When my brother and I were little, we developed some pretty severe allergies, including allergies to animal dander. Forced to give up the family dog, we asked our allergist if we could ever have another pet.
"Sure," he'd answer. "Get a hermit crab. Get a snake!"
It wasn't quite the answer we wanted to hear. But if your allergies are that bad, something without fur may just be the way to go.
If your allergies are mild, you may be able to get away with a pet that is less likely to cause a reaction. A single-coated dog will be less likely to cause an allergic reaction than a double-coated dog. Some single-coated dogs are:
Want even less chance of a reaction? Hairless dogs will be even less likely to cause problems than the single-coated dogs! They may not look quite like the dog you imagine, but their lack of hair lowers the chances of causing a reaction.
Cats are (unfortunately) more often the culprit when it comes to allergies. But you may find your symptoms are less severe with a short-haired cat than a long-haired cat. There are even hairless breeds of cats like Rexes and Sphinxes.
Did you know that it's not actually the pet's hair that you are allergic to? Dogs and cats secrete certain proteins from their skin. The proteins can dry on the hair, but more often they soak into dead skin cells (dander) that flake off into the air.
Here are some other tips for coping with allergies and keeping your pets!
And by the way, hypoallergenic does NOT mean "free of allergens", it means less likely to cause allergic reactions.
