It’s often assumed that pet hair is the cause of symptoms, however dog and cat allergies are often triggered by the protein in a pet’s saliva or dander, rather than the hair itself. Although pet hair itself is not to blame for dog allergy symptoms, it can carry airborne allergens such as pollen, dust and mould, which can aggravate hay fever, asthma and other allergic conditions. Pet allergies are common, especially people with other allergies such as hay fever or allergic asthma. Dander is microscopic flakes of skin from an animal’s fur, which can be transported through the air in house dust. Common symptoms of a dog dander allergy: Allergic symptoms can include sneezing, coughing and difficulties breathing, hives or itching, watering or itchy eyes and eczema. You may find symptoms are worse shortly after routine cleaning, as settled dog dander and dust is disturbed and becomes airborne. The high-efficiency filters are completely sealed within the vacuum cleaner unit, so the air can only be released through the filter, and the allergens can’t escape back into the air you breathe. Depending on the severity of your allergy, you may need to avoid dogs completely – at the least, it’s recommended to keep them out of bedrooms and off soft furnishings, where hair and dander can easily become embedded and therefore harder to remove.