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Dog Saliva Allergy

Nearly half of all households in the United States have either a cat or a dog as a pet. According to the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology, as many as 10 percent of people are allergic to pets. If you are allergic to dogs, your allergies can be triggered by coming in contact with a dog's saliva as well as dander on its fur or in its bedding.

  1. Allergies

    • Every day, you come in contact with allergens. To most people, allergens are harmless particles that cause no reaction at all. If you are allergic to the allergen, then your immune system is overly sensitive to it. When you are exposed to an allergen, your immune system will react to it as though it is a threat and will try to expel it from your body to protect your health.

    Dog Saliva

    • Dogs secrete proteins that act as allergens. These proteins are on a dog's skin in the form of dander. The proteins are also in a dog's urine and saliva. When a dog licks its fur while grooming or chews on a favorite toy, it leaves behind saliva and the allergens within it. These allergens are sticky and will linger on a surface. It takes months for them to lose their ability to trigger an allergic reaction.

    Symptoms

    • Depending on the severity of your allergy to dogs, you might experience an allergic reaction as soon as you come in contact with a dog or it could take a few days of exposure for symptoms of allergies to occur. If a dog licks you, putting you in direct contact with its saliva, your skin could turn red where the dog's tongue touched you. Airborne allergies will cause redness in your eyes, itching around your face and a runny nose, according to the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America.

    Treatments

    • The best treatment for an allergy to dogs and dog saliva is to avoid all contact with dogs. If you have a pet dog or if you cannot help coming into contact with dogs, then immunotherapy, or allergy shots, could help. Administered over the course of three years, allergy shots will decrease your allergy symptoms. Over time, you will require less medication to control your allergies.

    Considerations

    • You can help to manage your allergy to a pet dog by changing your environment to lessen the amount of allergens within it. Keeping a dog out of your bedroom will make sure there is no saliva in there. Vacuuming often will help remove allergens from your home. Ask someone else to brush your dog outside, so that allergens on its skin are removed outside of your home.

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