Hypoallergenic Dog Claims Debunked

[Muttaburra]

Claims that some "breeds" of dogs are hypoallergenic have been challenged by a new study. Certainly less shedding makes for lower volume of allergens, however it appears that the allergy is not to the fur.

"The idea that you can buy a certain breed of dog and think it will cause less allergy problems for a person already dog-allergic is not borne out by our study," Johnson said.

What gives?

Dr. James T.C. Li, chair of the division of allergic diseases at the Mayo Clinic may have the answer. He says the real source of pet allergies is not the fur, but a protein that's found in a dog's saliva and urine, that sticks to dried flakes on the pet's skin, known as dander. Some dogs, he says, are "marketed" as hypoallergenic because they don't shed as much.

"Because these dogs don't shed, the allergy-causing dander that sticks to their fur doesn't get released into the air or onto the floor as much as it would with a shedding dog," he writes on the Mayo Clinic website. "While you may have fewer allergy symptoms with a so-called hypoallergenic dog than with a shedding dog, no dog breed is hypoallergenic."

Link

[Alkhe]

Argh, if I had a dollar for the number of times someone has told me about their hyper-allergenic dog! And reassured me that XX breed would be fine for me, that their dog doesn't shed etc

I'm allergic to dogs (and cats, horses, wombats, blah blah, everything with fur, basically) and am only ok with poodles and some poodle crosses. Even my mum's poodle x maltese gives me hayfever and asthma. He doesn't shed, has curly fur, but nup, couldn't live with him.

I personally have different symptoms from some dogs - eg, labrador and golden retriever saliva gives me hives, but I haven't experienced this from (m)any other breeds. And the dogs that most affect me seem to be JRT type. Obviously these things are just based on my own personal experiences, and I've had more experience with some breeds than others.

I've heard and read many things about what exactly I'm allergic to - I had rounds and rounds of allergy shots when I was younger too, none of which helped much, if at all. I'm fine with poodles though (thank god), and as long as I can at least have poodles life is worth living!!

I'd love to know more about what the difference is between poodles and other dogs though. There must be something additional to the saliva, that can cause allergic reactions.

Edited July 11, 2011 by Alkhe

[Dogsfevr]

This has been known for many years .

The breeds that don't shed are only suggested as being more suitable in some cases but no means of a guarantee

[budgiew]

Yes ,i could have told them that years ago.I am allergic to some dogs and less with others,less fur has nothing to do with it .For me it's the smell of the dog that sets it off.Also male dogs have a much stronger odor than females to me.I tested good with a female Vizsla but the male had avery strong odor that i reacted strongly to.It was the same with poodles.Weimaraners both sexes were very good. You have to spend time with different breeds to find which ones are ok for you.

[Nekhbet]

yup nothing new either. It's why people who have cat allergies can sometimes get away with having a cat if they wash it on a very regular basis.

As for the hypoallergenic breeds show me an oodle and watch my face erupt and burn like crazy.

[Shaar]

I have Poodles and when I am just in the room with them or petting them I am fine, but if they lick my hands (specifically one particular dog) my hands will be red and burning within 5 minutes. So that makes sense.

But my mum has a Basset Hound and when I visit them I am sneezing and wheezing without even touching him.

The problem with that argument is that most places that advertise dogs as being good for allergy sufferers is that they use the label of "allergy friendly". They aren't saying it's the hair at all.