Being a dog lover with severe pet allergies can be a frustrating, even heartbreaking experience. You love your dog, but being near her has the potential to make your life miserable. If your allergies are severe enough, it can even turn your home from a quiet refuge to a place where you are constantly coughing, sneezing, and dealing with a seemingly endless runny nose. Luckily, there are some steps you can take to help make yourself more comfortable without having to keep yourself separated from your furry friend.

Get Yourself Tested

Although it may seem obvious to you that you have a dog allergy, it is possible that you are actually allergic to something else in your home or even something that your dog may be picking up from outside. Getting yourself tested for allergies will confirm if you have an allergy to dogs and let you move forward from there. On the other hand, you may find that you are having a reaction to something entirely different and potentially easier to remove from your life.

Keep Your House as Clean as Possible

If you do have an allergy to dog dander, one of the easiest and most important steps you can take is to simply keep your house as clean as you can. In particular, you should be vacuuming more than is normally necessary and making use of pet brush attachments to make sure that you are keeping dog fur off of furniture and carpets. This won't help you much when your pooch is climbing up onto your lap, but it will make your home more comfortable to be in most of the time. You may even find that your allergies are less severe when you are no longer surrounded by allergens on every surface.

Use Allergy Pillow and Mattress Covers

Covers that are designed to keep dust mites and bed bugs out of your bedding work equally well to keep dog allergens away from your pillows and mattress. This relatively cheap investment can help you to get a better night's sleep by protecting your bed from the allergens that are making you miserable. Although it is often difficult, it may also be necessary to keep your dog from sleeping on the bed in order to keep fur off of sheets and comforters.

Consider Limiting Your Dog to Certain Areas

This is one of the most difficult steps for most dog owners to take and it may not be suitable for all situations. However, if you are finding that you are simply too miserable cohabitating with your dog it may be necessary to limit your dog's ability to travel through your house. This can usually be accomplished by simple dog gates as long as the layout of your house allows for it. By limiting your dog only to specific areas, you reduce the amount of cleaning necessary and create "safe zones" where you do not have to worry about your allergies.

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