Shiba Inus are lovable dogs famed for their resemblance to foxes. They are exciting to have in your home for their bold and enthusiastic demeanor. However, if you are prone to allergies, you will likely be concerned if your dog will cause you an allergic reaction. Therefore, your foremost interest would be if Shiba Inus are hypoallergenic.
Shiba Inus are not hypoallergenic. It is sad to note that a Shiba Inu may not be the best pet for you if you have allergies. This breed of dogs has two fur layers. Therefore, they will shed furs which can get pet dander inappropriately deposited in your home – furniture, carpet, or air. Such dander is notorious for wrecking allergic reactions on you as your immune system would automatically react to these foreign substances.
It is essential to know if you will be allergic to your Shiba Inu before procuring one. You should be curious about what symptoms to allergic reactions to Shiba Inus you could suffer and if you can avoid or reduce them. You will also want to know more in detail what causes the non-hypoallergenic nature of Shiba Inu. All this valuable information we will consider in this piece.
What Causes Shiba Inus not to be Hypoallergenic?
Shiba Inus are not hypoallergenic as they shed fur. Shibas naturally have two layers of fur. Now when your Shiba Inu sheds its fur, dander could get lodged in your property. Dander here is small dead skin material that your Shiba Inu sheds.
The reality is that your Shiba Inu will blow its coat twice in 12 months. This is more than the traditional shedding of the coat. In the course of this coat blowing, its fur will be largely dispersed around. This gets dander spreading everywhere. Such fur can be massive given the double fur layer of Shibas.
For their reduced size, this dander quickly gets into the air of your home. They can also get embedded in your furniture or carpets if your home has one.
Unfortunately, this pet dander would provoke allergic reactions from you as your immunity responds to them. Such reactions are mainly triggered when you inhale the dander that is already lodged in the air.
Well, this non-hypoallergenic nature is not restricted to just Shiba Inus. Would you be surprised to learn that no dog breed is precisely 100% hypoallergenic?
A revealing 2011 study carried by the American Journal of Rhinology and Allergy found that every dog in one way or another (reduced or prominent) will trigger some allergic reactions in you.
Every dog has a measure of pet dander – it is massive in some and almost negligible in others. If you are having allergic reactions to your Shiba Inu, the chances are high that you are either reacting to its pet dander or its saliva.
The good news is that you can manage these allergies from your Shiba Inu. Primarily, if your Shiba Inu is healthy, their coat shouldn’t have significant odor being that the outer coat inherently repels water.
Why Are You Allergic To Your Shiba Inus?
The inner coat of your Shiba Inu is dense and soft. The fur on the outer coat, on the other hand, is straight and thick. Dogs with hairs – as opposed to those with furs – are better suited to those suffering from allergies.
Excluding the two intervals where your Shiba Inu blows its undercoat, it will shed moderately across the span of a year. Each shedding period can extend for four weeks. For this period, you can make do with the lots of fur jumping around your home by religiously brushing your dog.
It is this shedding that makes allergy sufferers very prone. However, you can reduce the symptoms as we will be learning later down this guide.
Will Shiba Inus Trigger Your Allergy? (Common Symptoms)
If you are coughing, sneezing, having a sore throat, or a runny nose, you are likely to have an allergic reaction to your Shiba Inus. Symptoms of allergic reactions to Shiba Inus also include having inflammation or rashes on your skin. Having watery red eyes is also another symptom of an allergic reaction. These are all classified under the mild symptoms.
Allergic reactions to your Shiba Inu can also manifest in more severe symptoms like swelling lips, anaphylactic shocks, or even swelling eyes. Such responses could make an Epipen injection a necessity if you insist on having your Shiba Inu despite your condition.
More than the dander, you could be reacting to the urine or saliva of your Shiba Inu. Interestingly, these allergic symptoms vary from one sufferer to another. You can also take some time to discover if you have allergies before buying your Shiba Inu.
So how can you be sure your Shiba Inu will trigger allergic reactions in you?
Stay with Your Shiba Inu for a While
This is clearly the most accurate (and practical) way to know if a Shiba Inu will incite your allergies. If, during this period, you notice the magnified frequency of the said symptoms, you will be best to just stay away from Shiba Inus.
An Qllergy Test Can also Help
Not everyone knows for sure if they are allergic to pet dander. An allergy test can help you ascertain this before you buy your Shiba Inu.
Your family doctor can readily help you fix this up. If this allergy test reveals that you have one of the mentioned severe symptoms to pet dander, it is recommended that you avoid getting Shiba Inus – or dogs in general.
Such exposure pets could worsen your condition. This avoidance (of pets) particularly applies to those with chronic respiratory conditions like asthma and bronchitis.
If your allergic reactions to pet dander are mild, there is no big problem if you choose to procure a Shiba Inu. Medications can help alleviate the symptoms.
How to Avoid Allergies from Being Triggered by Shiba Inus?
In the case where you have already procured a Shiba Inu, only to find that you are experiencing some sort of allergic reactions, you can take concerted approaches to reduce such symptoms.
Make Sure Always to Bathe and Brush Your Shiba Inu
Remember pet dander is the major culprit behind the allergic reactions you are experiencing with your Shiba Inu. Therefore if you can make an effort to reduce the proliferation of this dander across your home (especially those airborne), you can significantly downsize the allergic reactions you suffer from your Shiba Inu.
Bathing your Shiba Inu, without doubt, will reduce the dander your Shiba Inu sheds around your home. Brushing also helps. Given that you don’t want the dander littering the interiors of your home, you should brush and bathe your Shiba Inu outside.
Blowing the fur of your Shiba Inu will also go a long way in reducing the chances of your home being littered with dander. This is primarily during those two intervals of the year when your Shiba Inu will be shedding heavily.
For such periods, you must groom your Shiba Inu once in at most every 24 hours. Aside from these two intervals of heavy shedding, there is no problem if you shed your Shiba Inu once or twice every 7 days when your Shiba sheds moderately. More importantly, make sure you don’t groom your Shiba Inu inside the house.
You Can Make the Best of a HEPA Air Purifier
The most dangerous dander is that airborne, right? So how about purifying your air from time to time? This is diligent, but it is one of the safest ways to avoid pet dander from flooding their air in your house. HEPA air purifiers are incredibly effective in ridding the allergens from the air in your home.
Make sure always to vacuum clean your floor.
Remember that we said aside from the pet dander that will find their way into the air, other dander could be embedded in the carpet flooring of your home. Therefore, it makes absolute sense having to vacuum floor your carpet to eradicate this dander.
Of course, we know this isn’t the easiest of tasks, but if you can do it daily, that would be superbly safe. It is understandable if that is exerting for you. In that case, you may want to completely replace your carpets with hardwood flooring or even go with a tiled floor. Pet dander would struggle to be lodged on such floors.
Always Wash Your Hand after Handling Your Shiba Inu
Shiba Inus need love, don’t they? Once in a while, they may need a little cuddle or petting. When you do that, ensure you promptly wash your hands. This is paramount as you need to avoid touching your face directly after handling your Shiba Inu.
Oh, we know, this habit can be hard to sustain, given the involuntary nature of moving your hand to your face (after petting your dog). However, with diligent practice and conscious application, you will learn to build the habit of always washing your hand after such handling activity.
You Can Resort to Allergy Medication
You may be experiencing severe allergic reactions to your Shiba Inu, but you have already developed so deep a love for it that you can no longer give it up. What would you do then?
You can make the best of allergy medication to relieve the symptoms. Antihistamines are effective at managing mild symptoms while you can go as far as considering immunotherapy to manage your allergies.
Here are Some of My Favorite Pets Products
Thank you for reading this post. I hope you found it helpful as you raise your pet. Here are some products i use as a pet owner that I hope you’ll also find helpful.
Flea & Tick Control: I recommend www.canadapetcare.com, they offer flea and tick treatments, collars, flea shampoos, oral capsules. For dogs, flea and tick infestation is deadly and may cause severe diseases if not treated regularly.
Skin & Coat Chews provide a variety of ingredients, vitamins, and minerals that will help a dog with their skin and coat, many breeds have chronic skin conditions that can create stress and frustration in their life when it has not been treated properly. Free Shipping on all orders at discounted prices.
America’s Veterinary Discount: With pet plans starting at $6.58/month, saving on your pet’s veterinary care has never been easier. Click here to join risk-free. Showing your America’s Veterinary Discount card and the participating veterinary staff will reduce your entire medical services bill, no questions asked! Low cost plans, risk free guarantee.
