Pets are an important part of our lives, and they can be an especially enriching aspect of childhood. But when someone in the family has allergies, pets can also be a source of constant suffering.
If a child or someone else in your home is allergic, that doesn’t necessarily mean you have to abandon the idea of keeping a family pet. In fact, having a pet around may even lessen the severity of a person’s allergies over time, since exposure to animals can strengthen the immune system and temper its tendency to overreact to harmless substances. Studies show, for example, that kids raised on farms have much lower rates of allergies and asthma, and the reason for this is that the regular exposure to dirt, dust, plants and critters gives them a healthy immune system that doesn’t fly into overdrive in response to every unfamiliar substance.
You’ll have to balance the severity of your family member’s allergies with the benefits you’ll receive from keeping a family pet. But for those who want to give it a try, here are some tips that will help ease any allergy burden caused by pets.
Easing allergy symptoms around pets
1. Go for short-haired animals, which are going to be easier on allergy sufferers.
2. Opt for a non-traditional pet. Someone with an allergy to cats and dogs may have a different or milder reaction to a bunny, bird or hamster. Hairless animals like pigs, lizards, snakes & turtles may not trigger any allergies at all.
3. Keep your pets outside.
4. If you do have indoor pets, keep them out of the bedroom as much as possible.
5. Avoid carpets in the home, which can trap the pet dander that causes allergies.
6. Vacuum often if you have an indoor pet.
7. Brush your cat or dog with distilled water, which may remove some of the dander that causes allergies, easing the suffering of anyone allergic in the home.
8. Use pet products that have been certified as allergy and asthma friendly.
Hypoallergenic pets
Those with allergies may be drawn to the idea of purchasing a “hypoallergenic” pet. But there’s a lot of public confusion about what this means, and claims about hypoallergenic pets need to be met with a certain degree of skepticism. Despite marketing claims to the contrary, “there’s no such thing as a hypoallergenic animal,” says Kenneth Mendez, chief executive of the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America. (Safdar, 2019) There are animals or breeds that might be easier on allergy sufferers than others, but it’s not like these pets are genetically engineered to eliminate the things that cause allergies.
The ‘hypoallergenic’ label is more of a marketing ploy than an actual thing. “They’ll say the kittens were bred from hypoallergenic lines,” says cat breeder Tom Landberg. “That’s like saying corn was bred from corn – it’s meaningless. ” (Engelhaupt. 2020) At best so-called “hypoallergenic” pets are those with characteristics (such as shorter fur) that are a bit easier on allergy sufferers.
You can opt for a so-called hypoallergenic animal if you think it will make things easier, (or if the label helps you sort through the best pet options), just know that there’s nothing different about these pets compared to any other similar breed.