Managing an Allergy to Pets
Despite being allergic to dogs and cats, Jennifer can enjoy the walks with Lulu again.
Between 10 and 20 percent of people worldwide (with regional variations) have upper respiratory allergies, the symptoms of which often impact their daily lives. Bayer markets well-known and easy-to-use products to effectively relieve these allergy symptoms.
Up to 30%
of all adults suffer
from allergic
rhinitis according
to the World
Allergy
Organization and
these figures are
set to rise.
Lulu knows she shouldn’t be on the sofa. “Get down from there!” commands Jennifer T. Lulu understands straight away. The black bulldog mix with the trusting eyes knows she has done something wrong and shoots a guilty glance at her owner before exiting the room. All that remains on the sofa are black dog-hairs, and until a few years ago this would have been a major problem. Jennifer is allergic to dogs and cats.
It took her a while to realize this. When she was a student at New York University, she caught a cold – or at least, she thought that was what she had. The symptoms suggested as much, but they refused to go away even after several weeks. An internist in Manhattan correctly diagnosed the then 22-year-old’s condition: Her immune system overreacts to normally harmless substances. Like many other sufferers, she is allergic to pollen and animal hair. “Finally I knew what was going on. But it was also a shock. I grew up spending tons of time outdoors with my German Shepherd, a Yorkshire Terrier and a Labrador. Now I could no longer even visit friends who had pets.”
24 hours without symptoms.
Round the Clock!
Bayer’s Claritin™ family of products with the antihistamine loratadine are available in more than 100 countries worldwide. Claritin™ is the market leader in the world’s largest OTC market, the United States. Indications and trademarks vary from country to country. In the United States, Claritin™ provides 24-hour non-drowsy relief from runny nose, sneezing, itchy, watery eyes, and itchy nose or throat, helping sufferers to actively enjoy their daily lives both indoors and outdoors. Claritin-D™ 12 and 24 hour products relieves the same symptoms as Claritin™, plus nasal congestion and sinus congestion and pressure.
Jennifer quite simply doesn’t have time for allergies. The single mother lives with her daughters Molly (9) and Lindsey (6) about an hour by car from New York City. The 42-year-old’s days are tightly scheduled. The alarm clock rings shortly before 7. Mom makes breakfast, gets her daughters ready for school and then goes jogging or heads over to her gym or her yoga school, both of which are only a few minutes away. “I don’t have time for long drives.” Then she starts work in her office adjacent to her kitchen. Jennifer is vice president of an association that helps students repay their loans. Her clients attend colleges on the East Coast of the United States, from Maine to Maryland. Once a month, she travels to the association’s headquarters in the Midwest.
- 1/6
- 2/6
- 3/6
- 4/6
- 5/6
- 6/6
Despite her very busy professional life, Jennifer is also a class mom at her daughters’ school and a Girl Scout Daisy Troop leader. She lives an active life despite her allergies – and now she has Lulu, a two-year-old crossbreed she got from an animal sanctuary. “I want my daughters to grow up with a pet. Dogs provide unconditional love and teach us how to take responsibility. That’s important to me.”
For Jennifer, spring is a particularly difficult time. “I used to have to sneeze all the time, my nose would run.” She tried out lots of things to control her allergy symptoms. “Then I started using Claritin™. It’s exactly right for me. I can be there for my children and I can do my job and live my life without my allergies holding me back.”
"On the surface, allergies may seem like more of a nuisance than a difficult medical condition. However, daily allergies can have an incredibly negative impact on quality of life. Our mission is to free people from the emotional and physical toll allergies can take, and to brighten days otherwise dulled by allergies," said Reese Fitzpatrick, Head of Global Category Business Unit, Allergy. "We believe that allergies should not prevent you from embracing life’s simple joys – and Jennifer’s story brings that to life in such a positive and impactful way."
