Up to 30 million Americans, close to 10%, have a pet dander allergy. To relieve a pet dander allergy it’s important to understand what causes of the allergy to begin with.
Dander, skin flakes, saliva and urine from dogs and cats, can cause allergic reactions such as sneezing, wheezing, runny eyes and noses. Both feathers and the droppings from birds, can increase the allergen exposure.
Dog or Cat Hair Is NOT The Cause of Allergies
I can say that there is also no such thing as a completely non-allergenic breed.
Cat Pet Dander Allergy Relief Allergy
An estimated 6 million Americans are allergic to cats and approximately one third of them have cats in their homes. Allergic reactions to cats can range from inflammation of the nose and eyes to asthma attacks. Sadly, although the most effective treatment is removal of the pet, recent scientific studies have shown that steps can be taken in to significantly decrease one’s exposure to cat allergen without having to find another home for your beloved family member .
Cat allergen is not actually cat hair, or the dander itself, but a protein present in the dander and saliva of cats. The allergens that become airborne as microscopic particles when inhaled into the nose or lungs, can produce allergic symptoms.
Dog Allergy
Dog allergies are less common than cat allergy. To contrary to popular belief, dog hair is not what makes you feel miserable – just like with cats, it is a specific protein in the dander that gets to you. For some allergy sufferers, a dog’s lick may also set off an allergic response.
Because dogs tend to scratch themselves more than cats, dog allergen can be more easily introduced into the air. The reason for excessive scratching may be that the dog itself is allergic to something in your home. There are hundreds of possible causes of this, the most common is mold. It is worth mentioning that the same source may be worsening your own allergy symptoms, so taking care of it would make life easier for both you and your pet.
4 Types of Purification for Pet Allergies
These are the 4 types that will help with pet dander allergy relief, in order of effectiveness:
Washable PreFilter Having a washable pre-filter on your air purifier screens out particles of dust coming into the unit. A washable pre-filter removes most of the larger particles before they have a chance to reach the other technologies.
Washable Electrostatic Grid is an electric dust collector trapping also pollens, pet dander, molds and someother airborne pollutants that passed through the PreFilter.
Hepa Filter A Hepa Filter is extremely important technology to have for anyone with asthma or any allergies. It removes pollen, dust, mold spores, and pet dander.
Activated Carbon Filter is by far the most effective filter for removing pet odours.
Additional Technologies Negative Ions, UV, TI02. Although these other technologies don’t specifically or directly help with Pet Allergies, UV and the magnifying effect of UV by TI02 does kill viruses, bacteria, mold and mildew that will be helpful to both Pet and People with a pet dander allergy.
Conclusion
Having an Air Purifier for a pet dander allergy relief that also generates negative ions is a plus for pets and humans alike. The addition of negative ionization in a room is known to ‘make birds sing’ as it mimics air conditions in the forests and in general creates ‘healthy’ air.