Do hypoallergenic pets exist? The primary causes of allergic reactions to dogs and cats is not the hair or fur, but dander or old skin scales which are constantly shed into the environment. These allergens are small proteins that allergy sufferers seldom realize are circulating in the air, in carpetting, clinging to furniture, draperies and wall coverings. If a dog or cat has been in the home for a long time, its dander will be present in the entire house. Dander occurs in the epidermis, or the outer layer of skin. The epidermis of dogs and cats is thin, only a few cells thick. The cells turnover about every 21 days, the outer cells die and flake off as dander. In some breeds that are prone to dry and oily seborrhea, the epidermal turnover is 3 to 4 days. Dander is easily airborne and can be present in high enough levels to cause symptoms even if a pet is not present. Significant levels can be found in classrooms, even if a pet has never been in the room. Dander can persist in the environment even months after the pet has been removed. Up to 10% of the general population and 40% of allergic individuals react to cats and dogs. Allergy to cats is twice as common as allergy to dogs. In most areas of the country approximately 50% of homes will have a dog or cat living indoors. Many of the homes where there is no pet living inside still contain enough dander to cause an allergic reaction. There are 90 million cats and 75 million dogs in the US. 17% of cat owners and 5% of dog owners are sensitized to their pets' dander. Cat dander is generally more likely to cause allergies than dog dander. The vast majority of pet owners keep their pets despite being advised by their allergists to keep the pets outside of the house. Many let the animals sleep on their bed. Pet owners ask about available measures to reduce the accumulation of dander in the house. Some measures to reduce dander include moving the pet outside, restricting the pet to a certain are a in the home, frequent bathing of the pet, house cleaning, using a vacuum cleaner with a HEPA filter, or having multiple HEPA air filtration devices. No avoidance measure can compare with removal of the pet. Pet allergies are on the rise. More people are keeping indoor pets. Pet allergy can cause significant allergy problems, including asthma and eczema. Despite claims about certain breeds by people in the $50 billion pet industry, NO SCIENTIFIC EVIDENCE HAS BEEN PUBLISHED to support the claims of "hypoallergenic" dogs or cats. On the contrary, there are several good studies refuting this notion. When a danderless cat is developed, I will reconsider and blog all about it. Wait a minute...isn't that called an iguana?

MEOW???