Asthma is a pain to anyone who has it. Thankfully, it can easily be managed by taking extra precautions, like investing in an air purifier or cleaning your house thoroughly. However, if you are like me and love pets, you might wonder if you can have pets.
You can keep your pets if you have asthma, but there is a qualifier. As long as the pets themselves are making your symptoms worse, then you should be fine to do so. However, if your animals are triggering symptoms, you’ll likely have to get rid of them.
A life with pets and animals can make everything more enjoyable, whether simply the company you have at any hour of the day or something more impactful like service animals. Pets innately can improve your life, but if you have a medical condition that inhibits having them, you’ll want to do what’s right for your daily life instead of what feels suitable for the moment.
Can You Have A Pet With Asthma?
It depends on whether or not the pet in question is agitating your asthma or causing an immediate allergic reaction. If your breathing worsens or your eyes begin to water simply being near them, the odds are you won’t be in a situation where you can keep or obtain a pet.
However, suppose you absolutely cannot live without a pet. In that case, you can make do with what is available by limiting how much time you spend with it, regularly keeping up with your hygiene, and purchasing an air purifier to help sort any air, saliva, or urine that may be floating in the air, and finally taking medication that limits the effects of your symptoms.
What Animal Is Good For Those Who Have Asthma?
In most cases, going with a hairless animal that emits very few animal scents and particles would be the best choice for people with asthma. Most of these pets might be what most people would consider conventionally “normal,” but if you are dead set on having a pet regardless of your condition, then one of these might be the perfect little friend for you!
1. Salamanders
Starting strong, salamanders make for one of the greatest pets a person with asthma can get. Being a hairless creature, you won’t have to worry about inhaling the dander they create, and because they are small, you won’t need a huge investment to keep them happy.
As pets, salamanders are very content in being left to their own devices and don’t need much attention or handling. This is perfect because the less contact, the better as far as allergy-triggering choices are concerned. Finally, they can come in an array of beautiful colors, making them amazing to bond with from a distance while admiring the wonderful life they lead.
2. Frogs
As amphibians, frogs lack hair and are thus yet another strong contender for an exquisite pet for someone with asthma. Frogs are unique in that they come in many different breeds and species, all with different mannerisms, characteristics, colors, attitudes, and feeding habits that could make each unique experience.
Another fantastic aspect about owning a frog (or three) is that they can have dramatically different stylized enclosures. Some prefer slightly damp, forestry-styled areas, and others want something more swamp-themed. These changes make for very peaceful observational pets, which you can interact with (as long as you don’t get poisonous ones, of course!).
3. Tortoises
If taking things nice and easy were an animal, tortoises would take the cake. While having that cake, they could also take the prize for another great animal for people with allergies. Being very low maintenance means tortoises won’t need a ton of interaction to thrive and live happily.
While tortoises lack the extreme color diversity of frogs or salamanders, they make up for it in dazzling patterns that can adorn their shells. Their enclosures can be quite entrancing if you put some time and effort into them, making your connection with your shelled friend even more impactful.
4. Snakes
While some people don’t like the concept of even glancing at a snake on accident, these slippery serpents are another wonderful choice when it comes to hairless pets, with some being very docile and enjoying the company of humans (and being held) to others being, rather temperamental to say the least, you’ve got quite the choice of a new friend if you are going with a snake as a pet.
Feeding habits might be one of the biggest concerns when choosing snakes. While they are hairless, some breeds need to be fed mice and other rodents to maintain a healthy lifestyle and weight. To that end, you will be indirectly exposed to dander in one way or another.
Thankfully, plenty of smaller breeds can survive by eating frogs (unfortunately) and insects, too, in some cases. Just be sure to research your new pet’s dietary habits and needs before committing to getting one.
5. Spiders
Truly keeping a leg up on the competition, we have a unique entry in spiders. Now, technically speaking, spiders do indeed have hair, and there is even a species of spider that flicks hair from the back of its abdomen as a form of defense, but for now, we’ll be concerning ourselves with the less furry variants.
While most spiders would only be able to trigger mild responses to people with asthma, the bugs you feed your spiders can cause flare-ups, as most spiders only eat pests such as roaches and other highly protein-laden bugs. Still, if you can get around that, spiders offer a lot regarding pets.
One of the most puzzling insects around, spiders are a marvel to behold once you get past their innately different appearance. Having so many legs, eyes, and giant fangs might be off-putting to some, but these insects are truly beautiful to observe, with an intelligence almost unmatched in the insect world.
6. Turtles
In much the same way that tortoises can make for a great pet, turtles offer very much the same experience with very acute differences, the same shell patterns, colors, and emotional stability can be observed in most species of turtle, but most notably the inability to trigger extreme allergic responses is what is most appealing about them in this situation.
Turtles don’t particularly enjoy being held and played with, but there are always deviations to this concept and rarities where your turtle could have a special bond with you because it wants to be held and interacted with constantly!
7. Lizards
Lizards fall into a broader scope for the same reasons that salamanders make for great pets: they are hairless, come in a myriad of different colors, have unique and appealing habitats, and, finally, aren’t usually capable of triggering robust allergic responses.
As noted with other creatures on this list, though, the bugs and other things they eat could very well trigger these asthmatic responses. Be sure to do research to avoid any unexpected outcomes.
Is Animal Fur Bad For Asthma?
Yes, animal fur is horrible for people with Asthma, as the hair can cause intense flare-ups that lead to allergic reactions, which can make breathing, seeing, and simply enjoying day-to-day life incredibly difficult.
It’s for these same reasons that most people with Asthma or allergic reactions, in general, want to avoid most traditional animals as pets, so they can stem their exposure to irritants and situations that may hinder their home lives.
Can I Keep A Cat If I Have Asthma?
Assuming you already have a cat, to begin with, you’ll want to gauge how strong of a response the cat’s fur and other stimulants are giving you. If your eyes are watering and you are having sneezing fits, then you may want to reconsider keeping the animal, as both you and it will be suffering in the long run.
If re-homing the cat isn’t an option, speak with your doctor to see what medications are available to limit the severity of allergic responses and with a pet, specialist to see what home accommodations can be made to help ease the living situation.
Purchasing an air purifier and limiting the cat to one or two rooms might be a sufficient solution to get you by while you attempt to reach out to your doctor for detailed information on how to better handle the situation and discuss what options are available to you.
Are Dogs Safe For People With Asthma?
Dogs aren’t innately “safe” for people with Asthma, but certain breeds are less likely to trigger allergic reactions due to having less hair, shedding less, or being entirely hairless. It’s worth noting that fur isn’t the only aspect that triggers allergic reactions among people with Asthma.
Anything from saliva to even urine can become an airborne irritant and thus elicit an allergic response, so you’ll want to do a significant amount of research into which breeds might work best with your kind of Asthma and couple them with the same medication supplement approach that you would with a cat.
How Can You Deal With Animal Allergens?
Sadly enough, the best way to deal with animal allergens is not to get an animal in the first place. However, if you cannot live life without a pet (which is completely understandable), you’ll want to work twice as hard to make accommodations for both the pet and yourself. This relationship should not be viewed purely from your own perspective but also one that takes the animal’s well-being into consideration.
Limiting the number of rooms and directions you have exposure to the animal or pet in question will help significantly lessen your chances of having an allergic reaction or an Asthma attack, but it will not prevent them entirely. It’s worth noting as well that most medications will only lessen symptoms, not completely alleviate them.
Shopping around and getting a pet with minimal to no allergic reactions and components would be your best bet, assuming you don’t already have one. Then, taking extreme precautions to filter your air and plan your life around making things work for you and the animal would be your best bet.
If Nothing Works, Should You Get Rid Of Your Pet?
Getting rid of your pet should always be an absolute last-ditch effort, as animals form incredibly strong bonds with their owners. Even if you might not feel that way personally, making the choice to get rid of them shouldn’t be something done lightly.
Speak with your doctor and explore all medications and options available. Do your best to make living arrangements more suitable within your own home before trying to find someone else to take care of it. Your priority should be to make sure the pet never gets a chance to choose who is taking care of it, and as such, you owe it to the animal to do your best.
Unfortunately, your best may not be enough, or your health simply won’t allow you to do what is right for the animal. That is okay as long as you put forth some earnest effort. No one can fault you. Dedicate that same energy you had into finding a new home that will love the pet the way you would, but your health would not permit, and move forward knowing you did your best.
