Young parents often put off getting a cat or dog under the pretext that the child may develop an allergy to the animal.
But, according to experts, this is nothing more than a delusion. In total, on this topic, we can highlight 5 persistent delusions that people continue to believe.
Pediatrician-immunologist, Doctor of Medical Sciences, professor, chief freelance pediatric allergist-immunologist of the Ministry of Health of the Moscow Region Andrey Prodeus spoke about this in an interview with Deti Mail.ru.
Myth 1: Babies and Animals
It has been proven that a child develops immunity to irritants even before birth (during pregnancy) if there is a cat or dog in the house.
After the birth of the child, the risk of allergic reactions to four-legged animals will be minimal.
Myth 2: Animal allergies appear immediately
It has been proven that an allergy to an animal does not appear immediately in a child.
First, the body encounters an irritant, then antibodies (IgE) are produced, and already on the 3-4th day after contact with the animal, the first symptom may appear.
Therefore, it is faster and more reliable to take tests.
Myth 3: Allergens accumulate in the body
It is believed that the accumulation of allergens in the body can cause an exacerbation. But this is not true.
If the child's parents are allergic, then the risk of the child developing an allergy also increases. There is no accumulation with subsequent manifestation of the disease.
Myth 4: Hypoallergenic animals
The expert noted that in the US they tried to breed a breed of cats with a mutated protein. But from a medical point of view, these attempts are assessed as a commercial project, and not the real existence of a breed that does not cause allergies.
There are no breeds of dogs or cats that do not cause allergies due to the structure of their fur or its absence.
It is also worth remembering that an allergy to a cat does not mean that a corresponding reaction will occur to other pets – dogs, parrots, etc.
Myth 5: Allergies are a reason to get rid of your pet
There are known cases when, after contact with animals, the body gradually becomes accustomed to it.
Therefore, it would be correct to first conduct testing to see what exactly the child’s body reacted to.
But even if the culprit of the painful reaction is a pet, you can use medications that will reduce the symptoms of the allergy to a minimum.
