Dr. Shawn’s Blog

What to Do If You Are Allergic to Your Pet

October 6, 2009 on 5:12 pm | In General Posts | No Comments

Even though most people love pets, unfortunately some people find themselves allergic to certain animals.  Is there anything you can do if you develop an allergy to your dog or cat?

The first thing I suggest is to make sure you’re really allergic to your pet rather than being allergic to something ON your pet. Remember that your pet’s hair acts like a rug, trapping dirt, bacteria, fungi, and allergens. Allergens are foreign proteins such as dander, house dust mites, saliva, bug droppings, molds, and tree and grass pollens. These allergens stay on your pet’s skin and hair until they are washed away and may serve as an important source of your discomfort until these allergens are washed away. It may be that you are allergic to the allergens upon your pet’s skin and hair rather than simply being allergic your pet.  If this is the case, frequent, even daily bathing of your pet with an organic shampoo may relieve your symptoms.

But what if you are actually allergic to your pet?  Usually people who are truly allergic to their pets are allergic to the allergens in the pet’s saliva that get on the pet’s skin and hair when the pet grooms.  This is much more of a problem in cats rather than dogs.

While your doctor may suggest getting rid of the pet, there is a much better solution and it’s totally natural.  In my practice I have discovered that the use of a homeopathic concentration of a commonly used tranquilizer called acepromazine works remarkably well to reduce a person’s allergies to his or her pet.  Simply putting a few drops of this tasteless solution onto the pet’s food several times a day is enough to relieve the owner of his or her allergy symptoms.  While it  is not yet known how this solution works, one proposed explanation is that the allergens are bound to the homeopathic acepromazine and are not available to cause allergic symptoms in the owner.

Many conventional veterinarians do not know about this treatment, so it’s important to find a holistic veterinarian who can help you if you truly suffer from allergies to your own pet.