Allergic to your pet?

When you have a pet allergy, you may exhibit the signs and symptoms of hay fever (allergic rhinitis).

Signs and symptoms may include:

• Sneezing
• Runny nose
• Itchy, watery eyes
• Nasal congestion
• Itchy nose, roof or mouth or throat
• Postnasal drip
• Rash/Itching
  

If you have asthma, you may also experience increased signs and symptoms of asthma, such as:

• Lung congestion
• Wheezing
• Shortness of breath
• Cough

Signs and symptoms usually occur within minutes of exposure to pet dander or saliva. If your sensitivity to the allergen is low, however, signs and symptoms may not appear until hours after contact.The tiny dander particles on your pet are sticky.

The most effective treatment for pet allergy is to avoid exposure to animals.

If your allergy is mild and you'd like to keep your pet, prevention measures may help minimize your exposure to pet dander and the resulting allergic reactions.

Medications
When you can't control your allergic reactions to pet dander with prevention measures, your doctor may recommend or prescribe allergy medications. These may include:

• Nonprescription medications. To counter the signs and symptoms of allergy-induced hay fever, short-acting antihistamines (Benadryl, Claritin, others), decongestants (Sudafed, Chlor-Trimeton, others) or a nasal spray containing cromolyn sodium (NasalCrom) may help.
• Prescription hay fever medications.
  

mayoclinic