Search Results for: blog pet allergies living with your pet anyway

Developing Cat Allergies in Adulthood

Here’s an even better reason to expose your children to pets at an early age: adults never exposed to them have a higher chance of developing allergies if they get pets. A team from the University Hospital of Verona (in Italy) studied more than 6,000 adults twice in nine years. It found that people who had never lived with cats before, and then adopted them in adulthood, doubled their chances of becoming allergic to the cat. The chances were even higher if the adults had other allergies or asthma. The process of becoming allergic to something when previously you weren’t … Continue reading →

Those Dreaded Allergies

After a year of having severe allergy problems, including a persistent cough, that followed my seasonal allergies and never went away, I finally went to the allergist. There I heard the news that every pet owner dreads: I’m allergic to one of my animals. My exchange with the doctor went something like this: he told me I was allergic to cats. I said that was strange, because although I’d been having problems I currently own a cat and have lived with one at several points in my life. I’d been told I had other severe allergies, so I guessed my … Continue reading →

Learning about Horses and Ponies

Yesterday I wrote about how shopping for a birthday present for a friend’s daughter made me realize how many types of horses there are. Growing up, our family had a horse for all of about five minutes. His name was Saberjolt and I was over the moon for him. But, thanks to my allergies, we had to give Saberjolt up. (At least that’s how family legend tells it. More than likely it was because we couldn’t afford him. I don’t remember ever coughing, sneezing or wheezing either during or after any Saberjolt outings.) However, I couldn’t tell you what kind … Continue reading →

New Therapy For Pet Allergies

New research from Madrid, Spain is showing that people with cat dander allergies can build up a tolerance through immunotherapy — meaning that people with cat allergies may not be forced to get rid of their furry friends! Immunotherapy is the idea that a person’s immune system can learn to tolerate an allergy trigger or allergen based on exposure to gradually increasing amounts of the trigger. Therapy starts with small amounts that don’t cause an allergic reaction and gets bigger over time. The Spanish researchers used SLIT — sublingual immunotherapy, or allergens placed under the tongue and absorbed into the … Continue reading →

Asthma-Proofing Your Home

Often, allergies and asthma go hand in hand. Some of the triggers are the same — allergens can cause an allergy attack OR an asthma attack. Or both! Keeping the triggers under control in your home can help reduce the number of asthma attacks and even help decrease the need for inhalers and other asthma medications. What triggers an asthma attack? Allergens like pollen, mold, or dust Irritants like smoke, perfumes, or room deodorizers Exercise Infections, especially the upper respiratory kind Emotions like anxiety, fear, or anger The best thing you can do to keep your home free of allergens … Continue reading →