Can I live with a dog if I'm allergic?

Many people are often told by their caregivers that if you’re allergic to cats or dogs which are the most common that it’s best just to find new homes for your pets. In reality in this country most people really don’t want to get rid of their pets and quite frankly even when they do many of their friends and family have have cats and dogs too. So it’s really hard just get rid of your pets. So the question becomes if you can’t avoid your pet or your animal then what are your alternatives? Things like room purifiers, particularly in your bedroom, I would definitely keep the pets out of your bedroom if possible. That can be a very good first step. After that things like HEPA filters or air purifiers can be very helpful. They’ve been shown to be very effective particularly with cat allergy; a little bit less so with dog allergy, but also work well if avoidance strategies don’t work. Medications like, oh, any number of antihistamines or medications like the leukotriene inhibitor, such as Singulair, can be very effective at helping to kind of soften many of those allergic symptoms, especially if you can be taking them on a regular basis. If that doesn’t work or doesn’t work well enough, then we consider things like allergy shots or immunotherapy. Very effective at managing both cat and dog allergies. And if taken long enough, they can practically be curative. And basically the end goal is really to see if you can still maintain and manage your allergies and your allergy types of symptoms while at the same time having your loving pets around for as long as you’d like them to be.

You'd be surprised to know how many people with allergies that aren't life-threatening are able to live happily with their pets. In many cases, the benefits of having a pet outweigh the drawbacks of pet allergies. If you're allergic to your pet and your reactions aren’t life-threatening, there are many ways to reduce indoor allergens and allergy symptoms so you and your pet can live together more comfortably. If your or a family member's allergies are simply miserable, but not life-threatening, take these five steps to reduce the symptoms: Create an "allergy free" zone in your home—preferably the allergic person's bedroom—and strictly prohibit the pet's access to it. Use a HEPA air cleaner, and consider using impermeable covers for the mattress and pillows. A combination of approaches—medical control of symptoms, good housecleaning methods and immunotherapy—is most likely to succeed in allowing an allergic person to live with pets. It's worth it to preserve the bond between you and your pet by checking if you're truly allergic to your pet and, if you are, to try these solutions.