Dander is a common culprit in allergies to dogs. The dogs can be bathed up to twice weekly to try to alleviate the excessive dander production. Be sure to use a medicated pet shampoo prescribed by a veterinarian, she advises, and not an inexpensive alternative which can dry out your pet's skin and worsen the problem. A non-allergic member of the family should brush the dog often, preferably outside. If these activities are impossible because of allergic discomfort, hire a professional to do the tasks for you.

Creme rinses can be used if the dog's skin dries out. Fatty acid supplements added to the pet's food may also be helpful in correcting a dry skin problem. Consult your veterinarian about possible fatty acid supplements for your pet. You may find that it is already getting ample amounts of fat in the diet and supplying more can be as harmful to your pet as it is to you.

For dogs who seem to have a problem with hair loss, excessive dander production, or oozing areas of the skin (exposing the dog's blood, another potential allergen), owners need to get the condition checked out before any program to decrease allergens in the environment could have a chance to work.

Cats present a unique situation. Being the conscientious groomers that they are, their fur is often covered with saliva, and this can produce allergic symptoms in people as well. Other potential sources of allergic stimuli are feathers, scales, molds, pollens, tobacco smoke, perfumes, carpet fibers, and housedust mites. Many people are allergic to more than one item.

Find out from a physician what your particular allergen is, and if it turns out to be pet- related, try some of Dr. Campbell's suggestions to reduce the allergens in the environment. Using air cleaners or filters is not a bad idea, either.

"If you are allergic to six things, get rid of three of them," Dr. Campbell advises, "and you may drop below your allergic threshold, and become symptom-free." Your physician may also be able to prescribe medications to lessen the symptoms associated with allergies.

Courtesy of Kimberly Meenen
Information Specialist
University of Illinois
College of Veterinary Medicine

According to Dr. Karen Campbell, a small animal veterinarian at the University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine at Urbana, the bad news is that some people are genetically predisposed to develop allergies.

Familial atopy, says Dr. Campbell, is the tendency to develop allergies inherited from one's parents. With this condition, antibodies are made that bind to mast cells in the person's airway. When the right stimulus comes along (what scientists call an antigen, or more specifically, an allergen), it binds to the antibody, telling the mast cell to dump its contents, causing the asthmatic attack. A similar process occurs in the skin of some individuals, producing redness and itching.

The reason why people can acquire a new pet and not experience any of these symptoms until much later is due to the time required to produce these antibodies. Dr. Campbell says it can take anywhere from three weeks to three years for the body to build up enough of the exact same antibody so that an allergen can cross-link two identical antigens. This cross-linkage is the signal to mast cells to spill their contents.

While all this may seem discouraging, the good news is that some people can develop a lack of reactivity to the allergen following continued exposure, or through allergen immunotherapy (desensitization).

People are not allergic to their pet per se, but to products of their pet. These include dander, hair or skin proteins, fur, saliva, blood, and even urine from rodents. In order to determine what exactly a person is allergic to, Dr. Campbell advises pet owners to see an allergy specialist. These allergists will perform prick, scratch, or intradermal skin tests that examine reactivity to as many as 70-80 possible allergens.

Once the person knows what he or she is allergic to, a specific plan of action can prevent the need to get rid of a pet, if the pet is indeed the cause of the reaction.