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  • Rash Causes: Allergic to dogs?
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Rash Causes: Allergic to dogs?

Steven Rubinstein

Steven Rubinstein, M.D.

Palo Alto Medical Foundation

Question:

I often have a light rash after playing with my dog. Are allergic reactions to dogs from their fur, their saliva or something else?

Answer:

Allergic reactions to dogs can be from anything that comes off or out of a dog. Saliva and the skin that is shed with the fur (also called dander) are the most allergenic parts of both dogs and cats. Fur/hair itself is too large to cause actual reactions.

Dogs that shed lose more dander and are therefore more allergenic. So are dogs that drool a lot. Urine can also be quite allergenic, especially if it stays in carpet for a while. Rinsing/washing your skin that has been exposed to animals as soon as you're done playing with the animal is helpful.

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Back to Breathing and Allergies

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