Pet Allergy

If you notice you have allergy symptoms after being around pets, it’s a good idea to see your healthcare provider. They may refer you to an allergist. An allergist is a healthcare provider who specializes in allergies. They can help diagnose your pet allergies through specific tests.

Before conducting pet allergy tests, they may ask you questions, including:

Do you have a family history of pet allergies?
Have you ever been diagnosed with allergies before?
What are your symptoms?
Do you take any over-the-counter (OTC) medications to treat your symptoms?
What kinds of animals are you around when your allergies start to act up?

What tests will be done to diagnose pet allergies?

Your healthcare provider may use different allergy tests to help diagnose your pet allergies based on your symptoms. These tests may include:

Skin prick (scratch) test

This test exposes your body to small amounts of different pet allergens.

Your healthcare provider will first clean a test area of your skin with iodine or alcohol. The test area is usually on your forearm or upper back.

Your allergist will place droplets of possible pet allergens on your skin. They then use a thin needle (lancet) to scratch your skin lightly. The droplets will enter your skin through the scratch. You’ll only feel slight discomfort, and you likely won’t bleed.

Allergic reactions typically occur within 15 minutes of exposure to possible pet allergens. Reactions may include skin discoloration (red, gray or white) or raised, round spots called wheals (a hive) that look like bug bites.

Your allergist will measure the size of your wheal and record what allergen caused the reaction.

A skin prick test takes less than an hour.

Blood (IgE) test

During a blood test, your healthcare provider will use a thin needle (21 gauge, slightly smaller than the size of a standard earring) to withdraw a small amount of blood from a vein in your arm. The blood sample goes to a laboratory. The lab will spin your blood down and use the plasma (yellow portion), which has the IgE, and places it in a testing plate coated with allergens. They’ll then place another chemical, which measures the amount of IgE present for that allergen. If you have high levels of IgE antibodies in your blood sample, you may have pet allergies.

It may take a week or longer to have the results from the blood test sent to a lab.

Symptoms

When to see a doctor

Request an appointment

Complications

Blood clots are a dangerous complication of atrial fibrillation (AFib). Blood clots can lead to stroke.

The risk of stroke from AFib increases as you grow older. Other health conditions also may increase the risk of a stroke due to AFib. These conditions include:

High blood pressure.
Diabetes.
Heart failure.
Some types of heart valve disease.

Blood thinners are commonly prescribed to prevent blood clots and strokes in people with atrial fibrillation.

Prevention

Healthy lifestyle choices can reduce the risk of heart disease and may prevent atrial fibrillation (AFib). Here are some basic heart-healthy tips:

Control high blood pressure, high cholesterol and diabetes.
Don't smoke or use tobacco.
Eat a diet that's low in salt and saturated fat.
Exercise at least 30 minutes a day on most days of the week unless your health care team says not to.
Get good sleep. Adults should aim for 7 to 9 hours daily.
Maintain a healthy weight.
Reduce and manage stress.

By Freedmans Health Clinic Staff

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