Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsCausesSymptomsDiagnosisTreatmentSafer Pets
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
Causes
Symptoms
Diagnosis
Treatment
Safer Pets
Pet dander is a common trigger for asthma symptoms from wheezing, chest tightness, and shortness of breath to full-blown asthma attacks.Both furry and feathered animals produce dander, which is made up of proteins from hair, skin flakes, urine, feces, and saliva.
Since dander is shed from an animal’s body, you can be exposed to it without even touching an animal. All you have to do is come in contact with something an animal has slept on, played with, or otherwise come in contact with themselves.
Dogs and cats are the animals that most commonly induce symptoms of allergic asthma due to their shedding of dander.
Brianna Gilmartin / Verywell.
How Pet Dander May Affect Your Health
Dander proteins are particles that are carried through the air. These may be present whether an animal is in the same room with you or not.
You can inhale them through your nose or mouth, or they can get into your lungs if you touch them and then touch your nose or mouth. As the particles are so small, you may not even realize you’re around them until you have a reaction.
What Are Sources of Pet Dander?Sources of pet dander may include:FurnitureCarpetsBeddingFabricsItems carried into and out of the home
What Are Sources of Pet Dander?
Sources of pet dander may include:FurnitureCarpetsBeddingFabricsItems carried into and out of the home
Sources of pet dander may include:
Exposure to pet dander can trigger symptoms in people who have asthma, but pets and dander don’tcauseasthma to develop.
Rather, animal dander contains endotoxins, which are chemicals that induce a harmful physical reaction. These stimulate immune cells and proteins, specifically immunoglobulin E (IgE).
If endotoxin is encountered early enough, such as during infancy, it drives the immune system away from allergies. This is why having dogs in the home in a child’s first year can reduce the chance that a child develops allergies and asthma.
Other the other hand, once the immune system has decided to develop allergies (toddlers, young children), then endotoxin exposure can worsen allergic disease.
If you have asthma, you are prone to episodes ofbronchoconstrictionorbronchospasmdue to a variety of triggers. The immune reaction that occurs due to dander, in this case, results in this airway narrowing and/or sudden airway spasm.
People with asthma who tend to have severe reactions to dander may not be able to own pets or be around animals much at all. This doesn’t necessarily mean their asthma is a severe type—it just means dander is a symptom trigger for them.
Symptoms of Reactions to Dander
If you have asthma, you can develop a variety of respiratory effects in response to animal dander. You may notice symptoms immediately after exposure or you may begin to develop the effects hours afterward.
Often,animal dander can cause allergy symptomsrather than typicalsymptoms of asthma, including:
Whentraditional asthma symptomsoccur in response to animal dander exposure, they can include:
Exposure to higher amounts of animal dander is associated with more severe symptoms and a higher risk ofasthma attacks.
When you have an asthma attack, you can also experience lightheadedness or even loss of consciousness due to decreased oxygen levels, especially if your respiratory distress isn’t treated promptly.
Over time, recurrent asthma symptoms and asthma attacks will damage your lungs, resulting in difficulty breathing even in the absence oftriggers.
How Do You Know if You Have a Pet Allergy?
Self-reported symptoms are very helpful to healthcare providers working to identify the reason for asthma exacerbations. With animal dander and asthma, however, identifying patterns of symptoms can be challenging.
There may be cases when you might experience asthma symptoms without being aware you’ve come in contact with pet dander at all. And the fact that symptoms could be mild or delayed can make finding such connections that much harder.
Try your best to pay attention to your animal exposures and your symptoms. Note when they occur, what they involve, and what types of animals you were around when they happened.
Present this to your healthcare provider, who will review the information and may conduct a skin prick test to help identify the cause of your symptoms.
Managing Pet Allergies and Asthma
The best treatment for asthma reactions toanimal danderis to avoid exposure altogether. However, this isn’t always realistic.
That said, there are medical therapies to both prevent and treat reactions. Additionally, there are lifestyle changes you can make to help reduce related symptoms.
Preventive Medication
Preventive treatments include takinginhaled corticosteroidsorantihistaminesbefore being around animals. For example, Xolair (omalizumab) is an injectable medication that can be used to prevent pet allergen‐induced asthma.
Allergen injection immunotherapy—also known as subcutaneous immunotherapy (SCIT) or, more simply, allergy shots—involves a healthcare provider repeatedly injecting small amounts of an allergen just beneath the skin. This will eventually reduce a person’s allergic response to the allergen and has been used to treat animal dander-induced asthmatic reactions with some success.
In fact, in updated guidelines for asthma treatment issued in December 2020, the National Institutes of Health recommended SCIT in addition to standard medication for people over age 5 with mild to moderate asthma that is controlled at the initiation, build-up, and maintenance phases of immunotherapy. This approach is not advisable for people with severe asthma.
Emergency Medication
Inhaled short-acting beta-agonists (SABAs) arebronchodilatorsthat quickly open the airways. Also known as rescue inhalers, these treatments can help alleviate asthma symptomsafterthey begin.
Lifestyle Strategies
If your reaction to pet dander is mild, you could consider the following strategies for reducing exposure:
Note, however, that according to the NIH guidelines, measures such as these should be used in conjunction with medication and other mitigating approaches, as they are not likely to be effective on their own. For example, keeping your cat out of your bedroom may help but will not be enough to prevent asthma symptoms alone.
If you are considering a “trial removal” of an animal from your home—sending your cat to a friend’s house for a while to see if your asthma improves, for example—know that this might not give you the answers you are looking for.
Safer Pets for Asthma
If you or your child has asthma and you don’t already have a pet, but want one, try spending time with someone who has the animal you are considering before you take the plunge.
No dogs are completely hypoallergenic. Some breeds are touted as hypoallergenic, but research shows there is little difference in dander allergen levels from these breeds compared to others.
Also, a 2018 study did not show a reduction in allergy in children who grew up with a dog of a breed thought to produce fewer allergens versus a breed thought to produce the usual amount of allergens.
Alternatively, consider animals that typically do not cause or worsen allergies like:
Summary
People who have asthma may experience a reaction to animal dander at any age. For example, you could have symptoms during your childhood, adolescence, and/or adulthood, but you might not necessarily experience them throughout your whole life.
It may take some time for you, your family, and your healthcare provider to pinpoint animal dander as a trigger of your asthma symptoms. Once you do, try your very best to avoid dander so you can minimize your need for medication—especially emergency asthma treatments.
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