Humans have been living alongside cats and dogs for thousands of years. But that doesn't mean we're always compatible.
About 1 in 5 Australians are allergic to our furry friends, and the rate is rising globally.
Pet allergies can range from mild to severe, so it's important to pinpoint the seriousness of your reaction as soon as possible.
While it's unusual to experience anaphylaxis from pet dander, it is possible. The signs can include swelling of the face, hives, wheezing and stomach pain.
In that case, pets are best to be avoided. But if you've got a mild allergy, are you doomed to a life without animals?
"It's not all bad news," says John Upham, who leads the Lung and Allergy Research Centre at the University of Queensland.
"There are a few approaches that you can take, and it depends to a large extent on how severe the allergy is."
The first step is confirming the source of the allergy.
While you might be blaming the cat, dust mites, mould spores and cockroaches can cause similar symptoms.
When in doubt, it's recommended you see an allergy specialist for a skin-prick test or a blood test.
If you get a positive result to dander — congrats, you're now the brand new owner of a pet ... allergy.
Pet allergy practicalities
The best approach to a pet allergy is avoiding exposure by not owning a pet. But if you're an animal lover, that can be difficult advice to take.
The next best solution is limiting your exposure as much as possible.
This means washing your hands after contact and keeping the animal out of your bedroom.
"Get the animal sleeping in another room, so then at least for the period of time you're asleep, you're not breathing in allergens."
However this approach isn't foolproof. As any pet owner will confirm, dander travels — on your clothes, your items and in the air.
"They've even recorded situations where somebody has gone into an empty property and immediately started sneezing," Professor Upham says.
"The previous owner had a cat."
Being exposed to small doses of dander in this way is called 'passive exposure', and research suggests it might be linked to the rise in allergies.
Even going to work or school with pet owners can lead to allergic sensitisation.
Sensitisation is a normal process where your immune system recognises a substance as a threat and deploys antibodies in response.
But allergic sensitisation happens when the immune system recognises harmless substances as a threat.
Some people are more prone than others, especially those who have a family history of allergies. And allergic sensitisation more often happens in childhood.
"That's probably because the immune system is immature at that time," Professor Upham says, "and not terribly good at picking the difference between a threat and something that's not a threat."
But we also know that getting a decent dose of dander early in life can reduce your risk of allergies.
"The immune system can become tolerant to things if the exposure happens in the right place, at the right time," Professor Upham says.
And the more pets the better.
A Swedish study found the rate of allergies decreased from 49 per cent in kids with no pets in the first year of life, to zero in those who lived with five or more pets.
Evidence suggests that early exposure to pets can even decrease the risk of kids developing food allergies.
While the mechanisms behind this are still unclear, it might have something to do with the diversity of 'good' gut bacteria in kids with pets.
Tolerating pet dander
If you're already allergic to pet dander, becoming desensitised is more complicated.
Professor Upham says if you decide to own a pet despite your pet allergy, it can go either way.
"For some people, over time tolerance does develop. For other people, the allergy gets worse and worse."
While a runny nose and itchy eyes are a nuisance, they're not known to cause long-term health problems.
But if your allergies are triggering asthma, that can damage the lungs.
"You really do need to get treated for it rather than just putting up with it," Professor Upham says.
Depending on how dedicated you are to pet ownership, there are treatments.
Immunotherapy can retrain the immune system's reaction to allergens. But it takes at least three years to complete, and costs up to $250 per month.
Antihistamines can help you manage symptoms.
But while they're good at stopping the sneezing and itching, Professor Upham says "they don't do anything to deal with the problem with the immune system."
So it depends on what you're willing to live with in order to live with pets.
Sniffing out allergies
Not everyone wants put up with symptoms long-term, or is able to fork out the money to manage them.
Sarah Zito, senior scientific officer at the RSPCA, says this should be considered before — not after — you adopt a pet.
"Everyone should thoroughly do their due diligence before deciding to bring a companion animal into their lives," Dr Zito says.
"This includes doing what you can to check that you or your family don’t have allergies that would prevent you from properly caring for the animal."
This might mean a trip to your nearest dog park, or meeting a friend's pet before you decide on adoption.
If you can spend time with the breed you're hoping to adopt, even better.
Still, Dr Zito says, "this wouldn't guarantee that an allergy wouldn't develop with more prolonged exposure".
You might consider a hypoallergenic breed of dog, like a poodle, schnauzer or maltese. Or a hypoallergenic cat, like a Russian blue, sphynx or balinese.
They're less likely to leave you sneezing — although no pet is completely allergen-free.
Which is why it's critical to assess beforehand whether an animal fits with your lifestyle, budget and capacity to care for it long-term.
Listen to Dr Norman Swan and Tegan Taylor talk about pet allergies. And subscribe to the podcast for more.
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