Combating pet dander in cool weather

As winter weather rolls in, you may find your skin drying out from frigid wind and harsh steam heat that sucks humidity from the air. It’s certainly not a pleasant experience, but one we can often combat with moisturizing lotions and humidifiers. Unfortunately, the same dry skin problems can also happen to our beloved pets, causing an increase in pet dander around our homes and triggering allergies.

What does this mean?

For those already sensitive or allergic to pet dander, winter can be especially troubling. As our pets’ skin dries, it will begin to itch and flake just like ours, sending more pet dander into the air. Given that people also tend to spend more time indoors in the winter, you may find yourself struggling to fight through worse allergies as your pets’ dander remains trapped in your home.

What can we do about it?

Veterinarians suggest less frequent baths for Fido, and more time brushing pets who are struggling with dry skin. Increased grooming can help spread your pets’ natural body oils across their skin, which acts as a natural moisturizer to prevent drying. You can also look into adding nutritional supplements to your pets’ diet—fatty acids can help increase skin firmness and suppleness; but be sure to consult with your vet first. 

If you’re beyond the point of prevention and are already dealing with an excess of pet dander, you may need to do more to help get rid of the allergen particles that are circulating through your home. Cleaning the air in your home can help reduce the amount of pet dander in the air, trapping particles and recirculating fresh, allergen-free air. Smart air purifiers, like Airmega, even come equipped with a Smart mode that can detect lowered air quality and turn on automatically to keep the air free of annoying allergens.