Guide to Pet Allergies

Pets can get allergies just like humans. And because they spent much more time rolling and climbing around grass, flowers, and plants, they can actually have a worse reaction than their owners.

Pet allergy symptoms can be the same as humans: coughing, sneezing, runny nose and watery eyes. It can also cause itchy ears and eyes, which may make your pet scratch more than it should. This could cause an infection, which is dangerous.

These plants are the biggest culprits for allergy symptoms in pets. Avoid planting them in your yard and look out if you see them in parks or other public spaces.

1. Bottlebrush trees or bushes: the pollen is tiny and needle-point sharp, and if a dog comes in contact with these red flowers the pollen on them will stick to his/her coat.

2. Male juniper bushes: these make a lot of very allergenic pollen. Only use juniper plants that have berries….these are female, and will not make any pollen. (Any juniper bush without berries is suspect.)

3. Fruitless mulberry trees: these produce loads of very tiny, highly allergenic pollen each spring.

4. Daylily plants can cause contact itch and scratching in dogs…eating daylily will kill a cat. No kind of lily is very safe for dogs, and included with this would also be daffodils, narcissus, tulips, and agapanthus. Onions are related to lilies, and no dog (or cat) should ever eat onions.