Dog Dander Allergies: Amy & Dudley's Story

Amy is a 23-year-old architect who enjoys painting and hiking. But her one true love is her new dog Dudley. Unfortunately, since Amy brought Dudley home this spring, she’s had a constantly runny nose, been sneezing non-stop, and her eyes are red and watery. Amy doesn’t want to admit it, but she thinks she may be allergic to Dudley. After her symptoms seemed to worsen in the fall, and her antihistamine stopped being effective, Amy reluctantly made an appointment with her healthcare professional to test for allergen sensitization.

Amy’s Results

The results of an ImmunoCAP^TM Whole Allergen blood test helped her healthcare professional identify that Amy is sensitized to mold, dust mites, and to Amy’s dismay, dog dander. But Amy doesn’t need to find a new home for Dudley, she just needs to minimize her exposure to what she’s allergic to. Minimizing her total exposure may be enough to lessen or eliminate her symptoms. Amy’s healthcare professional was able to help her develop a plan to keep her allergies under control—and Dudley at her house.

Dogs

Mold

Ragweed

Allergic Triggers Add Up

Most people with allergies—up to 80%— are allergic to more than one thing.¹And for some individuals; these symptoms may appear only when they encounter two or more things they’re allergic to at the same time. That’s why Amy started sneezing after she brought Dudley home: it’s not that she’s allergic to dogs, it’s that she’s allergic to mold, dust mites AND dogs. Without an allergy blood test, Amy worried that she would need to find Dudley a new home—because living with a dog was her personal allergy tipping point that caused her to start experiencing symptoms. But that’s not the case. By reducing her exposure to her specific allergens, Amy was able to minimize her symptoms while still keeping Dudley.

Understand how your allergic triggers can add up >

Simple Steps to Management

Amy worked with her healthcare professional to help reduce her contact with everything that caused her allergy symptoms. Her healthcare professional recommended that she put an air purifier with a HEPA (High-Efficiency Particulate Air) filter in her bedroom to help trap harmful particles, such as mold spores, dust mites and pet dander. Also, to keep Dudley out of her bedroom. Dudley also started receiving frequent baths and Amy started showering at night to reduce her contact with Dudley’s dander. Reducing Amy’s contact with mold, dust mites and dog dander meant she responded better to her antihistamine and her symptoms went away. But more importantly, Dudley got to stay.

Learn now to limit your exposure >

Why it’s important to know

You may think you know what is causing your symptoms, but it’s important to truly understand what’s causing your sniffling and sneezing. Learning what causes your symptoms can help you achieve relief now, and avoid more serious issues in the future. So, how do you know if the symptoms you have are caused by an allergy – or several? Be sure to consult with your healthcare professional.

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The people, places and events depicted in these photographs do not represent actual patients, nor are they affiliated in any way with the attached case study or Thermo Fisher Scientific.

References

Ciprandi G, Alesina R, Ariano R, et al. Characteristics of patients with allergic polysensitization; the polismail study. Eur Ann Allergy Clin Immunol. 40(3); 2008: 77-83.

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