Kristy
08-11-2005, 02:29 PM
Breeders say certain types of cats and dogs don’t provoke allergies. Sorting out fact from fiction.
By Traci Carpenter
Newsweek
Updated: 9:44 p.m. ET Aug. 8, 2005
Aug. 9, 2005 - Nikos Constant really wanted a dog—but not the sneezing and wheezing they invariably triggered for him. Then a friend told him about labradoodles, a mix between Labrador retrievers and poodles specifically bred to minimize allergies. Constant, 33, a Los Angeles toymaker, took the chance and ordered a puppy from Australia, where the dogs were originally bred as seeing-eye animals in the early 1970s. His new labradoodle, Mazinga, arrived in 2002, and Constant hasn’t looked back. “So far, anybody whose been allergic to dogs hasn’t been allergic to Mazinga,” he says.
Millions of people are allergic to their animals. According to Mike Tringale, director of communications for the Asthma and Allergy Foundation, about one in five have some type of pet allergy—and many of them already own a dog or cat. So it’s no surprise that any animal billed as “hypoallergenic” is a potential winner—especially given what pet lovers are willing to pay. Constant, for example, paid $1,500, including airfare, for Mazinga. Prices for labradoodles have since climbed to $3,400 or more.
But can cats and dogs really be bred to be hypoallergenic? Dr. Paul Kentor, an allergist from Buffalo Grove, Ill., says there's little scientific evidence that pets promoted as being non-allergic really are. Still, says Kentor, a limited number of studies do suggest that some dogs and cats seem to stir up fewer reactions than others. In the canine world, poodles, Portugese water dogs and bichon frise are the least allergenic dogs, followed closely by terriers. The dogs that cause the most problems are the “big and hairy ones,” says Kentor, like golden retrievers and labradors. The American Kennel Club (AKC) recommends the Basenji, Maltese, bichon frise, Chinese crested, soft-coated wheaten terrier and poodle, most of which have single-layer coats, which shed less and do not produce as much dander as longer-haired breeds. And the club say those breeds have become increasingly popular in recent years. Among the AKC's 153 breeds, the Chinese crested, for example, moved from 73rd in 1995 to 57th in 2004 among total AKC registrations. Similarly, the Portuguese water dog rose from 86th in registrations in 1995 to 69th in 2004. The poodle has remained in the top 10 most popular breeds over the last decade, the Maltese has ranked in the top 25, and the bichon frise has been in the top 30.
The labradoodle isn’t yet ranked by the AKC because the breed is not yet recognized by the club. Lisa Peterson, director of club communications at the AKC, cautions that because the mix is relatively new, there's not yet enough consistency among litters to ensure each dog will have fewer allergens. Some may have a coat of hair, which is preferred for those with allergies, but others may grow a fur coat like the labrador, one of the most allergenic coats of any breed. “It’s a crap shoot,” she says.
Among cats, Kentor says the breed found to be the least allergenic is the Devon Rex, distinguishable by their big ears, pixielike face and short wavy coat of hair. The same anecdotal hype that surrounds the labradoodle also has made Siberian cats a popular choice for allergy suffers. But those cats haven’t been scientifically tested, so there is no way to know if they are actually allergy-friendly, says Kentor. Cat allergies, which affect about 10 million Americans, are twice as common as dog allergies, and there are more cats in the country—90 million in 60 million U.S. households—than any other pet. Cat dander, which is comprised of the liquid secretions and shed skin cells, is stickier than a dog's and can latch on to multiple surfaces, including clothing, walls and furniture. Cat allergies are also more complex than dog allergies, says Kentor, because cat dander includes a particularly potent protein called Fel d 1.
Allerca, a biotechnology company in California, is hoping to solve this problem by breeding a genetically manipulated "lifestyle" cat that produces very little of the Fel d 1 protein. The company says "tens of thousands" of prospective owners have already signed up on the waiting list for the cats, which should be available in 2007 at $5,000 apiece.
Still, many allergists are skeptical that these new cats are the solution. “What makes allergies so complex is it’s a customized disease,” Tringale says. Reactions to specific pets depend on several factors, like the severity of a person's allergies in general, the level of allergens a particular pet produces and how much the person is exposed to the animal. Even if a cat produces less of a particular protein, its owner might start to react to another instead. In addition, some allergies appear several months after the pet has already been in the home (a dog's coat, for example, doesn’t fully develop until it is an adult.)
Fortunately, there are ways to decrease the severity of the symptoms in owners who have become inseparable from their pet. “We try to make it a tolerable situation for them,” says Kentor. He stresses that each situation must be evaluated individually and the solution relies on the personal interaction between the owner and pet. Many prevention techniques are common sense, such as keeping the pet out of the bedroom and off the furniture, where dander attracts hungry dust mites, another allergen. Also, simply sitting on the sofa or chair can release the dander particles into the air, where the allergy-sufferer can easily breathe it in. Tringale say the best prevention is keeping a clean home and pet.
For allergy sufferers determined to own a cat or dog, experts recommend looking for breeders of less-allergenic varieties who will allow potential owners to spend an extended period of time interacting with the animal before buying one, so they can gauge their reaction. (They should also keep the same clothes on for up to 12 hours after exposure to see if any symptoms appear later.) Still, Kentor and other specialists emphasize that even in those breeds, allergen levels can vary. For severe allergy sufferers, the only surefire solution may be to pass on the furry pets altogether and bring home a fish instead.
http://msnbc.msn.com/id/8871707/site/newsweek/
The bichon frise (left), labradoodle (center) and poodle seem to be less likely to provoke reactions in their owners
By Traci Carpenter
Newsweek
Updated: 9:44 p.m. ET Aug. 8, 2005
Aug. 9, 2005 - Nikos Constant really wanted a dog—but not the sneezing and wheezing they invariably triggered for him. Then a friend told him about labradoodles, a mix between Labrador retrievers and poodles specifically bred to minimize allergies. Constant, 33, a Los Angeles toymaker, took the chance and ordered a puppy from Australia, where the dogs were originally bred as seeing-eye animals in the early 1970s. His new labradoodle, Mazinga, arrived in 2002, and Constant hasn’t looked back. “So far, anybody whose been allergic to dogs hasn’t been allergic to Mazinga,” he says.
Millions of people are allergic to their animals. According to Mike Tringale, director of communications for the Asthma and Allergy Foundation, about one in five have some type of pet allergy—and many of them already own a dog or cat. So it’s no surprise that any animal billed as “hypoallergenic” is a potential winner—especially given what pet lovers are willing to pay. Constant, for example, paid $1,500, including airfare, for Mazinga. Prices for labradoodles have since climbed to $3,400 or more.
But can cats and dogs really be bred to be hypoallergenic? Dr. Paul Kentor, an allergist from Buffalo Grove, Ill., says there's little scientific evidence that pets promoted as being non-allergic really are. Still, says Kentor, a limited number of studies do suggest that some dogs and cats seem to stir up fewer reactions than others. In the canine world, poodles, Portugese water dogs and bichon frise are the least allergenic dogs, followed closely by terriers. The dogs that cause the most problems are the “big and hairy ones,” says Kentor, like golden retrievers and labradors. The American Kennel Club (AKC) recommends the Basenji, Maltese, bichon frise, Chinese crested, soft-coated wheaten terrier and poodle, most of which have single-layer coats, which shed less and do not produce as much dander as longer-haired breeds. And the club say those breeds have become increasingly popular in recent years. Among the AKC's 153 breeds, the Chinese crested, for example, moved from 73rd in 1995 to 57th in 2004 among total AKC registrations. Similarly, the Portuguese water dog rose from 86th in registrations in 1995 to 69th in 2004. The poodle has remained in the top 10 most popular breeds over the last decade, the Maltese has ranked in the top 25, and the bichon frise has been in the top 30.
The labradoodle isn’t yet ranked by the AKC because the breed is not yet recognized by the club. Lisa Peterson, director of club communications at the AKC, cautions that because the mix is relatively new, there's not yet enough consistency among litters to ensure each dog will have fewer allergens. Some may have a coat of hair, which is preferred for those with allergies, but others may grow a fur coat like the labrador, one of the most allergenic coats of any breed. “It’s a crap shoot,” she says.
Among cats, Kentor says the breed found to be the least allergenic is the Devon Rex, distinguishable by their big ears, pixielike face and short wavy coat of hair. The same anecdotal hype that surrounds the labradoodle also has made Siberian cats a popular choice for allergy suffers. But those cats haven’t been scientifically tested, so there is no way to know if they are actually allergy-friendly, says Kentor. Cat allergies, which affect about 10 million Americans, are twice as common as dog allergies, and there are more cats in the country—90 million in 60 million U.S. households—than any other pet. Cat dander, which is comprised of the liquid secretions and shed skin cells, is stickier than a dog's and can latch on to multiple surfaces, including clothing, walls and furniture. Cat allergies are also more complex than dog allergies, says Kentor, because cat dander includes a particularly potent protein called Fel d 1.
Allerca, a biotechnology company in California, is hoping to solve this problem by breeding a genetically manipulated "lifestyle" cat that produces very little of the Fel d 1 protein. The company says "tens of thousands" of prospective owners have already signed up on the waiting list for the cats, which should be available in 2007 at $5,000 apiece.
Still, many allergists are skeptical that these new cats are the solution. “What makes allergies so complex is it’s a customized disease,” Tringale says. Reactions to specific pets depend on several factors, like the severity of a person's allergies in general, the level of allergens a particular pet produces and how much the person is exposed to the animal. Even if a cat produces less of a particular protein, its owner might start to react to another instead. In addition, some allergies appear several months after the pet has already been in the home (a dog's coat, for example, doesn’t fully develop until it is an adult.)
Fortunately, there are ways to decrease the severity of the symptoms in owners who have become inseparable from their pet. “We try to make it a tolerable situation for them,” says Kentor. He stresses that each situation must be evaluated individually and the solution relies on the personal interaction between the owner and pet. Many prevention techniques are common sense, such as keeping the pet out of the bedroom and off the furniture, where dander attracts hungry dust mites, another allergen. Also, simply sitting on the sofa or chair can release the dander particles into the air, where the allergy-sufferer can easily breathe it in. Tringale say the best prevention is keeping a clean home and pet.
For allergy sufferers determined to own a cat or dog, experts recommend looking for breeders of less-allergenic varieties who will allow potential owners to spend an extended period of time interacting with the animal before buying one, so they can gauge their reaction. (They should also keep the same clothes on for up to 12 hours after exposure to see if any symptoms appear later.) Still, Kentor and other specialists emphasize that even in those breeds, allergen levels can vary. For severe allergy sufferers, the only surefire solution may be to pass on the furry pets altogether and bring home a fish instead.
http://msnbc.msn.com/id/8871707/site/newsweek/
The bichon frise (left), labradoodle (center) and poodle seem to be less likely to provoke reactions in their owners