Dog hair allergy in the child

Approx. every 4th child suffers from an allergy. Animal hair is one of the most common triggers of allergic symptoms.The first symptoms usually only appear in older children – they usually develop from the age of 2 or 3.

In children, too, allergy to a dog is transmitted or caused by hair, skin, saliva and urine. In principle, a dog hair allergy can be seen in children in the same way as in adults. In the foreground are symptoms such as eye tears, rhinitis, sneezing and skin rashes.

When treating a dog hair allergy in children, contact with dogs should be avoided. If a dog is kept as a pet and not given away, the allergy can worsen due to the permanent and close contact and may lead to the development of allergic bronchial asthma. From the age of 5-6 years, a so-called hyposensitization, also called “specific immunotherapy”, can be performed.

In this therapy, allergens are repeatedly injected under the skin of the child over a period of 3 years to create a habituation to the substances. In the majority of children, the symptoms disappear completely. As already described, the symptoms of an animal hair allergy do not differ fundamentally between children and adults.

The contact of the allergens with the mucous membrane of the eyes causes eye itching and tears, inhalation through the nose leads to rhinitis, a blocked nose and sneezing attacks. If the lungs are also affected by the inhalation of hair components, symptoms of allergic asthma can also occur in children. Affected children find it difficult to breathe and coughing and asthma attacks can occur.

In particular, breathing out is more difficult during an attack – whistling noises are often audible. In more severe cases, the children are short of breath and feel breathlessness. When children come into contact with allergens, they can also develop various skin rashes.

The suspicion that a dog hair allergy is present is usually expressed by those affected themselves. To confirm this suspicion, it is advisable to consult a doctor. The symptoms can also be confused with the symptoms of other allergies or with bacterial or viral infections.

The doctor usually first takes a detailed medical history. This includes important questions:

What exactly are the symptoms?
How often and when exactly do they occur?
Can they be triggered by certain activities/situations?
Can they be improved or worsened by certain activities/situations?
Are there similar symptoms in other family members?
Are there other known diseases and/or allergies?

This is followed by a physical examination. During this examination, the doctor examines the eyes, nose and sinuses and, if necessary, affected areas of skin.

After initial examinations, a suspicion is usually already confirmed, but can then be confirmed by certain tests. There are various skin tests that can be used to detect allergies. The most widespread is the so-called prick test.

In this test, the doctor applies various allergens diluted in solution to the patient’s forearm. He then pricks the skin with a small lancet in the middle of the droplets so that the allergens enter the body. An allergic reaction has taken place in those areas where redness and/or wheals appear within ten to twenty minutes.

If the result is unsatisfactory, the prick test can be supplemented by an intradermal test. In this test, the allergens are injected directly under the skin, making this test more accurate but also more painful. A blood test can also provide information about a questionable allergy.

However, it is usually only carried out if, for some reason, the prick test cannot be performed or only gives unclear results. Blood is taken and tested in the laboratory for a specific antibody subtype (IgE, which is increasingly released in the course of allergic reactions). The total IgE, i.e. all IgE-antibodies present in the blood, can be measured.

However, this is only of limited significance, as it can also be increased by other factors (such as worm infections or smoking). It is better to determine the specific IgE. This is directed against a specific allergen, in this case a dog hair allergen.If this value is increased, it speaks almost 100% in connection with the appropriate clinical picture for an existing dog hair allergy.

A last possibility is the provocation test. In this test, the patient is confronted directly with the suspected allergen, for example, it is brought into contact with the mucous membrane of the eye or nose. Since this test can sometimes trigger severe allergic reactions, it is rarely used and must only be performed under strict supervision.

Important differential diagnoses of a dog hair allergy are other allergic diseases, for example hay fever, allergies to other animal hair, food allergies or drug allergies. Also some infections (viral, bacterial or even by worms), certain changes in the nasopharynx or even hormonal disorders can cause similar symptoms. For this reason, a thorough diagnosis is essential even in apparently clear cases of dog hair allergy.

An allergy to dog hairs can already be recognized by a conversation about the occurrence and nature of the symptoms. Nevertheless, a final diagnosis should only be made after further tests. The most commonly used is the so-called prick test.

In this test, as already described, possible allergens are applied to the skin on the forearm and the skin is slightly scratched. In case of an existing dog hair allergy, the skin would react at this point. It would blush within 15-20 minutes and possibly form typical wheals.

The test would therefore be positive. In addition to this test a blood test can be performed. In the RAST test, the patient’s blood is examined for antibodies, which are produced in increased amounts in the case of an acute infection.

The provocation test is not used too often nowadays. The allergens are applied directly to the nasal mucosa, for example, and a direct reaction occurs. However, since the allergic reaction here can be very strong and can also lead to threatening situations, the test is only rarely used.

The most important component of a therapy against a dog hair allergy is the consistent avoidance of contact with the allergen (“allergenic absence”). If possible, affected persons should not keep their own dog and should also keep contact with the animals in other areas of life as low as possible. Often it falls ill late however very heavily from a domestic animal to separate.

If a decision is made to buy a dog with a known allergy, comprehensive information about allergy-friendly breeds should be obtained. Since the dog hair allergen is not so small and typically not so persistent as for example the cat hair allergen, one can try to counteract the dog hair allergy first of all with extensive hygiene measures. It is particularly important to vacuum frequently any carpets and upholstered furniture (preferably with a fine dust or water filter).

In addition, the dog should come into contact with textiles as little as possible, in which hair can easily get stuck. It is also advisable not to let the dog into the bedroom to allow the body to recover at least at night. In addition, one should make sure that the dog is combed and wiped frequently to reduce loose allergens as much as possible.

However, all these measures are usually not able to remove dog hair completely from an apartment. Therefore, additional medication must often be used to get the symptoms under control. Against allergies in general, antihistamines are usually prescribed in the form of: Which of the many preparations works best in which dosage must be decided individually.

It can sometimes take some time to find the optimal mode of application. But even though this therapy often helps relatively well, it is purely symptomatic.

Tablets
Ointments
Eye drops and nose drops are available.

If the problem is to be tackled causally, ultimately only hyposensitization (also: desensitization) comes into question.

A hyposensitization, technically called specific immunotherapy, is used in dog hair allergy to fight hypersensitivity. It represents thereby the only causal therapy form – if it is successful, the allergy is practically cured. After contact with dogs, no more symptoms occur.

The success rate of a hyposensitization is very high with dog hair with over 80%.In almost every treated patient the symptoms can be significantly alleviated. In hyposensitization, small amounts of allergen are repeatedly introduced into the body over a period of at least 3 years. It is usually injected into the skin and administered in constantly increasing doses up to a certain maximum dose.

This leads to a tolerance of the allergen. The body reacts much weaker to renewed contact. The treatment promises success especially at a young age.

The reason for this is that the immune system in children is still very capable of learning and changing. In addition, the success rate is higher if only a few allergies are present at the same time in those affected. Since the injection of children before the age of 5 or 6 is often not accepted, they are usually treated only from the age of 6.

While this procedure is now well established and proven for cat hair allergy, it is not yet certain whether it is also effective for dog hair allergy. Therefore, this treatment is not yet covered by many health insurance companies. In general, it is only possible if the affected person does not have a dog in the household, because otherwise a success can be almost excluded.

In homeopathy, too, the main way to treat dog allergies is to avoid the dog. Since dog allergies are usually weak, it is often recommended as a therapeutic measure in homeopathy to keep the dog outside rather than inside the house. A well-tested remedy that is causally effective against dog hair allergy is not known in homeopathy.

However, various globules can be used to reduce the symptoms. For the treatment of eye itching, watering eyes, sneezing and runny nose, these include, for example, globules with euphrasia (eyebright), calcium sulphate liver, allium cepa (onion) and galphimia glauca (laburnum). It is important to understand that the active ingredients in the globules are only present in minimal amounts due to a high dilution. Their effect, as with practically all homeopathic medicines, could not be proven by reliable studies. If the symptoms persist despite the use of homeopathic globules, it is recommended to use other forms of therapy.