Seasonal allergies are nobody’s favorite, but they aren’t the only kind to affect you. Similarly, dogs have different allergies, from food to pollen and other harmful substances. So while air purifiers can tackle pollutants in the air, will they help your dog with allergies?
Air purifiers will help relieve your dog’s allergy symptoms by removing airborne particles that could trigger a reaction. They may not be a big player in your dog’s arsenal against allergies, but they sure make a difference. What’s more? Your dog can also enjoy the fresh, pollutant-free air these purifiers provide.
This article discusses whether air purifiers are good for dogs and if they can help with allergies. I also highlighted how you can help your dog with allergies and whether air purifiers get rid of pet dander.
Are Air Purifiers Good for Dogs?
Many people use air purifiers to eliminate allergies from the indoor space, which helps to reduce allergic reactions. Any preventive measures suitable for humans are also good for ‘Fido.’
In a 2008 study published in Brain and Cognition, 57% of dogs exposed to higher pollution levels in Mexico City had brain issues. These dogs showed signs of neuroinflammation and developed frontal brain lesions.
This study and other findings show polluted atmospheres can harm your dog as much as they harm you. However, since air purifiers help clean the air indoors, they are good for dogs. Having safer, fresher air to breathe is excellent for your dog’s health, and air purifiers have both long- and short-term benefits.
They can reduce short-term irritation and mitigate the effects of long-term exposure to contaminants.
Here’s a breakdown of how dogs can benefit from the air purifiers in your home:
Reduced Allergy Flareups
Your dog’s allergy symptoms may not follow the same patterns seen in humans, but they’re just as uncomfortable. Respiratory distress and frequent sneezes don’t look cute on your little doggie, so their relief should be your priority.
If you have a good air purifier at home, airborne allergens and dander that can trigger reactions or flareups won’t be a problem.
Improved Sleep
You probably know that your dog can “outsleep” you, and that’s great! However, with 12 to 14 hours of their day dedicated to sleeping, you want to ensure that they have the best environment.
Removing pollutants in the air decreases the occurrence of health issues that can disrupt your dog’s sleep. With an air purifier around, you can create a healthy sleep environment, which improves your dog’s overall health.
Protection Against Radon and Asbestos Particles
Radon is a radioactive gas that occurs naturally in the atmosphere, and some building materials like soil and granite also emit it. However, exposure to high concentrations or prolonged exposure is harmful to the lung’s cell linings.
Asbestos dust comes from old insulation pipes and roofing materials with asbestos in them. Lung cancer can also occur with prolonged exposure to this dust. A potent air purifier can remove asbestos and radon from the air within your home, making it safer for your dog.
Will Air Purifiers Help My Dog with Allergies?
A stuffed nose, red or itchy eyes, and other allergy symptoms are the trademarks of allergy season. It’s often a tough choice: to open your windows for fresh air and pollen or close them and suffer poor ventilation.
Pollens from trees, grass, weeds, and flowers are triggers for an allergic reaction in dogs. Dogs can also be allergic to perfumes, cigarette smoke, fleas, dust, and mold spores.
You’re probably aware of how air purifiers improve allergy symptoms in humans. They are equally helpful to animals, and they’ll help your dog with allergies.
An air purifier can reduce or eliminate the allergen your dog might inhale, come into physical contact with, or ingest.
Your dog’s allergy type, sensitivity level, and choice of air purifier determine how helpful air purifiers will be. To ensure that your dog is getting optimum help from your air purifier, here are some considerations to note:
The Type of Purifier and Filter
Most air purifiers work by drawing air in, passing it through a filter (to trap and eliminate particles), and releasing purified air. The different kinds on the market function uniquely and have various targets. While some are effective against dust and pollen, others can handle odors and toxic gases.
High-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filters effectively remove allergens, tobacco smoke, and tiny dust particles (0.3 microns). In addition, ultraviolet (UV) purifiers can inactivate airborne pathogens and microorganisms via UV rays.
Understanding your dog’s allergies and sensitivity levels will help you select the best filter for your home. For example, a UV air purifier might be too much if your dog only gets a mild seasonal allergy. You also have to consider the frequency of replacing filters and the maintenance of reusable ones.
The Location of The Filter
Air purifiers range from small desk-top designs to free-standing ones. Your dog’s curious snout and prying paws are safe from an air purifier’s internal mechanism. However, dogs can get tangled in the electrical cord or have the purifier fall on them.
For this reason, I’d advise you to place your air purifier in a safe location, considering your dog’s temperament. Set in where your dog can’t access or knock it down, especially floor-standing air purifiers.
The Room Coverage
An air purifier’s capacity also includes how much space it covers. Except you have a whole-house air purifier, you’ll most likely have to situate your device in one room. However, air and its pollutants don’t stay in one room.
If your dog likes to run around your home, one purifier might not be enough to help relieve their allergy symptoms. Placing your sole purifier in your dog’s most frequently used room is ideal if you can’t buy more than one.
Remember that an air purifier can only help your dog with allergies caused by airborne pollutants or particles. It won’t do anything against food allergies or skin reactions to flea bites and chemicals in shampoos or cleaners.
How Can I Help My Dog with Allergies?
There’s no specific age or time when dogs develop allergies, but they have them. Certain dog species are more susceptible to allergies than others. Retrievers, setters, bulldogs, terriers, and pugs are some breeds that are more likely to have allergies.
The allergens that affect dogs are pretty similar to those affecting humans, including dust, mold, and pollen. As mentioned in previous sections, fleas and chemicals in cleaning products and soaps can also cause allergic reactions in dogs. You can classify dog allergies in the following ways:
The route into the body: Dogs may ingest allergens in food, inhale them, or have skin contact with them.
Causative allergen: Allergens could be chicken, ragweed, flower pollen, flea saliva, etc.
Clinical signs: Gastrointestinal signs, skin lesions, and respiratory signs are manifestations of dogs’ allergic reactions.
Speed of reaction: An allergic reaction could be immediate (anaphylactic) or delayed.
Some signs are easily visible, but you may not connect the dots if you don’t know what to expect. So, here’s a list of allergy symptoms in dogs:
- Itchiness
- Red, irritated in one body part or all over
- Recurring ear and paw infections
- Localized or generalized hair loss
- Licking at paws
- Chronic cough
- Vomiting
- Sneezing
- Diarrhea
- Runny eyes
- Itchy rash on hindquarters
- Hives and swelling
- Rubbing face
Since various conditions can present with these symptoms, it’d be best to have your veterinarian diagnose them accurately. Besides medications, here are other helpful measures you can take to help your dog with allergies:
Switch up your daily walk routine: Try not to go out for walks when pollen levels are usually at their peak (early morning or late afternoon). It’ll also be helpful to avoid parks and fields that have an abundance of plant triggers.
Give frequent baths: A bath once or twice a week can help soothe itchy skin. Ensure you use a hypoallergenic anti-itch shampoo with soothing ingredients (like aloe).
Dietary supplements: Fatty acid supplements like omega-3 or omega-6 oil and probiotics help improve your dog’s skin and gastrointestinal health.
Washing their beddings and cleaning other surfaces they often encounter helps eliminate allergens that settle on surfaces. Finally, give a lot of love and soft cuddles to reassure your dog.
Do Air Purifiers Get Rid of Pet Dander?
Some people believe that pet dander is synonymous with pet hair, but this is untrue. Instead, pet dander refers to small (often microscopic) bits of skin shed by dogs, birds, cats, and other animals, and it causes allergies in many people.
Pet hair is the transport for spreading dander, and it doesn’t cause pet allergies. However, allergic reactions occur when pet dander contacts the lining membranes of the nose and eyes. Although pet hair and the accompanying dander rest on surfaces, they spend more time in the air.
This is where air purifiers come in for the victory dance. An air purifier with a HEPA filter is your best bet for ridding your home of pet dander. These tiny skin bits are often between five to 10 microns, and a HEPA filter can remove particles of 0.3 microns.
Regular vacuuming will eliminate the dander that has settled on carpets and furniture. An air purifier is advantageous because dander and pet hair are mostly airborne, and pets shed constantly.
You must inhale all day, but you cannot clean all day. So, let your air purifier do the work while you enjoy clean, dander-free air.