How to Deal with Pet Allergies when Visiting Someone with a Pet

Step-by-Step Guide

1. 1

   Step 1: Talk to your doctor.

   Make sure to see your doctor regularly so that they can treat your allergies and keep tabs on your overall health.
   
   Without consulting your doctor, you won’t have the information you need to deal with allergies when you visit someone’s house.
   
   Let your doctor know if you’ll be putting yourself in a situation where you might have a potential allergic reaction.
   
   Tell your doctor about any allergy symptoms you are having, such as sneezing, runny or stuffy nose, facial pain (from nasal congestion), coughing, chest tightness, shortness of breath, wheezing, watery, red or itchy eyes, skin rash or hives.Keep annual appointments.
   
   To manage your health, you also need to make sure that you keep annual and semiannual appointments with your general practitioner or allergist.
   
   Have periodic allergy testing done.
   
   Many doctors suggest allergy testing every two years.
   
   However, adults may go three to five years between tests.Ask your doctor about immunotherapy, or allergy shots.
   
   This treatment option will reduce your sensitivity to an allergy, such as pet dander.
2. 2

   Step 2: Take allergy medication.

   One way to deal with pet allergies is to take or use allergy medications that prevent or reduce the symptoms of your allergy.
   
   Ultimately, allergy medication may make it a lot easier for you to function in an environment that contains pet allergens.
   
   Many of these medications are available over-the-counter and some are available by prescription only.
   
   Consider:
   Antihistamines like Zyrtec, Clarinex, and Allegra.
   
   Decongestants like Sudafed.
   
   Antihistamine decongestant combinations like Claritin-D or Allegra-D.
   
   Corticosteroid nasal sprays like Nasonex, Flonase, and Veramyst.
   
   Consult with your physician before taking allergy medication.Avoid taking a combination of medications unless directed by physician and follow the instructions on the medication package. , Ultimately, your allergy medication might not work.
   
   Thus, you may find yourself in an emergency having a severe allergic reaction to someone’s pet.
   
   To safeguard against this, make sure you bring any emergency medications you might need to treat yourself.
   
   Make sure that you carry:
   An albuterol inhaler, if you have one.
   
   This is especially important for asthmatics.
   
   An epinephrine injection, such as an EpiPen.
   
   Any other medication your doctor recommends., In the event of a severe allergic reaction, you may need to have someone use an epinephrine injection on you.
   
   Tell them they need to hold the EpiPen against your mid-outer-thigh.
   
   Once positioned, they need to push it firmly until the pen clicks and the needle enters your skin.
   
   Have them hold the pen for a few seconds.
   
   Let them know that they should never inject the pen into any body part other than the thigh.
3. 3

   Step 3: Bring emergency prescription medications

4. 4

   Step 4: if needed.

5. 5

   Step 5: Familiarize others with epinephrine injections.

Detailed Guide

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