Question:
I have asthma and am extremely allergic to cats and dogs. I'm
considering allergy shots because just about everybody I know has a pet
- and I'd like one, too. Of course, everybody is different, but I was
looking for any success stories that you might be able to share, to help
me decide.
Answer:
I have weekly allergy shots - cat & dog allergen are in there along with
lots of pollens and other allergen extracts. I can now be in a house
where a cat lives (as long as I don't touch it) for a couple of hours
before my chest starts to tighten. This is an improvement over a full
attack after 10-15 minutes. I've spoken to a few allergy experts and here's what they've said...
First off, cat allergen is much worse and harder to control than dog.
Why? Talk to the proteins.
Second, it may be easier to own a dog and kep it outside year round...
keeping the allergen out of the home.
But, more to the point...
The allergists said that shots could help those with occassional
exposure to pets...i.e. going over to a friends house for the evening.
But, possibly, wouldn't work for those with continuous exposure...
living with a pet. In fact, some (my doctor) will not offer allergen
extract in an allergy shot if you choose to live with a pet you're
allergic to. Part of that has to do with the route of and controlled
exposure to the allergen.
Allergy shots for asthmatics is still a debatable issue.... especially
with animal dander. I never grew up with a pet so I never adopted that
"Fido's a part of the family" mentality (no offense). Now, as an adult,
I refuse to compramise my health due to an animal. Yes, there are
stories of those whose symptoms disappeared after a while...(what if
you're not the exception, but the rule?) and yes, there are those who
will claim bathing and special shampoos will help diminish dander in a
pet (no repuutable allergy study supports this and many people are
allergic to the protein found in the saliva... and pets grooms
themselves a lot, don't they)... anyways, if you're mild to severe
asthmatic, think about it.
Would you consider a really nice bird? "Extremely allergic" kind of
makes having a cat or a dog really hard. Your best bet is to talk to
your allergist. Actually there *is* a very reputable study that *proved* that cat's *quit
producing the allergen* when bathed at a minimum of once a month for eight
months and then at that same interval thereafter. It was done at Washington
University in St. Louis several years ago. The key to this is a complete bath
(which most cat owners can't do so take the cat to a vet or groomer for this)
and doing it consistently for eight months no more than four weeks apart. I've done this with my cats for years and I no longer react to them. It can
be a tad expensive depending upon where you live. In a rural area I could
bathe both cats for $18.00 USD at the vet's. In the city it's $35.00 *per
cat* or $70.00 USD per month which I think is excessive. I've personally quit
bathing the cats and I react little to them these days (I did react at first
though). But this is after 8 years of living with them and they were bathed
monthly for the first 7 of those years.
