Hmmm.....low allergen pets?

Woman's Day has an article in their September 2013 magazine about "Low Allergen Pets." Hmmmm, I have always heard that there ARE NO LOW ALLERGEN PETS.

The article says that "Allergies are often caused by the protein in the pets' skin, saliva and urine, and can be aggravated by dust, pollen and mold that sits on the pet hair." The article then says that "While no cat or dog is 100% hypoallergenic, some allergists say patients report feeling better with certain breeds." I can't pull up the article online, so here is a photo of the article. 

They recommend a few breeds of cats (Devon rex, Siberian, Balinese, Javanese, and Oriental Shorthair) and a few dog breeds (Poodle, Irish water spaniel, Kerry blue terrier, Bedlington terrier, bichon frise and Portugese water dog.)

I have a family member who swears that her prize winning dog is allergen free. Not true. When I am around it, I start sneezing, my nose stuffs up and my chest feels tight.I am definitely allergic to it!

There is another article online from Woman's Magazine that I find very interesting. It is written by an allergy doctor, Sakina S. Bajowala, MD, who is a member of (AAAAI) the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology. Her article is called "The Truth About Pet Allergies"

 

Here is one line from the article:

"No pet is completely hypoallergenic. Some animals are bred to have lower levels of certain allergens, but you could be bothered by different ones."  

And another line says:

"The amount of allergen varies from animal to animal, not by the breed or species. You could play with your sister’s schnauzer for hours without so much as a sniffle but break into hives upon meeting your neighbor’s."  I was surprised to read that! I didn't know that I could pet 2 different schnauzers and be fine with the 1st dog, but allergic to the 2nd! Sometimes I pet Neighbor's schnauzer and I don't have a problem. Other times, I pet Schnauzer and I started sneezing, wheezing and coughing. How can I be fine on one day, but not the next? 

Could it be worse if Schnauzer hasn't had a bath for a while? 

Allergies are so complicated! And annoying! My kids would love to have pets, but we can't due to our allergies and asthma. We pet the neighbor's cats and dog, but then we have to go straight inside and wash our hands and arms. And if Cat or Schnauzer jumps up on our lap, we have to go change our clothes. Otherwise we start to get really itchy.

Sigh. Everyone is different, some people with asthma can have pets. If you can, count yourself lucky!!!! :)