There is nothing worse than being allergic to the one you love. Unfortunately, such was the case for me when I was growing up. I was allergic to the family dog, my cat, my horse and probably many of the other animals at the barn.

Symptoms of allergies to an animal range from mild hay fever or a rash to life-threatening asthma attacks. And, many people aren't allergic to a new pet but develop the allergy over time. This can be particularly heart-breaking, because a pet that is used to being coddled may be banished from the bedroom or even the house as allergies worsen. The reverse is true as well; the human may acclimate to the pet and symptoms may reduce over the years.

The only way to end pet allergies is to eliminate exposure to the offending animal. Many allergists strongly encourage that pets be banished from the household if an allergic adult or child lives within. This helps tremendously, but, since there are over 100 million dogs and cats in the USA, it could be difficult to eliminate exposure completely.

After 25 years of suffering, I decided to seek the advice of an allergist regarding my chronic allergies.Multiple tiny injections in my back revealed that my most serious allergies were indeed to cats and dogs (and pigs, but that didn't worry me much). The doctor mentioned that I should "get rid of" my pets. I laughed as I explained that I didn't think that would help me much since: a) I would never just "get rid of" a family member and b) I was a veterinarian. Together we worked on a solution. In my case, it took a combination of avoidance via filters and pet shampoos, medications and hyposensitization shots to reach a state of normalcy.

Allergy medications for people have come a long way in the last 10 years, and a visit to your doctor may help your physician choose a combination that will work best for you. In rare cases, a person can be hyposensitized to pet allergens with weekly injections, like I was.

Here are some tips to help you avoid some of the pet allergens:

* High efficiency particulate air filters (HEPA) help to filter the pet allergen from the air in the house. Install these filters where you spend the most time.

* Bathing pets in antihistamine shampoos (ie. Histacalm) weekly can help remove some of the offending allergen from the pet. There are also anti-allergy solutions that you can wipe on the pet daily.

* One of the best aids is to turn the rooms where you spend the most time, like the bedroom or a child's playroom, into a pet-free zone.

* Outside of the pet-free zone, clean everything from top to bottom. If dusting and vacuuming aggravates your allergies, hire a maid service to perform this function while you are out of the house. There are special vacuums that trap dust and pollen.

* Wash your hands frequently, and if you have handled the animal, take a shower or wash your hands and face to remove some of the offending allergens.

It is interesting to note a recent study that shows that infants exposed to animal allergens in their first year of life are less likely to become allergic.

This finding has reassured expecting parents who have wondered if they should banish their pets to the outside before the baby arrives. In fact, it is better to have them around!

(Dr. Katherine A. Saenger, DVM, owns Bees Ferry Veterinary Hospital and Boarding Kennel. If you have questions e-mail her at vetsaenger@bellsouth.net).

in coming weeks for her responses.)