Like many other allergies, reactions to animals are becoming increasingly common, and the number of households where pets are becoming a problem is gradually growing. To answer all your questions on this topic, we spoke with our specialist, Dr. Cristina Ortega Casanueva, an allergist, who provided us with all the necessary information.
Which animals commonly cause allergies?
The most common allergy is to cats, followed by dogs, although any animal with fur, feathers or scales can cause it, and given that the range of animals kept as pets is expanding not only to hamsters, guinea pigs or rabbits, but also to ferrets and even amphibians and reptiles.
What causes animal allergies?
There’s a common misconception that hair is what causes the reaction, but that’s not the case. The real culprit is dandruff . To be precise, it’s tiny particles produced during skin shedding, which come off as small flakes. When these are inhaled or come into contact with allergic individuals, they trigger a reaction such as itchy nose or eyes, watery eyes, sneezing, coughing, wheezing, shortness of breath, or other common allergy symptoms.
Is the number of cases increasing?
The truth is, although we don’t fully understand the reason for the increase, there is indeed a rise in the number of people with this problem. The answer may be as simple as the fact that there are more and more pets in homes, sleeping inside and living with families. This is especially true considering that pets often sleep in children’s bedrooms, which contain stuffed animals, rugs, and other objects that tend to accumulate small particles.
How to detect animal allergies?
If itchy eyes, sneezing, coughing, etc., appear, it’s important to pay attention to whether the symptoms occur shortly after contact with an animal or even in a house where animals are present, and also whether they disappear after leaving the area. Remember that the reaction can occur even if the pet is in a cage in a different room than where you are.
Allergy even when the animal is not present
One of the biggest problems with this type of allergy is that it can occur in the absence of the animal, in the places where it usually lives or spends a lot of time, because the dander remains suspended in the air for quite some time before settling and, even then, it can be stirred up and float again, so the environment is always full of allergens.
Symptoms of animal allergies
The symptoms are similar to those usually seen in any allergy, such as pollen allergies, that is:
- Sniffling
- Itchy eyes
- Tearing
- Cough
- Whistling sounds in the chest
- Respiratory fatigue
