Hypoallergenic dogs won't help allergy sufferers much, says study

Bo, the Obama family's Portuguese Water Dog may be adorable, but is he hypoallergenic?

/ Getty Images

(CBS) Sorry, hypoallergenic dog owners. That labradoodle you dropped big bucks on might make for a cuddly companion, but won't help your allergies.

That's what the author of a new study says about the class of dogs that are thought to shed less and produce less allergy-inducing pet dander.

"We found no scientific basis to the claim hypoallergenic dogs have less allergen," study author Dr. Christine Cole Johnson, chair of Henry Ford's Department of Public Health Sciences, said in a written statement.

Woof. Then why do so many people buy hypoallergenic dogs? Numerous websites extol the benefits of owning a hypoallergenic dog. "These dogs will allow those of you that do suffer from allergies to keep your allergies at a very comfortable level, allowing you to enjoy owning and raising a dog," said Puppy-Basics. Even President Obama famously said the White House dog would have to be hypoallergenic because daughter Malia has allergies, before the family settled on Bo, a Portuguese Water Dog.

So researchers put the hypoallergenic claim to the test, for the study published in the July issue of the American Journal of Rhinology and Allergy. They analyzed dust samples from 173 homes with one dog and a newborn baby. All together, 62 dog breeds were studied, 11 of which were considered to be hypoallergenic. The researchers found there were no differences in allergen levels between hypoallergenic dogs and non-hypoallergenic ones. And that's not all, in homes where parents' said the dog wasn't allowed in a newborn's room, hypoallergenic breeds gave off more allergens than their counterparts.

"The idea that you can buy a certain breed of dog and think it will cause less allergy problems for a person already dog-allergic is not borne out by our study," Johnson said.

What gives?

Dr. James T.C. Li, chair of the division of allergic diseases at the Mayo Clinic may have the answer.  He says the real source of pet allergies is not the fur, but a protein that's found in a dog's saliva and urine, that sticks to dried flakes on the pet's skin, known as dander. Some dogs, he says, are "marketed" as hypoallergenic because they don't shed as much.

"Because these dogs don't shed, the allergy-causing dander that sticks to their fur doesn't get released into the air or onto the floor as much as it would with a shedding dog," he writes on the Mayo Clinic website. "While you may have fewer allergy symptoms with a so-called hypoallergenic dog than with a shedding dog, no dog breed is hypoallergenic."

Not every hypoallergenic dog-owner agrees. Gail Widman, founder and president of the Australian Labradoodle Club of America, who also breeds them told Time her clients have been helped by hypoallergenic dogs.

"It makes an extreme difference for people with allergies."

What do you think, dog owners?

[oreopoochon]

I realise that the allergies come from the dander-the proteins of the dog-. but i am wondering how the reseacher was conducted seems to be a small pool of people and did they all have carpets in the house or wood floors and how was the the filtration system of theeir houses and where the dogs cleaned and brushed on a regular basis as these are all factors that squew research if they are not the same. So I question this study altogether. My nephew is allergic and his allergies are improving, yet when he snuggles with a puggle for to long he beomes wheezzzy and itchy and needs to shower he does not have this reaction when he has the same contact with my poochon ( poodle- bichon frise mix). as he ha hair he is washed and has haircuts more frequently than most fur dogs, so this is where the reduction in allergens comes from.

[labladyforever]

I always thought it was a mental thing anyway. People make themselves out to be allergic to whatever. The scientist that supported the fact that some dogs don't shed so they don't give off as much dander is barking up the wrong tree also. The study stated that there was no difference in the amount of ALLERGENS in the tested homes. They didn't measure the amount of dander. A dog is a dog. If you love them you cope, if you don't being allergic is the best excuse going or should I say WAS the best excuse. In our world today, I'll take a dog over a person any day. What am I saying I have nine already!

[mlab12]

no offense, lab lady, because i do love dogs, but my allergy to them is not even remotely mental. I can tell if there is a dog in a house as soon as i walk in, whether i was previously aware or not. My eyes swell and water and my nose stuffs and runs and my throat gets sore, immediately. I wish it was mental so i could convince myself i wasn't allergic to most animals so maybe i could have pets.

[Misle_Farhat]

bbattz, you need to shih tzu the f up!

[bbattz]

I think, if this is truly the case, then there is no reason for a dog like the shih tzu to exist. That was the only thing they had going for them in my book...