Horses can be found all over the country, though they're not quite as common as dogs and cats. However, if you're ever around horses or in areas where horses are more prevalent, you might have noticed your allergies acting up. You may be surprised to learn that it's not especially rare to be allergic to horses.
What percentage of the world is allergic to horses?
Worldwide distribution
Sensitization rates in occupational settings (e.g. stables) vary between 3.6 and 16.5%, whereas individuals with respiratory allergy reported a sensitization rate of 5.38% (1).
Clint Eastwood The Movie Cowboy Who Is Allergic to Horses
What is the rarest allergy ever?
Aquagenic Urticaria (Water Allergy)
Aquagenic urticaria, or water allergy, is an extremely rare condition. It causes individuals to develop itchy and painful hives when their skin comes into contact with water.
The most common animal allergies are to cats and dogs, but any warm-blooded pet, including small rodents, birds, rabbits, cows, and horses can cause problems. Most animal allergens circulate throughout a house as small microscopic particles, invisible to the human eye.
There are more than 300 horse breeds in the world today. The American Bashkir Curly Horse (for short Curly Horse) is a very rare breed known for its unique curly coat of hair, curly mane and tail (Fig 1). This breed has been claimed as the only available hypoallergenic horse breed.
Drew Barrymore: The American actress, producer, and entrepreneur, allergic to coffee and garlic. Ray Romano: The American stand-up comedian and actor, allergic to peanuts. Billy Bob Thornton: The American actor, writer, and director, allergic to dairy, eggs, and wheat.
Zooey Deschanel: American actress, model, and singer-songwriter. Over the holidays, you may have seen her opposite Will Ferrell in the movie Elf. 🎄 She's allergic to eggs, dairy, and wheat.
That's why many people who are allergic to horses might not realize it. Horse allergies affect as many as 5% of people with allergies. 1 Horse dander is able to travel long distances in the air and has been found hundreds of yards away from horse stables.
Treats: apples, carrots and peppermints all carry the potential for allergic reactions in a horse. These can often be overlooked when investigating an intolerance so it is important to include them when discussing your horse's feed with a nutritionist.
Even being in close proximity to a horse can trigger allergic reactions as the dander can travel for hundreds of yards. It's important to note that allergies to horses are actually caused by the dander rather than the horsehair, which is a common misconception.
We often find that Barley, Molasses and Alfalfa are ingredients that can cause unwanted reactions in some horses. For some horses, allergies and intolerances can take weeks, months or years to develop, meaning that their once favourite food could begin to cause unwanted and adverse reactions.
Allergists recommend long-acting, non-sedating antihistamines — ones that won't make you sleepy — for everyday use. Though you may know them by their brand names, the generic versions tackle the same problems: Cetirizine (Zyrtec®, Aller-Tec®, Wall-Zyr®). Fexofenadine (Allegra®, Aller-ease®, Aller-Fex®, Wal-Fex®).
Reptile and amphibian pets like lizards, snakes, frogs, and turtles don't have dander the way cats and dogs do, so they're typically hypoallergenic. Reptiles do shed their skin, but this isn't likely to cause allergy trouble.
1. Water. Aquagenic urticaria is a rare condition that causes itchy and painful hives to break out whenever the sufferer comes into contact with water. These hives occur as a result of the body's mast cells releasing histamine, which creates the hives.
Pollen allergies are one of the most common allergies in the world. Tens of millions of Americans suffer from Pollen allergies. Pollen is a fine yellow powder that is transported from plant to plant by the wind, birds, insects, and other animals to help fertilize plants.
