What to Do If You Are Allergic to Dogs

1 Overview

Dog hair? Not guilty.

What are people actually allergic to? Many friends would say dog hair. Hair is indeed an important cause, but strictly speaking, the most direct cause is not the hair.

It is the dander attached to the hair.

That is, you may think you are allergic to dog hair, but it is actually the dander on the hair that makes you uncomfortable.

The real cause of allergy

Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston is a world-leading allergy research hospital. On January 15, 2020, it published an important study.

In studying human allergy to dogs, we found that most people are allergic to a protein called Can f 5 on dog dander.

You may ask, how was this protein only just discovered?

This protein was found in recent years, but the FDA only approved blood testing for it in May 2019.

That is, without FDA approval, we still would not know the real cause of dog allergy; people only knew it was dander, but not what exactly on it.

The choice of allergy

The hospital found that Can f 5 appears only in the prostate of male dogs. When a male urinates, the protein is secreted into the urine and then spreads over the dog’s whole body.

These proteins then attach to dander and reach you through the hair.

Finally, you are allergic.

Of course, these proteins reach you in more ways than this. They are very light and can also cling to your clothes, furniture, and bed, causing allergy on contact.

What did the Boston experts suggest?

First, if you can choose, allergic people can choose a female dog, because a female does not secrete this protein when urinating.

Of course, if you already have an allergic male dog, consider neutering it. A neutered dog stops secreting the protein.

Finally, the experts also suggest that if your allergic reaction is only a cough or skin rash, there is no need to worry too much.

If your allergy symptoms exceed three types, keep your distance from the dog, because once symptoms exceed three, there is a high chance of triggering asthma and various respiratory diseases.