There
is a myth among those who want pets, but
who are also allergic to them, that there
are several breeds of dogs and cats that
are hypoallergenic. Is this true?
The
answer is an emphatic no!
There
are no breeds of cats or dogs that are hypoallergenic;
however, having said that, I would like
to qualify the answer. While there are no
hypoallergenic breeds, there are some animals
that may be reasonably close to being hypoallergenic.
Within
any given litter of dogs or cats of any
breed, you will on occasion find an animal
that you do not have a reaction to or, conversely,
one that you are especially sensitive to.
As a generalization, the animals that you
will probably be least sensitive to will
be the females.
This condition is not breed specific. It
can happen in any breed. It is litter specific...and
it does not mean that all litters contain
an animal that is relatively allergen free.
Unfortunately,
if you are looking to buy a kitten or puppy,
this doesn't help you very much. All
puppies and kittens have soft, supple skins.
At this early age, an allergic person can
probably handle any one of them and not
have much, if any, of a reaction.
It is as the skin ages and becomes less
supple and the sebaceous glands begin to
produce more oils (sebum) that allergy problems
begin to appear.
Virtually
every article that I have read and every
person that I have spoken to about animal
allergies talks only about dander. This
is may be because dander can be easily seen
and understood. Dander is important as a
problem causing allergen, but it is not
the key one. Dander is usually the
simplistic explanation of the cause of animal
allergies.
Dander
may be part of the cause of reactions to
cats, but the real culprit and cause of
the major reactions is from the secretion
of the sebaceous glands. All skin,
human or animal, contains these glands which
produce an oily lubricant that keep the
skin supple and the hair shiny. It is from
this secretion that Fel d1, the cat allergen,
surfaces. (It also surfaces from the
persistent self-cleaning of cats).
The protein composition of dander can, and
does cause reactions, but probably 80% of
the serious reactions stem from the Fel
d1 allergen.
Lots
of hair, little hair or no hair. All
cats produce oils from the sebaceous glands
which cause problems. The amount of hair
that a cat has or does not have plays no
significant part in its allergenicity.
Cats, by the way, are probably responsible
for two-thirds of all pet related allergies.
Because
dogs are not self-cleaners to the extent
that cats are, dogs tend to have more dander,
however, it is still the production of the
sebaceous glands that greatly adds to the
causal effect of allergic reactions to dogs.
Like cats, the amount of hair a dog has
or does not have, or whether the hair sheds
or does not shed, plays no particular part
in its ability to cause allergic reactions.
Articles have appeared recommending low-shedding
or non-shedding breeds, i.e. Poodles, Maltese,
Bedlington Terriers, Kerry Blue Terriers
and others, as being hypoallergenic. Another
common misconception is that the fur of
some breeds is like human hair, and thus
these breeds do not cause reactions.
These statements are definitely not so.
All
is not necessarily lost for someone who
is set on buying a pet or needs help in
keeping one. There are many things that
can be done around the house and products
to use that will frequently ease the problem.
. . there are no guarantees, but the odds
are better than 50/50 and certainly worth
a try.
Allerpet
has a brochure with information about pet-related
allergies, how you can minimize them. .
. most of the time, and how to take care
of your home. It is available at the Allerpet:
Literature button.
