Over half of the world’s population is estimated to have a pet at home, which amounts to over a billion cats, dogs and other animals in households worldwide.
And whilst pet ownership is high, so are the associated allergies, with up to 20% of the world’s population suffering from pet allergies.
With cats and dogs very much being part of the family these days, many owners will likely bring their “furry kids” with them for the holidays, much to the detriment of those suffering from allergies.
But fear not, because experts at Allergy Insider have collated guidance on how to manage this.
The importance of pet allergen components
Picture a cat allergen as a giant jigsaw puzzle made up of smaller pieces. The complete jigsaw puzzle is called the whole allergen, and the individual pieces are called allergen components.
Understanding if you have an allergy to a specific component is important because it means you can manage allergies better over the holiday season, and be sure to avoid or limit exposure to the right allergens. Management starts with gaining a better understanding of the allergens at hand, which means the first step on your road to relief should be getting tested for sensitisation to different allergens and their components.
For a long time, doctors were only able to test whether someone was allergic to the whole allergen, but now they can use a convenient allergen blood test to determine if someone has a potential allergy to one or multiple of the allergen components.
Once you’ve been correctly tested and know what allergies you have, you can be better prepared for extra visitors this winter.
Self-management tips
Once you’ve been told to expect an extra dog or two at your house this Christmas you can begin preparing to help reduce your allergy symptoms as much as possible.
To help you manage the extra guests, the experts at Allergy Insider have collated these six tips:
- Set boundaries and keep the pets out of areas you use a lot (especially your bedroom) and assign an area for them to reduce the allergen levels.
- Stock up on cleaning products ready to spritz any furniture or surfaces that they might touch or lounge on.
- If you’ve got a longer-term visitor, consider vacuums or air cleaners that contain HEPA filters, which help control airborne allergens originating from pet dander.
- Suggest that the owners bathe their pet regularly while visiting to reduce allergies.
- For any visiting cats, pop their litter box in a room with a polished floor (if possible) to make it easier to clean up.
- And as recommended anyway, always wash your hands after playing with the pets to get rid of any allergens.
It’s important to note when planning for extra visitors this year, that contrary to popular belief, it’s not a pet’s fur that causes allergy symptoms, but the pet dander found on the loose fur. This means that even when there’s no fur to be found when your guests leave, the pet’s dead skin cells may still be lurking.
For more information on pet allergies, head to this blog post where you will find information on the specific allergen components found in cats and dogs.
