Students at CHS need to be aware of the allergies their pet could have as well as being aware of students who are allergic to animals. There are two common allergies such as flea and food allergies.

Flea allergies are year round and need to prevent it be not missing a dose of flea medication once a month. Allergies from flea bites can cause an uncomfortable reaction.

“Seasonal allergies depend on the season, but you often see flare ups in spring and fall,” said Jennifer Ford, vet tech, former SAC. Some of the symptoms are increased sneezing, reverse sneezing, runny eye, runny nose, and increased scratching. Reverse sneezing is backwards sneezing. The cause of seasonal allergies are pets outside and being exposed to grass cuttings and pollen. This can be treated by allergy medication. In some cases they could need steroid injections.

“Food and Contact allergies are much harder to diagnosis,” said Ford. To diagnose food and contact allergies there is testing and food trials that take a lot of patients. It is also very important to listen to your vets.

Students who are allergic to animals can have symptoms including itching, sneezing, coughing, runny nose, etc. However, everybody’s symptoms are different and the allergies come after a student has been around animals.

“The person needs to do it not the pet owner. So the person who has the allergy or the symptoms because they have the symptoms but the actual allergy is via diagnosis from a provider. They would need to take a antihistamine and that would help block what they call allutic reaction or response because they histamines would get released in the body when you have an allergian. Our body identified it and attacks when ever we feel what we are smelling or touching so an antigen is taken it blocks they symptoms,”  said Sandra Dornfeld, school nurse.

There is not a cure for allergies for pets and people, but there are treatments for the symptoms.