Wondering if you have a dog hair allergy? Pet allergies are common, especially people with other allergies such as hay fever or allergic asthma. It’s often assumed that pet hair is the cause of symptoms, however dog and cat allergies are often triggered by the protein in a pet’s saliva or dander, rather than the hair itself.
What is dog dander?
Dander is microscopic flakes of skin from an animal’s fur, which can be transported through the air in house dust.
Common symptoms of a dog dander allergy:
Allergic symptoms can include sneezing, coughing and difficulties breathing, hives or itching, watering or itchy eyes and eczema. The cause of an allergy is diagnosed by identifying the triggers that cause you to experience symptoms. Speak to your GP if you are concerned, especially if you have any other allergies or conditions.
How to deal with a dog dander allergy:
- Keep pets at bay
It may sound obvious but reducing exposure to dogs and their dander is the best way to manage symptoms. Depending on the severity of your allergy, you may need to avoid dogs completely – at the least, it’s recommended to keep them out of bedrooms and off soft furnishings, where hair and dander can easily become embedded and therefore harder to remove. - Choose a dedicated pet vacuum cleaner
Although pet hair itself is not to blame for dog allergy symptoms, it can carry airborne allergens such as pollen, dust and mould, which can aggravate hay fever, asthma and other allergic conditions – so it’s important to get rid of all visible hair as well as hard-to-see dust and dander.
Regularly vacuum floors and furnishings, paying close attention to carpets, rugs, sofas and soft furnishings. Shark’s dedicated Pet Vacuum Tools are purposefully designed to removing embedded pet hair from upholstery, and are available to fit all Shark vacuum cleaners, while new Stratos vacuums with Anti Hair Wrap Plus deliver Shark’s best ever hair pick-up! - Dust with a damp cloth
A dry dusting cloth can simply move the particles around, without removing them – the best way to pick up dust and allergens from hard surfaces is to use a slightly damp microfibre cloth. - Think about the air you breathe
Pet allergens can be airborne, but Shark’s quiet, powerful air purifiers make it super easy to see your air quality in real time – efficiently cleaning the air in your home, monitoring air quality and showing you the results on a digital display. You may find symptoms are worse shortly after routine cleaning, as settled dog dander and dust is disturbed and becomes airborne.
Thankfully, Shark’s Anti-Allergen Complete Seal captures and traps 99.9% of dust and allergens. The high-efficiency filters are completely sealed within the vacuum cleaner unit, so the air can only be released through the filter, and the allergens can’t escape back into the air you breathe. - Clean using hot water
If washing instructions allow, try to wash bedding, curtains, soft toys and other fabric items using a hot wash.
For a chemical-free clean on hard floors, try steam cleaning – Shark steam mops can sanitise up to 99.9% of common household bacteria* using water alone.
*Sanitisation studies were conducted under controlled test conditions. Household conditions and results may vary.
