Pet Allergies: Facts and Fiction
Where can you find the breed of dog that will not shed; a pet that is, in effect, the living equivalent of a
wash-and-wear shirt? Only in your local toy store! Do not be taken in by sales talk about minimal
maintenance, no fuss, and no vacuuming when you purchase breeds such as the Lhasa Apso, Shih Tm,
Poodle, and Maltese. The bible of the pedigreed dog owner, the American Kennel Club’s The Complete
Dog Book has no official listing of any recognized breeds as “non-shedders”. Every breed of dog,
regardless of how much it sheds or how long its coat naturally is, requires consistent grooming, including
careful brushing and combing all seasons of the year.
The breeds often cited as non-shedding, including Poodles, may in fact present the uninformed owner
with more of a problem than the obvious and unashamed long-haired seasonal shedders. Poodles and
similar types actually shed hair toward the skin rather than down on the furniture and carpet. Dead hairs
that do not drop become entangled with living hair, resulting in a dense mat when the dog does not
receive regular grooming, and wrinkled breeds like Pugs and Shar Peis are prone to dry, irritated skin that
can become infected, causing more skin cells and dander.
In simplest terms, if you have allergies, you are hypersensitive to one or more substances that do not
bother most people. The substances your body is hypersensitive to, called allergens, are plant and animal
proteins. Through a complex chain reaction, the allergen ultimately stimulates your immune system to
release defensive chemicals, which cause the inflammation of nasal passages, constriction of bronchial
tubes and itching.
One of the more persistent myths surrounding pets and allergies is that short-haired and “non-shedding”
dogs do not cause allergies. It is the dander (the top layer of skin), the length of the coat, that is the
allergic problem. ALL dogs and cats, regardless of length of hair, have dander, so all are potential
problems. Not only is the dander allergenic, but there are certain proteins in salvia and urine that can
also cause people to be allergic. Any dog that urinates or licks has the potential to be an allergic-type
breed! With cats, who are twice as likely to make their owners sneeze as dogs, the evidence points more
to the enzymes in the cat’s saliva, liberally deposited on the animal’s coat through grooming, that is the
real culprit. Longer-haired cats tend to shed less allergen and, consequently, owners with allergies have
fewer reactions. Traditionally, short-haired felines give off more allergen. Since cat hair itself is not
allergenic, shaving your cat or acquiring a hairless breed, such as the Rex, would not necessarily solve
your problems. Also, other substances that you may be allergic to such as pollen, dust, and mites may
cling to your cat’s hair, especially if the cat goes outdoors. In this sense, cat hair may be the horse the
bad guys ride in on!
The search for a breed of dog or cat that does not cause allergies has been futile. A major study has
shown that the majority of allergy-causing materials exist in all breeds more or less equally. Because
individual animals do vary in the amount of dander they produce, a person may be less allergic (or sadly,
more allergic) to an individual dog or cat. Don’t expect to become less allergic as time goes by. The loss
of allergic sensitivity is simply not the rule and does not happen with continuous exposure to a pet.