What happens if the little one ingests hair?
This is perhaps the biggest concern of dog/cat owners. It is certain that no matter how careful you are, when your baby starts to crawl, he or she will swallow some hair. Contrary to common belief, however, this will not cause any harm, as the structure of animal fur is almost identical to that of human hair; both are made up of keratin, which the body can’t digest, so it will be simply discarded from the stomach. For bowel obstruction to happen, the little one should ingest a huge quantity of hair, which is highly unlikely.
Can swallowing dog hair cause an allergic reaction?
If an allergy already exists in the child, swallowing dog hair has the potential to cause an allergic reaction.
However, if you have not picked up on any type of reactions from dog dander and hair being in the air, on your floors, on your clothes (literally everywhere!), then you probably don’t have to be concerned about it causing an allergic reaction.
Can swallowing pet hair cause an allergic reaction?
Looking out for allergies in babies is important.
If neither parent has any known allergies, the likelihood of ingesting pet hair and causing an allergic reaction is probably low. The baby’s first encounter with the pet hair is probably not going to be from ingesting it. Likely, if your baby has an allergy to pet hair, it would be from the dander and skin flakes. In most cases, an allergic reaction would first develop from the air containing hair and/or direct contact like crawling on a carpet.
Being aware of your own history of allergies can help clue you in on what to look out for with your own child. If you have an allergy to pet hair and dander, then you should look out for symptoms of a reaction, which may include a prolonged runny nose, red eyes, coughing, congestion, or skin irritation in your baby. In more severe cases, reactions could include hives or difficulty breathing.
Unless you are a lucky owner of a dog that does not shed, there is a possibility of your baby accidentally swallowing their hair. So, you may want to know what might happen in the event they do ingest some. We break it all down right here!