Prevention and diagnostic of allergic airways diseases due to dog allergens

Dogs can be regarded as an important source of allergens, not only in private, but also in public environments. Several studies revealed the importance of dog allergens in the development of allergic airway diseases which affect not only dog holders, also indirect contact with dogs can cause symptoms. Specific strategies of primary prevention have not yet proven to be effective. Basically, an early diagnostic of a dog allergy seems to be essential in order to initiate specific prevention strategies. Yet, diagnosing dog-related allergies may present problems: in diagnostic tests with commercial dog allergens, some patients showed only slightly positive or negative results, even though they suffered from clearly dog-related symptoms. The results of immunological investigations indicate that a hypo- or hyperallergenic dog breed does not exist. Factors related to individual dogs seem to influence the allergenicity more than breed or gender. The main focus in therapy, therefore, lays on strategies of secondary prevention, in particular a combination of various strategies of allergen avoidance and cleansing. Currently, the best way to treat dog-related allergy is to combine environmental control and medication.