How to Avoid Dog Allergies

There is nothing more devastating to a family than falling in love with a new dog only to soon after find out that another member of the family is allergic to the dog. Now you are faced with one of the hardest decisions that you will ever have to make.

Are you going to get rid of the dog upsetting every other family member, or are you going to make the one that is suffering with the symptoms adapt to the condition, doing everything that you can to prevent them from being miserable. Believe it or not there are a few easy steps that you can take to ensure that your family won't have to give away their beloved pet.

When a person has dog allergies the two biggest causes are pet dander or bacteria that is carried around in the dog's saliva. The first thing that you need to do in your attempt to lesson the dog allergies is to make sure that you dog is in perfect health. If the dog is depressed, nervous, or suffer from malnutrition they will shed their coat faster than a healthy dog. The more fur that is shed the more allergens that are released into the air. If you find out that your dog is suffering from one of the previously mentioned problems you should contact your vet as soon as possible to get the dog some relief.

If your dog is awarded a clean bill of health, frequent grooming can also greatly reduce dog allergies. Bath your dog with a shampoo that is specially formulated to help pet owners that are plagued with allergies. It is important to remember however that you should never bath your dog more than once a week.

It is ok to brush and groom you dog daily, but bathing him or her too often will dry out the dog's skin, which will have the exact opposite effect than what you are trying to achieve. If it is you that is allergic to the pet and there is no one else in the home that can bath the dog hire someone to do it for you. Bathing a dog when you are allergic to them can be a truly horrifying experience.

Now that you have taken all the steps, bathing your dog on a weekly basis and grooming them daily to get rid of any loose hair that is just waiting to make you sneeze, now it is time for you do to what you need to to avoid the allergies and not the dog. Remember to wash you hands immediately after having any contact with your dog or their food or toys.

Try to take the time to clean your floors every day because this is where the dander will build up the fastest. Carpet is the worse flooring that you can have if you are in this situation. However if there is nothing your can do about it right now, spend the extra money and get a high-performance vacuum cleaner, with a hepa filter. Vacuum your carpet daily, run the vacuum over the non carpet floors also. It is also a good idea to have a vacuum that comes with a furniture attachment, because this will make cleaning up the pet dander a whole lot easier.

A general rule of thumb that every pet lover with allergies should live by is keep your home well ventilated. Stale air that never moves is a breeding ground for allergens. It is also a great idea to keep your bedroom strictly off limits to your dog, thus creating a relaxing dander free environment. If none of these steps are working well enough for you, check with your doctor he maybe able to give you a medication that will help you out.