5 tips for living with pets when you have a pet allergy

Posted: 7th September 2022 | Posted by Costa

5 tips for living with pets when you have a pet allergy

There are times where you can’t get away from your allergies. Ask anyone with hay fever; when that time of year rolls around, you better believe you’ll be facing stuffy noses and itchy eyes. And that can just as easily happen with a pet allergy. Maybe you don’t want to give away the dog that has become part of your family. Or perhaps you’re not in the position to move out of your home even though your flatmate’s cat is aggravating your symptoms.

That’s how life goes sometimes. So what can you do to help yourself? Thankfully, there are a few quick and easy tricks to make your life that bit easier. These obviously won’t get rid of your pet allergy, but it’s the next best thing. Here are our top five tips.

Check your allergies

The first step is to make sure it’s actually your pet allergy affecting you. You may have another allergy that is making it seem worse. For example, it might be your hay fever that’s having more of an effect, so it isn’t the pet dander but the pollen on the animal that’s setting you off.

It isn’t fair to pin all the blame on the pet if it isn’t even their fault!

Check the pet

Something might be affecting the pet that’s making you more sensitive to them. They may have a skin condition that’s causing them to shed more skin and dander. And if there’s more of this around the house, then you’re going to experience more symptoms. Take them to the vet (or get their owner to if they aren’t yours) to make sure everything is okay.

Regular grooming

What causes your reactions is likely pet dander, which they shed and leave all over the house. The best way to deal with this is through regular grooming. This means a lot of baths and more trips to get their hair cut. That way, there’s less for them to shed, meaning there’s less to set you off.

Clean your home often

Yes, unfortunately, there’s even more cleaning to do. Just because you groom them regularly doesn’t mean they still won’t shed. But getting a good cleaning schedule in order can work wonders. Clean where they spend most of their time. Around their bed, in the living room, in the kitchen – you name it. 

At least once a week should be a minimum, if not more. Maybe it’s time to invest in that robot vacuum you’ve always wanted?

Keep them off the furniture

This one might sound a bit mean, but it’s effective. You don’t want their dander somewhere where you’ll spend a lot of your time. The obvious pieces of furniture are the sofa and your bed. Still clean these areas regularly, but by keeping them off them, you save yourself some of the pain.

It might also be time to think about changing that fabric sofa to a (faux) leather one, or tearing up that carpet and going for hardwood floors. This way, there are no fibres for their dander to stick to.

And those are our five tips. It does mean more work for you unfortunately, but such is life when you have an allergy. Our furry friends can make the day seem brighter, so if this is the alternative to getting rid of them, it might just be worth it. As always, if you ever have any concerns about your allergies, it’s best to speak to an allergist.

For all the advice you need about your pet allergy, get in touch with our allergy specialists today. You can register as a new patient, or give us a quick call on 02031 433 449.