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Animal Allergy Symptoms in Children

Animal allergy symptoms in children are typically most pronounced when they are in contact with animal dander and pets, causing a plethora of uncomfortable symptoms that adversely affect breathing, skin, activity levels and overall well-being.

  1. Identification

    • Recurring symptoms in a child when he's in contact with pets signifies a potential animal allergy. A skin-prick test exposes a child to animal allergens, with reactive skin signifying and diagnosing an allergy.

    Significance

    • Animal allergy symptoms in children can cause severe discomfort and fatigue due to nasal congestion, wheezing, chronic coughing and breathing difficulty that interrupts sleep and stresses the immune system.

    Types

    • Allergic symptoms to animals manifest as conjunctivitis, causing allergic shiners, itchy, watery and blood-shot eyes, rhinitis symptoms of sneezing, congestion and coughing, itchy skin conditions and asthma complications.

    Considerations

    • Animal allergy symptoms are relieved by reducing direct contact and inhalation of dander through maintaining clean pet bedding, grooming pets to reduce shedding and preventing children from sleeping with pets.

    Prevention/Solution

    • Children with animal allergies can be treated with topical antihistamine applications for skin irritations, and through oral antihistamines, corticosteroids, decongestants, inhalers and allergy immunizations for chronic symptoms.

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