Earlier this year, after several months of mysterious ailments, I was diagnosed with an allergy to dogs. I have two beloved fur-children (Maltese Yorkies, supposedly ‘hypoallergenic’ – I’ve since learned there is really no such thing) and before these two I had a purebred Maltese for 10 years, so I was completely shocked at the diagnosis. This allergy had started with allergic rhinitis, which led to nasal polyps, which led to asthma, which revealed itself in a chronic acute cough that had many medical professionals stymied for a very long time. As I was not about to re-home my dogs (pet-lovers will be nodding knowingly, non-pet-lovers will be shaking their heads incredulously), I chose environmental adjustments.
First of all, I called in the professionals and had all my carpets cleaned, my blinds cleaned, and my windows cleaned, inside and out. I bumped up my vacuuming schedule from ‘whenever I couldn’t make out the colour of the carpet’ to ‘daily’. And this is the very hard task – I made my bedroom a ‘no dog zone’. After an insultingly short time, Gracie and Koda seem to have adjusted to the new sleeping arrangements. Better than I have, actually – but I each time I reach down in the middle of the night to find them missing from alongside me, I remind myself that it’s much preferable to the alternative of having to give them up altogether.
Pets are a big part of many Canadian families. Unfortunately, so are allergies and asthma. Keeping our cleaning services Calgary and as free as possible of dust and pet dander go a long way to ensuring a healthy, happy co-existence.
