Many dog owners experience hay fever symptoms because of their allergy to grass pollen.
For most people the worst months are May to July when grass pollen release is at its peak. The amount of pollen in the air affects your reaction at a particular time and varies according to weather conditions. Airborne allergens expert Max Wiseberg offers his advice to help dog owners take hay fever in their stride this summer.
“95% of people who get hay fever are allergic to grass pollen,” says Max. “Hay fever is the result of our immune system’s overreaction to innocuous particles such as pollen. The body’s reaction is to produce histamines. Normal amounts of histamines are good – they keep us alert, attentive and awake. But, when there are too many, they produce symptoms including sneezing, a runny nose, nasal congestion, itchy, watery, streaming or swollen eyes, and an itchy nose and throat.”
There are many ways to help overcome or prevent these symptoms. Max offers his 9 top tips to help dog owners this summer.
- “Keep your dog well groomed and shampoo it regularly to remove pollen that has got trapped in its coat.”
- “Breathe in less pollen when out walking your dog. Apply a drug-free allergen barrier balm such as HayMax around the rim of your nostrils and bones of your eyes to trap pollen before it is breathed in through the nose or gets in your eyes – less pollen means less reaction, and for many, none at all. Apply before going out walking your dog and as necessary during the day. HayMax organic drug-free allergen barrier balm has been proven to trap over one third of pollen before it enters the body [1].”
- “Keep pollen off your body when you’re out. Wear wraparound sunglasses to help stop pollen getting in your eyes whilst walking your dog and a cap, hat or other head cover to prevent pollen getting caught in your hair.”
- “Wash away pollen when you get home. Wash your face or better still, take a shower when you return home from your walk. This will remove pollen from your body and hair.”
- “Keep pollen out of your home. Remove your shoes at the front or back door so you don’t bring pollen indoors with you. Keep doors and windows closed as much as possible. Vacuum and damp dust your home regularly – damp dusting helps prevent pollen being dispersed back into the air.”
- “Keep your dog off sofas and beds so pollen in its fur does not get transferred to upholstery and bedding. Keep them out of the bedroom altogether if possible, as this will mean less pollen in the room, so aiding a better night’s sleep.”
- “Check the pollen count forecast. The pollen count measures the amount of pollen in the air and is the number of pollen grains per cubic metre of air. Pollen count forecasts can help you judge if your hay fever symptoms will be particularly severe on any given day. As a general guide, the pollen count tends to be lower on rainy days and higher when it’s hot and sunny. Many hay fever sufferers start to experience symptoms when the count reaches ‘medium’. Counts will be higher near to large sources of grass pollen including hay meadows.”
- “Try to time walking your dog when there’s less pollen, if possible. Pollen levels tend to be higher in the early morning and early evening. It is released by grass in the morning then rises during the day, before falling back down to head height as the air cools in the early evening.”
- “Check out the Allergy Guides on my website. There are many other treatments and remedies available for hay fever sufferers and simple lifestyle changes and practical things you can do to help reduce the effects. Check out my website haymax.biz/hay-fever/ for more help and advice.”
