10 Allergy Myths That Will Surprise You — Myth 3

3. Allergic to pets? Buy a hypoallergenic dog.

If Fido makes you sneeze, you might have considered shelling out hundreds, or even thousands of dollars for a “hypoallergenic” dog. Certain breeds, like the Bichon Frise, Labradoodle, and Miniature Schnauzer are marketed to allergy sufferers because they shed less fur — and therefore less allergy-producing pet dander — than other dogs.

Yet the promise of hypoallergenic dogs is probably a myth. A study in the American Journal of Rhinology and Allergy found households with hypoallergenic dogs contained the same level of allergens as those with non-hypoallergenic dogs

"The idea that you can buy a certain breed of dog and think it will cause less allergy problems for a person already dog-allergic is not borne out by our study,” said Christine Cole Johnson, PhD, MPH, senior author and chair of Henry Ford Hospital’s Department of Public Health Sciences.

Because pets secrete allergy-causing substances in their saliva and skin, even a hairless dog can make you sneeze.

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