If you’re suffering from pet allergies, it doesn’t necessarily mean that you won’t get to experience the love and the joys of having a pet friend in your life. Obviously, it would be an unnecessary health risk to care for an animal you’re allergic to.
Taking tons of medicine in order to tame your allergic reactions to be able to keep that pet in your house isn’t smart either. It would be not fair to the pet as well, as you wouldn’t be able to ensure proper care and the love they deserve to them, as your abilities to show your affection and to provide for the pet’s needs would be limited by your allergies.
Unfortunately, according to the vets, while some pets tend to produce many allergens than the others even within the same species (dogs, cats, parrots, etc.), there’s no kind of animal that could be a completely hypoallergenic pet. But, if you’re an animal lover who desperately wants to own a pet, you may choose among these amazing creatures that won’t harm your allergic soul as much as extremely cute, but so allergy-triggering fluffy cats or dogs.
Clearly, if you’re generally an allergic individual, it’s better to determine what pets, pet food and other necessities you’re allergic to in the first place and get an animal of your choice only when you’re approved by your doctor. That’s just what a responsible human being, willing not only to satisfy himself but also take the best care of an animal, should do.
Thus, think what animal out of the listed below you’d like to have the most, get cleared by a medical specialist and fulfill your lifetime desire despite your pet allergies!
Best pets for people with pet allergies
1. Dogs – Bichon Frise, poodles, Samoyed, etc.
Yep, you may still have a dog if you’re generally allergic to them. As allergy expert point out, it’s not actually the fur allergic individuals are sensitive to. It’s the protein in the dead skin furry pets shed (also known as dander), saliva and urine that triggers the allergic reaction and prevents people from having a furry friend.
That protein would not even be an issue if it didn’t stick to the pet’s fur and, consequently, to the human’s clothing, furniture and other stuff we have a close contact with. The protein can also get onto the things in our environment without the fur’s help.
But, people who suffer from dog allergies can easily tolerate a to a doggy that doesn’t shed a lot, has a thin coat or requires frequent grooming and, thus, transmits the allergens far less than other breeds.
Bichon Frise, being cute little dogs with a generally happy temperament, are also the low-allergen pets due to the characteristics of their fur. It’s quite curly, which makes it difficult for the dander to escape and cause allergy attacks. They also have to be groomed quite often, which leaves even fewer chances for the allergens to cause any major issues.
Poodles also have the curly coat with minimal undercoat. In addition to that, their fur goes through a long hair-growth cycle. Those factors turn poodles into perfect doggy friends for allergic people, as they don’t shed too much and the structure of their coat doesn’t let the dander to affect the owners in a negative way.
The Samoyed is literally a big fluffy dream of an allergic person come true. Even though these dogs have long, thick and white fur, they won’t make moderately sensitive people suffer from constant allergic reactions. The don’t produce too much dander, they have to be cleaned on a regular basis, and, despite the fact that they shed, they do so only twice a year and you may easily eliminate the allergy-related consequences by professional pet groomers.
Kerry blue terriers, Portuguese water dogs, American Labradoodles, Schnauzers, Yorkshire terriers, Maltese dogs, Italian greyhounds will cause no sniffles to their allergy-prone owners.
Thorough house cleaning, frequent grooming conducted by professionals from HireRush.com to avoid allergy attacks due to extensive contact with allergens will contribute to your happy coexistence with a dog.
2. Cats – Sphynx, Devon Rex, Colorpoint Shorthair, Russian Blue
The term ‘hypoallergenic’ may be related to a few of cat breeds as well. But, just as no dog may have an ‘allergy-free’ status, no cat is able to promise a reaction-free life to his owner. Again, it’s the cat’s fur characteristics and the amount of protein that’s present in the certain cat’s saliva and dander that put some feline pets in the low allergy category.
Just as in the situation with dogs, extremely sensitive people should probably stay away even from these adorable creatures. But average allergic people should be good if they get/adopt a short-haired cat like Sphynx, Devon Rex, Colorpoint Shorthair, Russian Blue, Burmese or Ocicat and take good care of it.3. Rodents – rabbits, guinea pigs and hamsters
Despite the fact that rabbits and hamsters have fur, they’re usually put into a cage and their contact with the owners and the home environment is minimal. That leads to a lower risk of pet allergies.
But, while hamsters are quite small and may really have minimal to no impact on your allergies, guinea pigs and rabbits are bigger animals that have more fur and require more spacious cages, which imposes a higher allergy threat. Thus, you should definitely contact with a rabbit/guinea pig/rat/chinchilla before getting one of them to see how your pet allergies perform.
Other low allergy pets you may become friends with
- Goldfish – an obvious, but highly underrated pet choice for people with pet allergies. Watch out for the fish food and aquarium water conditioner allergy, though, as most people don’t expect those to come.
- Reptiles – no fur or dander – no problems. Snakes and turtles are so cool and interesting to care for. On top of that, they rarely cause allergies. However, one has to be on top of the tank cleaning routine in order to avoid mold growth, which triggers allergies.
- Lizards – again, hairless pets rule when it comes to being hypoallergenic. For instance, Leopard gecko is far from being an average pet, but, if you think about it, it is thoroughly enjoyable to have. It’s low maintenance as well, even though it won’t be the greatest pet choice for people who’re against live feeding or who have allergies to the live food geckos need.
