Arizona’s Family Allergy Clinic Helps People Overcome Pet Allergies With Oral Drops

Between 15 and 30 percent of Americans suffer from allergies to cats and dogs, but thanks to a no-hassle treatment from Phoenix-based Family Allergy Clinic, many people with animal allergies are able to own a pet and feel good, too.

Like allergy shots, the drops start with an allergy serum that helps the body develop an immunity to allergy-causing proteins found in pet dander, saliva and urine. But instead of being injected into the skin like allergy shots are, the allergy serum is dispensed under the tongue as liquid drops that absorb into the bloodstream through special cells in the mouth.

“It’s so simple to stick with,” said Dr. Stuart Agren, the director of the Family Allergy Clinic. “Just a few drops under the tongue each morning or night.”

The drops are safer than allergy shots and also better for kids, and because they’re so convenient, Dr. Agren said they are accessible to many people who would otherwise just live with their pet allergies.

“Many people opt to suffer it out or simply get rid of their pets because they don’t have time to drive to the doctor’s office for shots,” said Dr. Agren. “The allergy drops makes overcoming pet allergies ‘doable.'”

Dr. Agren has successfully treated thousands of patients for pet allergies since he began offering the drops in the mid-1980s. One of his most memorable cases was a pet-sitter who developed severe pet allergies. Her symptoms included nasal congestion, sneezing, a chronic cough, and itchy, swollen eyes.

“She had launched a pet care business that she was facing having to shut down,” said Dr. Agren. “She was also contemplating having to get rid of her own two cats. She was very attached to them, but she was so miserable that it was becoming a daily struggle.”

The drops helped her overcome her allergy symptoms and continue “business as usual.”

Medications such as antihistamines can help with pet allergies, but they often cause side effects and they don’t address the underlying allergy-just its symptoms. Allergy drops (also known as sublingual immunotherapy or SLIT) can help with “immune modulation”-re-training the immune system not to have allergic reactions in the first place.

Physicians began prescribing SLIT in the mid-1980s as a more user-friendly alternative to allergy shots.

About Family Allergy Clinic

Doctors at this Arizona allergist clinic offer sublingual immunotherapy (under-the-tongue allergy drops) for pollen and pet allergies as well as for food allergies (including milk wheat, gluten, nut, and fruit). The treatment is effective for kids with allergies, asthma, hay fever, eczema, sinus infections, and more.

(These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.)