Pet allergies

Pet allergies can bring up a lot of emotions in children and young people. They can want a pet - but you worry they have so many allergies, or have eczema, that a pet might make everything worse. Or, they have a pet and you worry that they are showing signs of an allergy and you don't know what this means for your child or the animal. Maybe they have an allergy but now want to visit homes who have a pet.

These are all tricky scenarios to manage, but with support and common sense can often be navigated in a way that attempts to keep everyone happy.

Pet allergies can cause symptoms similar to hayfever with swollen, itchy, runny eyes and sneezing. It can also cause flares of eczema and can may lead to wheezing or an asthma attack if they are known to have asthma. A good medication regime prior to visiting an animal can help mitigate these symptoms. The same goes for skin flares, and wheezing. However, it is always important to have a plan in place for unexpected animal encounters.

If you have a pet, and your child is reacting to them and you want to keep your pet there are a few things you can to do reduce the allergen load:

• Regular cleaning and grooming of the pet

• Pet free rooms - especially their bedrooms

• Consider reducing carpets or sofas which are made of fabric as it traps hair and dander

• For cats, you can consider cat food which reduces their allergen production

• Don't groom horses, or muck them out if you are also allergic to grass pollen

It is important to recall that all animals produce allergen and no specific breed is "hypoallergenic". The protein causing the allergy comes from the pets saliva not their hair, so even hairless animals produce allergen! Some isolated animals produce less allergen than another animal from that same litter, but we can't work out which animal produces less allergen than another by looking at them. Often reputable breeders will give you a 2 week "cooling off" period in case you react heavily to your pet and realise it can't be kept in your home after purchase.

Immunotherapy can be considered for pet allergies, this is where medications taken daily for three years try to train your immune system to tolerate that type of animal.

Whatever you decide to do around pets, talking to an allergist can really help you to plan.