Dog or Cat adopt or buy? How about dog, cat and pollen allergy tesr mandate?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
1. Skin tests for allergies are very accurate. You can develop a new allergy at any time in your life, so would need to check again if there are new symptoms.

2. Allergies to cat Feld1 protein is very common, more so than allergies to proteins from dogs, rabbits or any other domestic animal.

3. Allergies to pollen are also very frequent. You can be allergic to animals AND pollen, or just one or the other.

4. Allergies can be complex. Ex: You can be habituated to your cat for years, then not have a cat for a period of time, then after adopting a new one, develop allergies for that cat. Possible the second cat produces more Feld1, or your body has un-learned its tolerance to cats.

5. People who are allergic to an animal should really NOT keep that animal in the house. Long-term exposure to an allergen, even with medication, creates irreversible inflammation and tissue damage and increases your risk for respiratory and immune complications as you age.

Why do you say this, when research shows 50-60% of skin prick tests give false positives?

I'll grant you that the number of false negatives is low, but I don't see how you justify calling them "very accurate" without qualification that half or more of the positives are probably wrong.

That number is for food allergies. For environmental allergies, accuracy is in the range of 70-100% depending on the allergen. Also, skin pricks are much more accurate than the immunoglobulin measurements in blood work, so it's the best test we have.

Are you familiar with the recent research on sensitivity and specificity for dog dander allergy skin prick tests (not food allergies)? It is showing good sensitivity but not good specificity. Or did you have a more recent reference on sensitivity and specificity in dog dander skin prick tests to support your numbers? Thanks.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Sure, post them here.

I will come back after work and do that.

I take you are coming from a perspective of a patient, not as someone familiar with the research? Just trying to figure at what level to write out the response that would make the most sense to you.

[Anonymous]

This is one of the more recent publications. I do not know what the background is for the PP (PPs?) above regarding the jargon and for interpreting research, so you will have to be clear if you want something explained.

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28641549/
Relevance of Cat and Dog Sensitization by Skin Prick Testing in Childhood Eczema and Asthma (Current Pediatric Reviews, 2017)
- The skin prick test is not reliable for predicting allergic reactions to dogs and cats. " Physicians should advise parents that there is no direct correlation between AE severity, quality of life, asthma or allergic rhinitis with cutaneous sensitization to cats or dogs."

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have pet allergies, so do many of my pet owning friends. Totally manageable with Zyrtec/Claritin/Flonase etc. and keeping up on the housekeeping. Those accommodations are well worth the mental and physical health benefits of having a pet in my life. I have seasonal allergies anyway so I’d have to take meds and vacuum frequently anyway - I like open windows and fresh air.

Extreme pet allergies are exceedingly rare.

This is a lie. I have one and it’s really not as uncommon as you think. This is something pet obsessed people tell themselves.