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Submitted by PatientsEngage on 30 November 2018
Two dogs sleeping on the floor

Naved Patel, 26 year old chef, entrepreneur, food stylist, suffered severe allergy from his pet dogs that left him acutely breathless, damaged his power to smell and scarred him for life. Here he narrates how it all began. We also talk to Dr. Anil Ballani to understand dog allergy.

We are a family of passionate pet lovers. At age 20, when I landed up with 3 dogs in the house, I was over the moon. I was the proud owner of three puppies - two Labradors and one Pug. I named the Labradors Hugo and Fluffy and the Pug Bebo.

All the three dogs were excessively pampered pets. There was no restriction for them. They could roam about the bungalow anywhere they wanted. At night they would come and cuddle next to me on my bed under my blanket. They couldn’t sleep on the floor. They were not used to it.

Life was blissful. It had been three years since the puppies had come home. Now they had all grown into playful companions. Even though at that time I was busy doing a double graduate in hotel management and culinary arts, I would make enough time for them.

Relentless sneezing fits

One morning as Hugo snuggled up to me, I felt my nose twitch and I began to sneeze. I didn’t have any cold or cough, but I could feel some irritating my nostrils. The next day as I hugged and cuddled them, I broke out into a sneezing fit again. This happened several times. I noticed every time the dogs would come near me, I would get this urge to sneeze. The sneezing would get particularly bad when I would clean or brush them.

Often, I would wake up with a stuffy nose. Then I would start sneezing. I had also begun to get breathless. My mother too had developed similar symptoms. She would wake up sneezing and blocked nose.

When the sneezing and nose blocks continued for several months, we consulted a doctor. An allergy test was done which showed that the dust, hair and dander (dead pieces of dry skin in an animal's fur or hair) was causing dog allergy. We tried to take some medicines, to control our sneezing and breathlessness, but nothing worked.

Get rid of the dogs

In a year’s time, it had become so severe, that my mom and I would wake up sneezing 30 to 40 times. Our nose would be runny. Our eyes would be red and watery. We would be breathless. We couldn’t do anything during that time. We would have a hard time. When we consulted the doctor again, he said if we didn’t control the allergy, it could flare up into asthma or bronchitis. He suggested we get rid of the dogs.

My mom and I weren’t giving up. We were not ready to let go of our pets. They were like family now. We tried all we could to keep the dogs. My mom started homeopathy medicines, and I started the inhaler pump. But to no avail. Finally, we decided to give the dogs away. It was the most heart wrenching moment for me.

But now when I look back, I think that was the best decision. It was a choice of keeping my pets or suffering daily. I was one of those unfortunate few who had a hyper sensitive immune system and could not tolerate dogs. Today, although Hugo, Fluffy and Bebo have all gone, the allergy has scarred me for life.

Scarred for life

There was a time when I was an avid tennis player. Tennis was my dream and I wanted to pursue it professionally. But the allergy got me down. Because of my sneezing and blocked nose, I realised I couldn’t play after a point. I would get tired and breathless. My heart beat would shoot up. Eventually, I had to give it up. I do feel bad about it, but I couldn’t help it. I began to swim after that. But I realised I couldn’t do too many laps, as I would get breathless and tired.

The allergy continues to hang like a shadow even in my professional life as a chef. While visiting institutes for lectures and talks, I get breathless quickly. I tire easily. I have restricted my activities. There is very short breath I have now. I inhale and exhale at a much shorter duration than most normal people. I have to keep myself hydrated and I have to keep my inhaler pump handy with me all the time.

Loss of sense of smell

The worst part is that I have lost my power to smell. In my field particularly, the power of smell is near critical. It has been a big setback for me. Before with just a whiff I could identify kasuri methi, or cinnamon, but now it is little difficult because of allergy, excessive sneezing, runny nose.

In a bid to regain normalcy, I have now started practicing yoga and meditation. I also travel extensively on work. In a month, I am in Mumbai for 20 days, and the rest I travel to Goa, Bangalore and Kolkata. I have to keep fit to survive as a chef. It is a question of my bread and butter.

Dr Anil Ballani, consultant Internal medicine, Hinduja Healthcare Surgical.

What is the prevalence of allergies among dog owners in India?

The rough prevalence of allergy to dogs is 15%. If one is an asthmatic, then the chances of being allergic goes up to 30%.

How does one know if one is allergic to dogs?

If on playing or petting a dog, one develops sneezing or skin rash or itching then the person is definitely allergic to dogs.

Common symptoms are:

  • Sneezing, running nose, itchy, red, watery eyes, cough, chest tightness, wheezing
  • Skin symptoms:
  • Allergic dermatitis, Red patches, itching, eczema

A skin yeast can be done to confirm the dog allergy!

What causes dog allergy?

The dog allergy is caused by the protein present in the saliva, urine and dander of the dog. (Dander is the dead flakes of skin).

Can you be allergic to certain dog breeds?

The misconception is that one can be allergic to certain dog breeds!!
Only logic is that dogs with more hair and more dander can cause more allergies. Breed doesn’t matter!

How do you treat pet allergies?

Treatment of allergy is with Antihistaminics: Cetirizine, diphenhydramine, Fexofenadine. If the allergy is severe, steroids are used. In case of asthma, bronchodilators are used. To reduce allergy in house, it is better to vacuum the house with special filters.

 

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