Whether you’re a diehard dog or cuddly cat lover, every pet owner must know that filtration is vital for your health and keeping your pet healthy and happy!
As a pet owner, it’s essential to understand the impacts of pet allergies and what you can do to combat them. In addition to keeping yourself healthy, knowing how something as simple as filtration can help your pets live happy, healthy lives is essential.
In this blog, we’ll explain how pet allergies occur, what you can do to relieve them, and how to keep your pet’s health a priority. You’ll notice a common theme throughout- filtration!
What Causes Pet Allergies?
Pet allergens don’t come from hair, fur, or feathers but from the proteins secreted through animals’ saliva, urine, and skin glands. Once dried, these proteins shed off your pet and become airborne. These airborne particles can get on surfaces like furniture, bedding, carpets, walls, drapes, etc.
Pet allergy symptoms may include nasal congestion, shortness of breath, coughing, swollen eyes, facial pain, post-nasal drip, and more. These
Allergy symptoms or not, catching these particles in their tracks is of the utmost importance. Pet dander is among the tiniest of these small particles, which means they will linger in the air longer before settling.
To learn more about combatting pet allergies, check out our blog post, How to Combat Pet Allergies.
How Common Are Pet Allergies?
The Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America (AAFA) says pet allergies affect 10% and 20% of the world’s population. In America, 6 in 10 households have pets. The most common household pets associated with allergies are dogs and cats. Birds, hamsters, guinea pigs, and rabbits can also trigger human allergies.
What Kind of Pets Can Make Allergies Worse?
Pets add so much joy and love to our lives. However, when considering a pet, especially one for your home, you must know how it can exacerbate allergies. Aside from the obvious cat and dog dander, here are a few other critter culprits:
- Bird feathers and droppings become a source of problems with allergies.
- The dander that hamsters and guinea Pigs produce can cause allergic reactions.
- Although cute and fluffy, rabbits can shed allergens that can trigger reactions.
If you suffer from allergies, owning a pet can intensify reactions. Knowing this information is important before you invite a pet into your household.
Best Air Filters for Pet Owners
Excess Fur and Hair = Changing Air Filters More Frequently
This part is mainly for pet owners, but happy and healthy pet owners make for happy and healthy pets, right?!
One of the most commonly used ways to remove unwanted particles, including allergens, from the air is through filters installed in your furnace or HVAC system. Most homes will have a filter installed where the air intake is. This filter helps protect your unit from dust, dander, and other airborne particles and prevents these contaminants from making their way throughout your home.
If you’re a pet owner using a cheap fiberglass filter, it’s time to upgrade. You’ll want to ensure that your air filter reduces pet dander. A MERV 11 air filter is an excellent choice for pet owners and those with allergies, as it will capture particles as small as pet dander.
To get the most benefit from a MERV 11 air filter, you’ll want to replace it regularly. The recommendation is 1-3 months, but if you have multiple animals in your home or suffer from allergies, the sooner, the better. Please get in the habit of checking your filter occasionally and changing it when there’s noticeable pet hair or a color change.
Best Air Purifiers for Pet Allergies
As a pet owner, an air purifier is a must-have. Air purifiers are an excellent addition to your home when you have a pet, as they help clean the air continuously.
Pet owners should choose an air purifier with a High-Efficiency Particulate Air (HEPA) filter. HEPA filters are the highest quality and can catch many small allergens, making them ideal for pet owners with allergies.
An air purifier with activated carbon filters and a HEPA filter will help absorb and eliminate odors.
Room size is another crucial factor when investing in an air purifier. You’ll want to ensure that the air purifier you select will cover the square footage of the area where you will be using it.
Added features like an air quality sensor, auto mode, and clean air delivery rate are also worth considering but are unnecessary.
Here are a few of our favorite air purifiers for pet owners:
Hunter Cylindrical Tower Air Purifier – White – Gray
GermGuardian 4-in-1 Air Cleaning System 28″ Tower
Greentech PureHEPA+ Air Purifier with ODOGard®
Best Water Bowls for Pets
Public water systems can contain certain levels of bacteria and even parasites. Animals, like humans, need water to survive. You drink filtered water, right? So why are you still giving your pet water from the tap?
Most animal experts will agree that pets should be given the same quality water as humans. If your tap water is high in iron, magnesium, or nitrates, these can cause health issues for your family and pets!
There are also things in tap water that can cause cancer- just like in humans. Giving your pet filtered water will remove those potentially sickness-causing organisms or metals from being ingested by your four-legged friends.
Cats and dogs need fresh water and plenty of it. In fact, drinking fresh, filtered water helps them with digestion and kidney function, can improve their skin and fur, and even reduces the risk of urinary tract issues.
Did you know? The longer water sits out, the more oxygen it loses. That’s why investing in a drinking fountain for your pet will help keep their water fresh and clean.
Here are some great options for pet water fountains:
ZEUS H2EAU Fresh & Clear Elevated Dog and Cat Water Dispenser
Catit Fresh & Clear Stainless Steel Top Drinking Fountain
Filtration is Important
Equipping your home with filtration is a great way to support your immune system and your pets. Rather than having to avoid pets, filtration offers you plenty of options to help make your life easier. If you have any questions or want specific recommendations tailored to your needs, call us at 866-438-3458 or [email protected] today!
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