“My daughter was wheezing yesterday after playing with our cat. Why did this happen suddenly?”
My daughter is 2 years old and we have a pet cat in our house, who was there since she was born. n. However, yesterday after playing with the cat my daughter started to wheeze. The doctor said it could be an allergy to pets, but how can she develop such an allergy all of a sudden?
4 Answers
Dr. Evelyn Tolson
Allergist and Immunologist
allergies to pets don’t happen all of a sudden.
People who have genetic predisposition to allergic disorders usually start showing symptoms after prolong exposure to the allergens. Kids develop environmental allergies by the age of 3 years.
Have your child tested in allergist’s office.
People who have genetic predisposition to allergic disorders usually start showing symptoms after prolong exposure to the allergens. Kids develop environmental allergies by the age of 3 years.
Have your child tested in allergist’s office.
That is certainly one possibility but there are plenty of others as well. Coming down with a cold or the act of playing around can also be triggers for wheezing or more active asthma symptoms. The best way to evaluate that is to monitor for recurrence of symptoms and a pattern and have her evaluated by a board certified allergies who can not only test for pet allergies but also will be able to give you he best advise how to manage asthma like symptoms both short and long term
The period of sensitization varies in all patients and also with the type of the allergens. If your child is two years old and came to this world with a cat at home, it is time to do a Prick test for cat empithelias, if the test is positive the advise is to remove the cat and learn that she will never have a cat unless she is desensitized agains cat. The same happens with the veterinarians.
Your daughter may have developed allergies to cats, or may be wheezing independently. It would be best to consult a healthcare provider for a more accurate answer (allergist, pediatrician, etc.)
