I think that the "fur" vs "hair" thing is sort of an urban legend or a colloquial distinction. They all have "hair", at least according to the doggy dermatologists. The difference is the cycle, ie how long the hair stays in anagen (active growth phase). For instance, in people, scalp hair follicles can stay in anagen for 25 years, while eyebrow hair only stays in anagen about 6 months. In dogs that shed frequently, the hair stays in anagen a short period of time. Dogs like poodles and terriers have hair that stays in anagen for long periods. It would be fun to see a study comparing the hair cycles of all the different breeds, but as far as I know, it hasn't been done.
As you know, outside variables also affect the length of time that hairs stay in anagen, such as exposure to light. House dogs may shed more than outside dogs (of the same breed) because of the extra exposure to light after sunset. And of course, we all know that the cycle seems to be affected by hormones. And while it is true that there is more Can f 1 (a major antigen that causes dog allergies in people) in dander than there is in hair, there is a measurable amount of Can f 1 in hair clippings alone. In one study, there was 73 microg/g of Can f 1 in hair clippings, and 347 microg/g in dander. These were reduced to 12 and 50 micrograms, respectively, with twice weekly bathing. (Hodson T, Custovic A, Simpson A, Chapman M, Woodcock A, Green R.Washing the dog reduces dog allergen levels, but the dog needs to be washed twice a week. J Allergy Clin Immunol. 1999 Apr;103(4):581-5.) In another study, people with allergies had the following sensitivities: housedust (84.2%), cat hair-epithelium (76.5%), dog hair-dander (63.0%), house dust mite (54.2%), grasses (51.9%), trees (47.2%) and ragweed pollens (44.9%) and finally, moulds (25.4%). People with "indoor" allergies were more likely to have asthma than people with "outdoor" allergies. (Clin Exp Allergy 1997 Jan;27(1):52-9)Comparative degree and type of sensitization to common indoor and outdoor allergens in subjects with allergic rhinitis and/or asthma.Boulet LP, Turcotte H, Laprise C, Lavertu C, Bedard PM, Lavoie A, Hebert) There is some cross-reactivity between allergy to dog and allergy to "fur" animals (fox, mink, etc), meaning that if you are allergic to fox, you are more likely to be allergic to dog and cat (but not to cow) and vice versa. There are a couple reasons why people react more strongly to cat. One is because cats lick themselves more, and saliva (& urine) generally carry a lot more antigen than hair or dander. And secondly, cats have an allergenic component to their hair bulbs. Bottom line, this woman needs to find out if she is allergic to dogs. Just because she has asthma does not necessarily mean that she has allergy to dogs. While allergies can be breed specific, I would not encourage her to get a cavalier if she is allergic to dogs. If she is allergic to dogs, she would probably be better off having a dog that has a long anagen period, such as a poodle, terrier, etc., because the shedding tends to spread the allergens around the house. If she has her heart set on a cavalier, then I agree with the others that she will just have to spend time with some, but even then there is no guarantee that she will get a true picture with just a few visits. Leanne ========================================================= "Magic Commands": to stop receiving mail for awhile, click here and send the email: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]?body=SET%20CKCS-L%20NOMAIL to start it up gain click here: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]?body=SET%20CKCS-L%20MAIL E-mail [EMAIL PROTECTED] for assistance. Search the Archives... http://apple.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ckcs-l.html All e-mail sent through CKCS-L is Copyright 2002 by its original author.
