Can people with asthma have pets? & bull; hello healthy

For dog and cat owners, pets are like family members. It can be very frustrating to hold or be around pets causing your asthma to recur. Actually, can people with asthma have pets at home?

Why does having a pet affect people with asthma?

You may think that asthma symptoms are due to allergies triggered by animal dander. However, pet dander may not actually be the cause of worsening allergies in people with asthma.

Allergies are caused by the body's reaction to proteins found in dead animal skin flakes, saliva, urine and fur. So it's not just animal hair that triggers it. Proteins that stick to animal hair when they lick themselves can trigger asthma.

Animal hair can also be a hotbed for dust mites, mold, and other allergens. Cage-dwelling animals produce droplets that attract mold and mites.

Touching or accidentally inhaling these allergens can cause the body's immune system to react, making asthma symptoms worse.

There are many types of pets that have allergic triggers, which can cause asthma to recur in sufferers. Some of them are cats, dogs, rabbits, hamsters, birds, and horses. A person can have an allergy to more than one type of animal.

Animal allergies can appear at any age

Allergies can strike at any time, even if you have never experienced it before. Allergies that disappeared a few years ago can reappear as adults.

According to the Asthma UK website, a person can develop animal allergies at any age. Even though you have had a pet since childhood and have never experienced any allergies, it is possible that an allergic reaction occurs at any time when you are an adult, especially in people with asthma.

Fortunately, there are steps you can take to reduce allergic reactions. Some are easy to do, but some, like avoiding animals, are difficult.

Then, can people with asthma have pets?

After knowing that pets can trigger allergic reactions and asthma, can you still have pets at home?

To answer that, the first thing you need to make sure is whether the allergic reaction that causes asthma to recur is really pet triggered.

Here are a few tips to find out:

1. Recognize the symptoms

Some people with animal allergies react quickly when they come into contact with animals. Sometimes, symptoms can appear for minutes or hours.

Similar to asthma symptoms, you may experience symptoms such as itching, runny nose and eyes, coughing, and sneezing when you have had contact with animals.

If you have a severe enough allergy, you may experience other reactions, such as shortness of breath, a fast heartbeat, and you feel like fainting. This condition is called anaphylactic allergy.

2. Stay away from pets for a while

Before answering whether asthmatics have pets, try to stay away from your pets first. Try to see if you still have asthma symptoms or not? If your asthma condition improves while you are away from your pet, it is possible that you have a pet allergy that can worsen asthma.

It is important for you to know that even if the animal has been moved to another room, even outside the house, allergic reactions may still occur. The reason is, animal hair that is still attached to carpets, furniture, or clothes will still trigger allergies.

3. Get an allergy test

The most accurate way to determine pet allergies that sufferers of asthma have is of course by doing an allergy test with a doctor or medical team. This can be an accurate way to determine whether someone with asthma can have a pet or not.

Make sure you do this test at a clinic, health center, or hospital that provides this facility. Avoid using a home allergy test kit because the results are not necessarily accurate.

What if I do have an animal allergy?

If the test results show that you are positive for an animal allergy, the only best way to avoid asthma recurrence is not to have a pet.

Avoid direct contact with any pets. If possible, try not to visit homes with pets.

If you must visit a house with pets, your child should take allergy medication and always carry a medication that relieves asthma immediately.

Remember, even if you give your pet to someone else because it often triggers asthma attacks, your condition may not improve immediately. It can take up to 6 months to reduce allergen levels in a home without pets. Even after the pet has been removed, you or your child may still need the previously used asthma or allergy medications.

The decision to get your pet out of the house is tough, especially if your pet is like a family member. However, it is not impossible if you still want to keep your pet. How to?

Tips for having a pet for asthma sufferers

If you decide to keep a pet, you can still follow a number of strategies to reduce allergic reactions and asthma symptoms.

Here are some tips that sufferers can follow to prevent asthma recurrence when having pets at home:

• Keep pets out of the bedroom
  You spend most of the time in the room. For that, the best way is to make sure no animals get into the room, especially climbing on the bed.
• Use dander-neutralizing shampoos and sprays
  Dander contains tiny flakes of animal skin that stick to the fur. Protein from animal saliva that sticks to dander is the real cause of asthma attacks. Some products promote their products to neutralize dander.
• Clean the house withvacuum cleaner
  This method can help remove the hair that sticks to home furniture, especially carpets and sofas.
• Bathe pets You once a week to reduce the risk of spreading allergy triggers.