumed that it was a cat’s fiery personality that made you sneeze six times in a row. What you are experiencing is an allergic reaction. While it is recommended if you are experiencing these symptoms to get rid of the offending animal, there are some solutions if their cute little face is just too much for you.

First things first, what is an allergy? Your body’s main goal is to protect you. Unfortunately sometimes this does not work out too well and your body mistakes a harmless protein, such as pollen, as a threat and attacks it. To combat the allergen (the harmless protein), your immune system releases a large amount of antibodies called immunoglobulin E (IgE), which release histamine and other chemicals. These chemicals cause the symptoms of an allergic reaction.

Now that we know what an allergy is, we need to figure out what you are allergic to. What part of the pet is causing these symptoms? Turns out, what you are allergic to is the proteins in your pet's urine, saliva or dander (dead skin cells). Contrary to popular belief, you are not allergic to the pet’s hair. The hair can trap these proteins and cause a reaction, but you are reacting to the proteins and not the hair itself.

Typically, the allergens enter your body through the eyes and nose, which irritates the membranes. This leads to a stuffy nose, itchy eyes and constant sneezing.  If the allergens enter the lungs they can lead to breathing problems.

As we already mentioned, the best treatment to relieve these symptoms is to get rid of your furry friend. Calm down. We didn’t mean sending them to “go live on a farm.” Do you think we are monsters?? We mean finding them a good home with a loving family, none of which who have any allergies.

If you cannot bring yourself to send them away, there are a few other solutions.

• Keep the pet out of your bedroom. Even though the kitchen is the “heart of the home,” you actually spend most of your time sleeping. Keeping your pet out of your bedroom will ensure a restful and allergy attack-free night of sleep
• Take out any wall-to-wall carpeting; it just traps the pet dander.
• If you have central heat or central air, invest in a HEPA filter to remove the pet allergens from the air
• Wash your pet every other week; this will remove the build up of allergens in their fur

The last, and most important step is to talk to your Houston area allergist. They deal with various pet allergies in Houston, Texas every day, so they are the experts!