An Expert Reveals Whether Hypoallergenic Pets Can Actually Reduce Allergies

Read this if you're allergic to cats and dogs.

Senior Reporter, Work/Life

For people with pet allergies, hypoallergenic pets are marketed as the supposed solution — but that couldn’t be further from the truth.

Here’s a hard reality check: your favorite labradoodle, Yorkshire terrier, Siberian cat or other popular “hypoallergenic breeds” can still make you cough and sneeze if you’re allergic to pets, because there is no scientific way to guarantee you’ll have an allergen-free cat or dog.

“I have this conversation almost every day in my clinic,” said Kathleen May, division chief of allergy, immunology and pediatric rheumatology at the Medical College of Georgia at Augusta University. “The biggest issue is the data does not support the existence of hypoallergenic pets.”

Myth #1: The Right Fur Will Prevent Allergies

Too many people believe that if your pet has a certain coat texture that sheds less, it means your pet is more likely to be hypoallergenic. But regardless of fur, pet allergens can be found in the dander and skin of your beloved pooch or cat. “When they lick, it’s in their saliva, because they lick their skin,” May explained.

And not even a hypoallergenic dog can prevent your allergy sensitivities.

A 2011 study in the American Journal of Rhinology & Allergy found that households with dog breeds cited as hypoallergenic, including poodle mixes and terriers, had no difference in the levels of the primary dog allergen Can f 1 found in dust samples from those homes.

In fact, a separate 2012........

© HuffPost