Dog Allergies | Treatments To Help You Find Relief

Dog allergies are very common throughout our society as we are people that truly love our dogs. Since dogs are found in many homes, their allergens are also found in many places that you visit each day. While there are no known cures there are many available treatment options to help you live your life in a normal manner. Treating your dog allergies may take some trial and error between you and your doctor, but in the end you will hopefully be to the point where you don't even think about your allergy on a daily basis.

For starters, before you even begin any new treatments you should get properly diagnosed with a dog allergy. After all, you don't want to try treating something that you are not even suffering from. So how do you go about diagnosing dog allergies? For this you will need to have a test performed either by your doctor or allergist to see how your body reacts to the allergen found in dog dander. This allergy test would likely consist of either a small pin prick to the surface of your skin with a drop of allergen extract, or the injection of a small amount into your skin. If there is some swelling and redness then it is likely you have allergies. If no reaction occurs then your symptoms are coming from something else, either another allergy or a different condition altogether.

What Remedy Options Exist Today?

Now that you are positive you have dog allergies it is time to begin treating them. Obviously the best treatment option is avoidance of the allergen, in this case the dog. However, if you have a family pet that you are very attached to this may not be possible. If your allergy is not too severe you can try to make some changes to your home to give you relief from your symptoms. Some of these more natural remedies are:

  • Bath your dog regularly
  • If you are the one doing the bathing make sure to wear a 3M mask and protective gloves
  • Wash your hands and face immediately after you pet your dog
  • Keep him off of your bed and out of your bedroom
  • Dust each room often and vacuum with a HEPA equipped vacuum cleaner to remove allergens from your carpets
  • Steam clean your carpets once per month to get all dirt and dust out of your home
  • Try a home air cleaner to reduce the number of airborn allergens

There are other types of treatments for your dog allergies including prescription and over the counter medications. These usually include one of the following: antihistamine products, nasal steroids, nasal decongestants, or asthma medications for those with both asthma and allergies. The most common brands of allergy medicine are Benadryl™, Zyrtec™, Nasonex™, Allegra™, and Alavert™. You should consult with your doctor or allergist as to which medicine would work best for your symptoms as well as how exactly to take them.

Allergy shots or immunotherapy are another treatment option that may give you a more lasting relief to your symptoms. These shots are usually administered every few years as a more lasting remedy to the effects of allergies on your body. When they are given to you, your body is actually exposed to a small amount of the allergen over and over again to lessen the effects of it. When the cycle is finished your body will be used to the exposure and less prone to over-react when encountering it in the future. The problem with this form of treatment is it must be repeated every few years.