Italian Greyhounds And Allergies What Should I Do
Allergic reactions to dogs are not exclusively caused by hair, in fact some are triggered by a protein found in saliva, dander or even urine, so it is still possible to break out in hives or experience a sneezing fit even with hypoallergenic breeds, thats why its important to do your research, spend some time with your chosen hound before bringing them into your home.
One of the most common reasons a dog ends up in a rescue or shelter is allergies so establishing that you can share your home with a particular breed is vital to prevent more unwanted dogs. If you suffer mild to moderate symptoms an Italian Greyhound should present no problems,
- Discuss your allergies with your chosen Italian Greyhound breeder and try to arrange scheduled visits with the pup before bringing him home, to see if you suffer any symptoms. A good breeder usually provides you with a formal sales contract which could include the option of returning the puppy if things dont work out.
- You should also discuss your decision to bring a dog into your life with your allergist, many sufferers can take over the counter medications or even shots to prevent symptoms and enabling them to live happily with a canine companion.
Injuries And Skin Irritation
Considering that the Whippet dog breed has a thin coat, he is also highly likely to get easily injured or wounded. His natural response which is to lick the affected area for comfort is oftentimes a trigger for more hair loss. If your Whippet is experiencing allergic reactions may it be from the food he ate, the skin irritations that will form can dry up his skin and damage his coat.
What Causes An Allergic Reaction
If you are to understand the concept of greyhounds and allergies fully, you must understand where allergic reactions come from. Understanding the origin of allergies will help you determine whether a greyhound is right for you and your family. It will also enlighten you on the steps to take to minimize the health risks that allergens cause, especially to hypersensitive people.
Although many people assume that these allergic reactions are caused by a pets fur, this is because a good number of dogs that shed very little or no fur at all are usually marketed as hypoallergenic. However, the real culprits of the allergic reactions are specific proteins that dogs create. Although the proteins in question are concentrated in the dogs saliva and urine, they are also present in dog dander. When dander sticks to the fur and the animal sheds their fur, the protein will be released into the air or settle on the floor. This is why fur is considered a potential threat to people with allergies.
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Dander Tips To Reduce Dander
Dander refers to the dead, dried flakes from a pets skin that they shed away or slough off through a natural process. Excessive dander will not only be annoying and trigger allergic reactions but should also serve as an indication that your pet is not as healthy as he should be. Living in a house with less allergen-filled dander will help you to create a healthier environment for your family and visitors. Whether or not you are an allergy sufferer, below are some tips to help you reduce dander if you are planning to get a greyhound.
Some food and environmental allergies can make your greyhound itchy and increase dander. You may want to consult your vet to ensure that your dog is on the right diet. Brush your pet regularly to loosen and reduce dander, and use a pet vacuum to such any loose dander and hair off. This will keep dander from spreading all over the house. Apart from helping to eliminate loose hair and skin, regular baths will also ensure your dog smells good. You can also rely on certain supplements to soften the dogs coat and minimize dander. If you are allergic to pets, you should avoid touching your mouth and eyes after petting your furry friend. You may also want to keep the greyhound away from your bed or furniture.
Finding A Good Italian Greyhound Breeder
If you decide to start looking for Italian Greyhound puppies for sale, dont be in a rush. Your goal is to find a happy, healthy hypoallergenic puppy with a cheerful, outgoing temperament.
Make a short list of breeders and contact them to see if they have any litters available. A good breeder will be knowledgeable about their breed, happy to answer any questions you may have and will be keen to know about you and the lifestyle you live in order to ensure a good home for their puppies.
The Italian Greyhound Club of America is a great place to start your search for they can provide lots of information on local events, clubs, rescues and the ongoing care and training of your new canine companion, they also have a list of breeders.
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Is There A Dog With No Dander
2. Basenji. Practically as efficient in self-cleaning as a cat, a Basenji is a great choice as a hypoallergenic dog for people with allergies. Not only does this pup groom himself but his soft, short hair does not shed as much as other dogs, leaving less dander and less effect on sensitive immune systems.
West Highland White Terrier
The West Highland White Terrier is a small, long-haired dog with a hardy constitution. They are a great dog for families, especially those with children. They have a personality that will make you fall in love with them and they dont drool or shed as much as other breeds of dogs do.
This breed also has minimal shedding of its dense and wiry coat which makes it easier to maintain than other breeds of dogs who shed constantly.
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Why Is Shedding The Problem
It actually is not the shedding that causes the problem the problem arises from what is attached to the fur.
Skin cells, saliva, and urine are where the allergic properties of a dog are found. No matter how clean you keep your Greyhound, a small amount of urine will always get on their hair, since it tends to splash back when they urinate, especially with males.
Dogs will then use their tongues in an attempt to clean the urine from their fur, leaving behind saliva residue as well.
Once these pieces of fur detach from the body, skin cells come along for the ride. The end result is hair full of allergens that is flying around your house and left to settle on various surfaces.
This hair then ends up in your nose, eyes, and mouth unfortunately the worst areas for ramping up allergic reactions.
Certain Breeds May Offer Relief
Many pet lovers are allergic to dog dander, dog saliva, and/or dog urine, and can therefore find it challenging to live with a four-legged companion. The protein in the saliva and urine sticks to the dried dander of a petâs skin which is then released into the air, triggering allergy symptoms in people.
While thereâs no such thing as a hypoallergenic dog, according to Dr. James Li at the Mayo Clinic, certain breeds that donât shed fur or shed very little offer hope to those who want to bring home a pet. Less shedding means less allergy-causing dander inside a home and, hopefully, fewer allergy symptoms for pet owners.
This list of 20 dog breeds for allergy sufferers highlights those known to have less dander and shed less. This doesnât mean that another breed isnât right for you, and itâs worth considering that there are hybrid dog breeds that may also work for those with allergies.
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Best: Tiny Toy Breeds Like The Maltese Might Work
Your bed should be off-limits if you have a dog allergy. Letting a dog sleep with you is one of the worst things you can do for your allergy symptoms. You should ideally make your entire bedroom off-limits to the pup and setting up a separate sleeping area for a dog is a lot easier when its just a wee one. A tiny, toy breed, such as a Maltese, could work.
Best: The Xloloitzcuintli Is A Good Fit For Families
Have you ever heard of the Xloloitzcuintli? Can you even pronounce it? Well help you out. Say it with us, show-low-eats-queen-tlee. Or you could just say Xolo for short.
These hypoallergenic dogs could be a good fit for families with a dog allergy. Some are hairless, while others have a very short coat. Either way, they dont need a lot of grooming, making them lower-maintenance than other breeds of dogs. The Xloloitzcuintli also happens to be one of the oldest, rarest types of dogs in the world.
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Allergies To Pet Hair
An allergy is the bodys immune system responding to something it doesnt like by causing inflammation. When an allergen enters the body, antibodies bind to it and present it to immune cells. These cells release inflammatory chemicals, such as histamine, which results in local inflammation. In the nose, allergic reactions cause sneezing, coughing, itchiness, a runny nose, difficulties breathing and asthma attacks.
Animal fur itself doesnt usually cause an allergic reaction instead its stuff produced by the animal trapped on the hair, such as dead skin, saliva, urine and faeces . Animal fur can also trap other substances that cause allergies, such as dust, pollen and dust mite faeces. Regardless of the cause, if the hair carrying allergens gets near your nose, it can cause an allergic reaction a susceptible person will get an allergic reaction when coming into contact with animal fur.
Worst: Pekingese Are Hard To House
You may not have thought about one surprising dog-related allergy trigger: urine. Some breeds of dogs, such as the Pekingese, are more difficult to house-train than other types of dogs. This makes them a poor choice for someone with a dog allergy. If your pet has an accident, clean the area as soon as you see it. Wear gloves, and use bleach or an enzyme cleaner from a local pet store to sanitize the area and to remove all signs of urine.
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Is The Polish Lowland Sheepdog Good For Allergy Sufferers
- The Polish Lowland Sheepdog sheds little to no hair and is good for allergy suffers. This darling, attractive, animated, clever, happy, and alert dog has a good memory. You’ll find this breed to be very obedient, intelligent and affectionate. Somewhat reserved and watchful with strangers, it will announce visitors loudly.
The Best Dog Breeds For People With Pet Allergies
If you have pet allergies and still want to get a dog, its not a bad idea to talk to your doctor or an allergist to figure out how you can live in harmony with mans best friend. Once you have that all figured out, you can start to narrow down which breed is right for you.
The AKC considers these breeds to be among the best for allergy sufferers.
- Afghan Hound.
- Siberian Husky.
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How Can I Reduce Allergy Symptoms From My Dog
Whether its your dog or another culprit causing your allergy symptoms, you can decrease the chances of feeling the effects of your allergies in seven easy steps:
Best And Worst Dog Breeds For People With Allergies
Allergic to dogs and desperate for a furry friend? These dog breeds may be perfect for you.
What do you do when you love dogs, but you or a family member is allergic? You do what many people do: Get one of a number of dog breeds touted as hypoallergenic. Theyre described as the best types of dogs for people with dog allergies because they tend to shed less than other breeds.
Pet hair or pet dander is a common cause of allergic rhinitis, a chronic disease that affects 40 million to 60 million Americans and more than 600 million people worldwide. Commonly known as hay fever, allergic rhinitis happens when the body overreacts to something that does not cause a problem in other people.
More than 200 million people worldwide also suffer from allergy-related asthma, and researchers say both conditions are underdiagnosed and undertreated .
Most people are not actually allergic to dog hair. Rather, they’re allergic to dander or saliva. Hair does have something to do with it, though: Sometimes other indoor allergens like dust, or outdoor allergens like grass or tree pollen, can build up on a dogs furry coat and trigger allergy symptoms like sneezing, congestion, nasal swelling, asthma and rashes. Many people with dog allergies complain about red, itchy eyes.
If you already have a dog, here are a few tips to prevent pet allergies:
Heres some more information on the best breeds for people with dog allergies.
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Are There Dander Free Dogs
Theres no such thing as a hypoallergenic dog breed, although some individual dogs may cause fewer allergy symptoms than others. Many people think that pet allergies are caused by a dogs or cats fur, but the real source of pet allergies is often a protein thats in the saliva and urine of dogs and cats.
Are Hypoallergenic Dogs Even A Real Thing
Many people seem to think so. But the American Kennel Club says that no dog is 100% hypoallergenic. But dont get bummed out if youre a dog lover with pet allergies. There are actually dog breeds that are less allergenic. These breeds are considered as such because they have more predictable, non-shedding coats that produce less dander. And less dander could mean that you wont be a sniffling, sneezing, runny eyed mess on a regular basis.
However, hypoallergenic dogs can still cause problems for allergy sufferers because, according to Dr. Hong, theres still a chance that your allergies could be triggered.
Many people believe that exposure to other dogs will trigger their allergy symptoms, while exposure to a hypoallergenic dog will not. However, objective scientific studies dont support the idea that any dogs are hypoallergenic, says Dr. Hong.
Dr. Hong adds that a 2012 study measured dog allergens concentrations in samples taken from the hair and coats of so-called hypoallergenic and non-hypoallergenic dogs, and from their respective owners homes.
The study found that the allergen levels were actually higher in hair and coat samples from the dogs that were supposedly hypoallergenic. And the home allergen concentrations for both sets of dog owners were about the same for each group.
So, in a nutshell, there is no clear scientific evidence to support a hypoallergenic species of dog.
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Schedule A Visit To The Vet
In case you try all these interventions without any significant improvement, it may be time to make a trip to your vet. The expert will examine and conduct tests on your greyhound before making a proper diagnosis. This will allow them to prescribe the drugs needed to alleviate the symptoms and address the root cause of the allergic reaction. The veterinarian will also advise you on what to do in order to reduce the level of exposure of the dog to potential triggers.
Greyhounds are affectionate, gentle, and born companions. However, the responsibility of protecting and taking care of this breed of dog can be enormous. This is especially true due to their fragile nature as well as the range of diseases they are prone to suffer from. As such, you must ensure you fully understand the responsibility ahead of you before making a greyhound part of your family. It essential to have an experienced veterinarian by your side when issues such as allergic reactions arise. This way, both you and your greyhound will enjoy not only a healthy relationship but healthy lives.
Worst: A German Shepherds Dry Skin Causes Excessive Pet Dander
Bathe and groom your dog regularly to minimize its danders effect on your allergy. But dont overdo it. Not washing your dog enough can lead to excess pet dander, but so can washing him too much. If your dog develops dry skin from too many baths, its apt to begin scratching, leaving dead skin cells lingering in the air. Some breeds, such as German shepherds, are more likely to develop dry skin than others.
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What Does Hypoallergenic Mean
To understand whether greyhounds are hypoallergenic, it is necessary to understand what this term means. While a lot of people think that this means a dog that will not cause an allergic reaction, a hypoallergenic dog is a dog that is less likely to cause a reaction. As such, a hypoallergenic dog is not entirely allergy safe. Generally, there are no 100% hypoallergenic dogs since even a hairless breed can set off allergies. Unlike popular belief, the reactions that hypersensitive people develop are not actually as a result of the hair found on dogs.
So, are greyhounds hypoallergenic? The answer is No. While greyhounds are medium shedding dogs, they still shed and will trigger allergies. However, greyhounds coats are short and have a minimal undercoat, meaning that their skin produces less oil. With a greyhound, dog smell will not be an issue, and many people with allergies to dogs will not have a problem owning or being near a greyhound. Some greyhounds will affect people with allergies less than others. At the same time, just like with any other new allergen, such people will need some time to get used to and adjust to the new allergens in their home. In short, a greyhound is an option that allergy sufferers can consider.
