Allergy And Pets
Michael Marcus, MD Pediatric Pulmonary
;www.DrMDK.com] From Maimonides Medical Center, Fellowship:Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, takes us through child allergies to pets.
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Step 1:
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About Pet Allergies
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Pets can be a severe problem if the child is allergic to pets, or if the child is allergic to pollen and the pets go outdoors. Pet allergies are a common problem. Allergies to dogs, cats and even smaller pets like hamsters can lead to serious allergy problems. The allergy is to the dander of the pet, and the dander of the pet is adhered to the fur, the saliva and the excretions of the pet.
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Step 2:
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How To Combat Them
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What we recommend is that, if possible, the pet should find a new home. If the pet needs to stay in the home for any number of reasons, the pet should never be in the child's bedroom, never be handled by the child and one should always clean their hands thoroughly whenever handling the pet.
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Step 3:
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Common Misconceptions
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It's a common misconception that there are dogs that are allergy proof, This is really not true. Since the allergy is to the dander, it does not make any difference how long the hair is. The dander is still excreted by the dog.
Short haired dogs will shed less so the hair will spread less easily to parts of the house, but any exposure to the dog still can trigger allergy symptoms.
