Article: Pets' allergies are nothing to sneeze at. (includes related article on people's allergies to pets) (column)

Your dog may be scratching itself when the nearest flea is a block away. It may begin chewing its feet, but that is no indication it wants to go for a walk. Nor is your cat's sneezing, hacking, or wheezing necessarily evidence that it has come down with a cold. No, what your pet might have is an allergy. Four-footed animals, like their masters and mistresses, can be allergic to a variety of common substances-allergens, as they are known in professional circles. Fortunately, all mammals have an efficient, if complicated, mechanism that protects against infectious bugs, dusts, molds, and other potentially harmful foreign proteins. This system occasionally overreacts, however, ...

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