Pets and Asthma
About Pets
Your pet’s dead skin flakes, urine, feces, saliva and hair
can trigger asthma. Dogs, cats, rodents (including hamsters and
guinea pigs) and other mammals all can trigger asthma in individuals
with an allergic reaction to animal dander.
Proteins in the dander, urine, or saliva of warm-blooded animals
(e.g., cats, dogs, mice, rats, gerbils, birds, etc.) have been
reported to sensitize individuals and can cause allergic reactions
or trigger asthma episodes in individuals sensitive to animal
allergens. The most effective method to control animal allergens
in the home is to not allow an animal in the home. If you remove
an animal from the home, it is important to clean the home (including
floors and walls, but especially carpets and upholstered furniture)
thoroughly. Pet allergen levels are reported to stay in the home
for several months after the pet is removed even with cleaning.
Isolation methods to reduce animal allergen in the home have also
been suggested by reputable health authorities (e.g., keeping
the animal in only one area of the home, keeping the animal outside,
or ensuring the allergic or asthmatic individual stay away from
the animal) but the effectiveness of these methods have not been
determined. To the contrary, several reports in the literature
indicate that animal allergen is carried in the air and by residents
of the home on their clothing to all parts of the home, even when
the animal is isolated. In fact, animal allergen is often detected
in locations where no animals were housed. In these situations,
it is assumed that the allergen was carried in on people that
have animals or on people that have been around animals or people
with animals.
Often people sensitive to animal allergens are advised to wash
their pets regularly. Recent research indicates that washing pets
may only provide temporary reductions in allergen levels. There
is no evidence that this short term reduction is effective in
reducing symptoms and it has been suggested that during the washing
of the animal the sensitive individual may be initially exposed
to higher levels of allergen.
Thus the most effective method to control exposure to animal
allergens is to keep your home pet free. However, some individuals
may find isolation measures to be sufficiently effective. Isolation
measures that have been suggested include keeping pets out of
sleeping areas, keeping pets away from upholstered furniture,
carpets, and stuffed toys, keeping the pet outdoors as much as
possible, and isolating sensitive individuals from the pet as
much as possible.
Actions You Can Take
If pets are one of your asthma triggers, you need to strongly
consider finding a new home from your pets.
Keep pets out of the bedroom and other sleeping areas at all times,
and keep the door closed.
Keep pets away from fabric-covered furniture, carpets and stuffed
toys.
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