This episode of Scishow is brought to you by Blinkist
If you’re allergic to cats or dogs, life can be tough.
Sometimes, all you wanna do is snuggle with a puppy, but instead you’re sneezing and
wheezing.
An allergic reaction comes from your immune system overreacting to things like pet dander,
the microscopic flakes of dead skin and hair they shed, or their saliva.
But pets can get allergies, too.
And while it’s rare, dogs and cats can even be allergic to each other, or to us -- more
specifically, to human dander.
No matter who’s sneezing at whom, the basic science behind allergies in pets is the same
as in people.
Basically, the immune system confuses a harmless allergen, like cat dander, for a dangerous
invader and attacks.
It releases antibodies, which are proteins that detect and bind to the allergen, then
sends a signal to other immune cells to release inflammatory molecules like histamine.
Inflammation irritates the sensitive tissues that line the insides of your nose, respiratory
system, eyes, and skin.
And that makes you all sneezy and itchy and eye-watery.
Just like us, our pets can be allergic to a variety of things, like pollen, grasses,
mold, and food.
One study from 2014 looked at about a hundred dogs that were having an allergic reaction
to something, and found that about half of them were sensitive to house dust and dust
mites, little critters that eat dead skin.
But that’s not because dust is mostly made of human skin.
If you’ve heard that before, it’s a common misconception.
House dust is mostly made of dirt that comes in through open doors or windows, or on the
bottom of your shoes.
But you do shed some dead skin, and some experts think there are rare instances of pets that
are specifically allergic to human dander.
When a dog is allergic to something, whether it’s you or dust mites, they often develop
a condition called atopic dermatitis, or itchy, red, swollen skin.
Cats can also get itchy skin or can lose patches of fur.
Their allergies are also likely to cause inflammation in their respiratory tracts, which makes them
sneeze and cough.
It’s common enough that feline asthma affects about 1% of the cat population.
Luckily, vets are great at diagnosing and treating allergies, so there’s no need to
say goodbye to your furry friend.
To test for allergies, vets can do blood tests that measure the amount of antibodies in the
blood, or a skin test, which is more sensitive and has quicker results.
For a skin test, the vet scrapes or injects a small amount of allergen on or in the skin
to see if it causes a reaction.
If it does, they can treat the allergy with shots or oral medication.
Just like in humans, these treatments expose animals to small amounts of allergen, slowly
increasing the concentration over time so their immune systems can build up a tolerance
and stop freaking out.
So if you notice your pet breaking out in a rash or sneezing after you cuddle them,
they may be allergic to you… but it’s most likely some other allergen, like pollen
or dust.
Because even for our furry friends, allergies can be a little…
ruff.
If you have allergies that prevent you from cuddling up to a cute dog or cat, you might
distract yourself instead by cuddling up to a good book.
But what if you’re short on time, or want to know if a book is really up your alley
before you dive in?
Blinkist is a new app that lets you cram the world’s bestselling nonfiction books into
your brain in 15 minutes.
It basically gives you a superpower by framing a book’s key concepts so that you get the
gist of all those books you just don’t have time to read.
Blinkist titles, or Blinks, are presented in both audio and text format, so you can
listen on your walk to work, or read them on the ride home, using apps for iOS and Android
devices, or their website.
Over 2,200 books are already on Blinkist, and 40 new titles are added each month.
I’ve been thinking about reading The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, and checking it out
on Blinkist first was a great way to vet the story.
Blinkist is offering an exclusive deal for SciShow viewers, so to support this channel
and receive 20% off a new subscription, click the link in the description.
Anyone can try out Blinkist for free, but we think you’ll find the full subscription
totally worth it.