It’s what many of us look forward to after a long day at work – cuddling our pet. Snuggling up with our furry friends can have a beneficial effect, including lowering our blood pressure and even helping to prevent heart disease. But for some this close contact can also cause unpleasant allergic symptoms, known as pet allergies. Airborne allergens expert, Max Wiseberg provides some insight into this common condition plus some useful tips to help…

Pet allergies are an allergic reaction to tiny particles shed by your pet which become airborne (known as ‘dander’). Cat owners generally get more grief than dog owners as cats groom more often and their dander is smaller, becoming airborne more easily and for longer. And if you get a pet such as a cat, for the first time as an adult, this can really spell trouble. This is because people who have had a cat in childhood have a much smaller risk of becoming sensitised to it than those who are new cat owners.

Unless you are severely allergic to pets, there are many ways to avoid the allergens which don’t involve re-homing your cat, dog, rabbit, hamster or other furry pets. Airborne allergens expert Max Wiseberg offers some easy to implement tips.

• Keep pets off sofas and beds, and out of the bedroom altogether if possible, to reduce exposure.
• Wash your dog or cat’s bedding and basket regularly.
• Wash and groom pets regularly too; according to leading UK allergy charity, Allergy UK, bathing a cat once or twice a week can reduce cat allergens in the home by 90%.
• Dust surfaces with a damp cloth, and vacuum regularly, to minimise the amount of allergens in the house.
• Keep cuddly toys and blankets in a cupboard to prevent the build up of pet dander on them. In addition, using an allergen barrier balm such as HayMax can reduce the amount of allergen entering the body through the nose.

We Tested HayMax Balm against Pet allergies

HayMax is an organic, drug-free allergen barrier balm that has been proven in independent studies to trap dust allergens in the air before they enter the body. As long as this is enough to keep the sufferer below their sensitivity level, the symptoms won’t be triggered. Applying the balm around the nostrils or around the bones of the eyes provides a highly effective, invisible barrier to pet and other airborne allergens. It is suitable for children and pregnant, as well as breast-feeding, mums.

[quote]“We now have three cats and although my husband reacts to them, over time he usually builds up immunity to them. The introduction of the new kitten proved challenging so he tried the balm and he felt a difference to his breathing. He would need to use a lot of balm so we need to use all the other tips to reduce allergens in our home as well as using the balm. However when visiting another house with cats or dogs it can flair up again so it’s great to have a handy pot of balm to reduce the allergens in another home rather than suffering or having to take an antihistamin.”[/quote]

HayMax organic drug-free allergen barrier balms retail at £6.99 per pot and are available from Holland & Barrett; Booths supermarkets; selected Morrisons, Waitrose and Boots; independent chemists, pharmacists and health stores; on 01525 406600 and from haymax.biz.