Pets bring a lot of joy — but for people with animal allergies, they can also bring sneezing, itchy eyes, a runny nose, and in some cases, asthma symptoms. Animal allergy is one of the more common causes of allergic rhinitis (hay fever) and asthma in Australia, and it can be surprisingly tricky to identify.
One reason it often goes unrecognised is timing. Up to half of people who are allergic to animals won’t get symptoms straight away when they’re around them. Reactions can be delayed or gradual, making it easy to attribute symptoms to something else entirely.
What causes the reaction — fur, or something else?
It’s a common misconception that pet hair itself is the problem. The real culprits are proteins found in animal dander (tiny flakes of skin), saliva, and skin secretions.
Cats produce a particularly persistent allergen from sebaceous glands in their skin. This sticky protein attaches itself to dander, dust, and virtually every surface in the home. Cats also spread it further by grooming themselves. Cat allergen can linger in a home for up to six months after a cat has been removed — and in a cat’s bedding for up to four years. It can even travel into homes where no cat has ever lived, carried on clothing and belongings. Importantly, all cat breeds produce this allergen — there is no truly hypoallergenic cat.
Dogs spread allergen primarily through their saliva, which is then carried on dander. Some breeds shed less dander than others, which may reduce allergen spread — but no dog breed is completely allergen-free.
Other animals — including horses, rabbits, guinea pigs, mice, rats, and birds — can also trigger allergic rhinitis and asthma, though reactions to these are less common than cat and dog allergy.
How is pet allergy diagnosed?
An Immunologist or GP Allergist can confirm a pet allergy using skin prick testing or a blood test that measures allergen-specific IgE antibodies. These tests help identify exactly which animals are triggering your immune system, which is important for guiding the right management approach.
If you’ve been wondering whether your symptoms are connected to an animal — at home, at a friend’s place, or in a work environment — it’s worth getting a proper diagnosis rather than guessing.
Managing animal allergy
The most effective way to manage a pet allergy is to reduce or eliminate exposure to the allergen. For some people, that means making difficult decisions about pets at home.
Ideally, this means not introducing a pet into the home or rehoming an existing pet. We understand this isn’t always straightforward, and for many families it simply isn’t on the table. If removing the animal isn’t possible, the following measures may help reduce allergen load — though it’s worth knowing that none of these have been definitively proven to eliminate symptoms on their own:
- Keep the pet out of the allergic person’s bedroom
- Remove carpet from the bedroom where possible, as allergen settles into soft furnishings
- Restrict the pet to one area of the home
- Use a high-efficiency (HEPA) vacuum cleaner
- Wash the pet weekly
Even with these steps in place, allergen levels in the home often remain high enough to cause ongoing symptoms.
Treatment options
When avoidance isn’t fully possible, several treatments can help manage symptoms.
Intranasal corticosteroid sprays are often the first-line option for allergic rhinitis and work well for ongoing nasal symptoms. Antihistamines can help with mild to moderate symptoms and are useful for acute or occasional exposure.
For people with significant, persistent symptoms — particularly those who are regularly exposed to animals they can’t avoid — allergen immunotherapy (desensitisation) is worth discussing with an Immunologist or GP Allergist. Immunotherapy doesn’t just manage symptoms; it works to change the underlying immune response over time. It should only be initiated and supervised by a clinical immunology/allergy specialist.
You can read more about how allergen immunotherapy works on our AIT page.
When to see an Immunologist or GP Allergist
If animal allergy is affecting your quality of life — disrupting sleep, limiting where you can go, or contributing to poorly controlled asthma — it’s worth a conversation with an allergy specialist. A proper diagnosis opens up a more targeted and effective management plan than trying to manage symptoms alone. The team at Austral Allergy sees patients across our Canberra and Adelaide clinics. We welcome you to arrange an appointment https://canberraallergy.com.au/
Clinics coming soon to Melbourne and the Northern Rivers
https://www.allergy.org.au/images/pc/ASCIA_PC_Pet_Allergy_FAQ_2024.pdf