Since dander is shed from an animal’s body, you can be exposed to it without even touching an animal. All you have to do is come in contact with something an animal has slept on, played with, or otherwise come in contact with themselves.
Symptoms of Reactions to Dander
If you have asthma, you can develop a variety of respiratory effects in response to animal dander. You may notice symptoms immediately after exposure or you may begin to develop the effects hours afterward.
Often, animal dander can cause allergy symptoms rather than typical symptoms of asthma, including:
Runny and stuffy noseScratchy throatWatery, itchy, red eyesA rash or irritated skin
When traditional asthma symptoms occur in response to animal dander exposure, they can include:
Chest tightness Cough Wheezing Shortness of breath
Exposure to higher amounts of animal dander is associated with more severe symptoms and a higher risk of asthma attacks.
When you have an asthma attack, you can also experience lightheadedness or even loss of consciousness due to decreased oxygen levels, especially if your respiratory distress isn’t treated promptly.
Over time, recurrent asthma symptoms and asthma attacks will damage your lungs, resulting in difficulty breathing even in the absence of triggers.
Causes
Dander proteins are particles that are carried through the air. These may be present whether an animal is in the same room with you or not.
You can inhale them through your nose or mouth, or they can get into your lungs if you touch them and then touch your nose or mouth. As the particles are so small, you may not even realize you’re around them until you have a reaction.
Exposure to pet dander can trigger symptoms in people who have asthma, but pets and dander don’t cause asthma to develop.
Rather, animal dander contains endotoxins, which are chemicals that induce a harmful physical reaction. These stimulate immune cells and proteins, specifically immunoglobulin E (IgE).
If you have asthma, you are prone to episodes of bronchoconstriction or bronchospasm due to a variety of triggers. The immune reaction that occurs due to dander, in this case, results in this airway narrowing and/or sudden airway spasm.
Diagnosis
Self-reported symptoms are very helpful to healthcare providers working to identify the reason for asthma exacerbations. With animal dander and asthma, however, identifying patterns of symptoms can be challenging.
If, say, you have trouble breathing every time you’re around your aunt’s fluffy dog, that may be obvious. But there are other cases when you might experience asthma symptoms without being aware you’ve come in contact with pet dander at all. And the fact that symptoms could be mild or delayed can make finding such connections that much harder.
Try your best to pay attention to your animal exposures and your symptoms. Note when they occur, what they involve, and what types of animals you were around when they happened.
Present this to your healthcare provider, who will review the information and may conduct a skin prick test to help identify the cause of your symptoms.
Treatment
The best treatment for asthma reactions to animal dander is to avoid exposure altogether. But this isn’t always realistic. You and your family may be too attached to the family pet to consider rehoming them, you may need the help of a service animal, or you might regularly encounter animal dander at friends’ homes or even at your place of work.
Medical therapies to both prevent and treat reactions are available, and lifestyle changes can also go a long way in reducing related symptoms.
Preventive Medication
Preventive treatments include taking inhaled corticosteroids or antihistamines before being around animals. For example, Xolair (omalizumab) is an injectable medication that can be used to prevent pet allergen‐induced asthma.
Allergen injection immunotherapy—also known as subcutaneous immunotherapy (SCIT) or, more simply, allergy shots—involves a healthcare provider repeatedly injecting small amounts of an allergen just beneath the skin. This will eventually reduce a person’s allergic response to the allergen and has been used to treat animal dander-induced asthmatic reactions with some success.
In fact, in updated guidelines for asthma treatment issued in December 2020, the National Institutes of Health recommended SCIT in addition to standard medication for people over age 5 with mild to moderate asthma that is controlled at the initiation, build-up, and maintenance phases of immunotherapy. This approach is not advisable for people with severe asthma.
Emergency Medication
Inhaled short-acting beta-agonists (SABAs) are bronchodilators that quickly open the airways. Also known as rescue inhalers, these treatments can help alleviate asthma symptoms after they begin.
Lifestyle Strategies
If your reaction to pet dander is mild, you could consider the following strategies for reducing exposure. Note, however, that according to the NIH guidelines, measures such as these should be used in conjunction with medication and other mitigating approaches, as they are not likely to be effective on their own. For example, keeping your cat out of your bedroom may help but will not be enough to prevent asthma symptoms alone.
Change clothes after prolonged playing or exposure to your pet. Make your pet an “outside only” animal if possible and appropriate. Stay away from your pet’s favorite furniture. Keep your pet out of bedrooms and other places where you spend a lot of time. Ask your veterinarian if bathing your pet more frequently could help. If you live with a family member or roommate who doesn’t have asthma, ask that they bathe the pet, as well as clean the cage, living space, or litter box. Remove wall-to-wall carpet. Consider hardwood, tile, or linoleum flooring as it won’t retain allergens as much as carpeting does. If that’s not an option, steam clean carpet frequently. Use HEPA air filters to help reduce dander exposure. Wear a dust mask while vacuuming. (Note: Frequent vacuuming does not decrease dander exposure, but using a HEPA vacuum filter or double bag may help. )
Safer Pets for Asthma
If you or your child has asthma and you don’t already have a pet, but want one, try spending time with someone who has the animal you are considering before you take the plunge.
While there are no pets that are completely hypoallergenic, some animals produce less allergen than others and might be a better choice if you really want a pet.
Alternatively, consider animals that typically do not cause or worsen allergies like:
Turtles Hermit crabs Aquarium fish Snakes
A Word From Verywell
People who have asthma may experience a reaction to animal dander at any age. For example, you could have symptoms during your childhood, adolescence, and/or adulthood, but you might not necessarily experience them throughout your whole life.
It may take some time for you, your family, and your healthcare provider to pinpoint animal dander as a trigger of your asthma symptoms. Once you do, try your very best to avoid dander so you can minimize your need for medication—especially emergency asthma treatments.
