Reducing Pet Allergens in 10 Easy Steps

By Paris Permenter and John Bigley

© MyPetAllergies.com
Clean Carpets
Means Fewer Allergy Symptoms

As pet lovers, we all know that pet dander and pet hair are a fact of life. To keep our homes tidy, pet parents vacuum and remove those tumbleweeds of fallen fur that mark the homes of furry families.

But pets can unleash allergic reactions in many people. The Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America (AAFA) estimates that 15 to 30 percent of people with allergies have allergic reactions to pets including dogs and cats. Whether you have a family member with allergies or some summer visitors coming over that don’t have regular contact with pets, there are ways to keep those pet allergens in check. Unlike potentially very dangerous food allergies, pet allergies can be managed for many people with careful housekeeping and household practices.

Basically you want to minimize the factors that create the pet allergens: dead skin, saliva, and pet waste. While many people think that the pet hair makes them sneeze, the hair itself serves as a vehicle, collecting and dispersing those allergens in the form of dander and dried saliva (especially from cat grooming).

With some careful housecleaning and management, though, you can reduce pet allergens…while at the same time maintaining a “home, sweet home” atmosphere for both your and your pets. Here are 10 easy ways to reduce pet allergens:

·    Wash your bedding and your dog’s bedding often. Always wash bedding in hot water to remove allergens.

·    Wipe down walls and woodwork in your home with a wet cloth to remove pet dander and allergens. Mop floors on a regular schedule.

·    Shampoo your carpets, rugs, and upholstery to remove allergens.

·    After playing with or grooming your dog, change your clothes. It’s best to put those clothes into the washer immediately but, if you put them in a hamper, don’t keep the hamper near your bed.

·    Always groom your dog outside (or, even better, at a grooming salon). Rough play should always be done outside. Non-allergic family members should be charged with all pet grooming whenever possible.

·    Encase the mattress and pillow of allergic family members in special casings; these are designed to prevent the allergens from penetrating and collecting on the bed.  

·   Consider a no-dogs rule for bedrooms of allergic family members. If that’s not possible, be sure your dog has his own bed.

·    Purchase an air purifier to remove small particles like pet dander from the air; keep the air purifier close to the bed of your allergic family member.

·    Buy a vacuum cleaner with a HEPA filter and vacuum often. (Think how clean your home will be!)

·    Use filters made for homes with pets in your central air system. These filters are more expensive but can be the first defense in filtering out dander and hair.

Spending just a few extra minutes a day on these household chores can help reduce pet allergens in your home. With a minor expenditure of time and money, you can breathe easy that your home is both freer of allergens and cleaner at the same time!

About the authors: Paris Permenter and John Bigley are a husband-wife team of professional bloggers. They publish MyPetAllergies.com as well as DogTipper.com and CatTipper.com.

Hound Hay Fever Time is Here: Tips for Minimizing the Misery

by Carrie Boyko, CEB

© h.koppdelaney via Flickr.com 

Dry, itchy skin, eye drainage, inability to relax, restlessness, hotspots. These and more are symptoms of Spring allergies that your Fido may exhibit. Taking a few precautions to prevent symptoms may help many dogs, if done before outdoor activities. Try these:

• Skip the walk in the woods, where blooms, mold and bugs abide in quantities.
• Choose a neighborhood walk on a sidewalk instead, for less contact with the natural environment.
• Spray your pup down with a good, natural pest repellent before leaving the house. We switch off between cedar oil sprays, peppermint oil sprays and Neem oil sprays. Cover your dog's eyes when you spray his neck and ears. Brush into the coat thoroughly before departing.
• When possible, choose to walk after or even during a rain shower, when airborne allergens are at a minimum.
• Watch the news for a daily pollen count. This can help you plan for your outdoor activities.
• Opt for indoor exercise on the worst days by doing laps inside your local PetSmart or Petco.
• When exercising your dog outdoors, a little grooming will help upon return. Brush your dog well outside, and wash his face and paws before entering the house, paying particular attention to his eyes and removing any drainage.
• If allergies are keeping your dog from sleeping at night or causing hotspots from too much scratching, talk with your veterinarian about other options for reducing his reaction to the stressors. Sometimes even an over the counter medication for a brief period will work wonders to calm your dog's itchy, drippy, misery.
• Finally, watch for more helpful information on your own allergies at my friend Paris' newest blog, My Pet Allergies. You'll find some good tips there on reducing your pet's allergens left behind in your home, that may affect you, as well as visitors and family.

If your dog has allergies, let me know what works for you? Have you found a natural solution that is particularly useful? We'd love to hear about it. The comment link is always open for business. Thanks for sharing.