This was revealed by an article published by National Geographic, which reported the words of Dr. Raelynn Farnsworth of Washington State University's College of Veterinary Medicine, according to which dogs can develop allergies to cats or humans, and vice versa.
In particular, to trigger the allergic reaction would be the residues of dead skin and hair that each of us loses daily, thanks to the natural cell turnover of the skin. These debris enclose very small cells made up of fragments of skin, hair, eyelashes and many other residues released into the environment by us and our four-legged friends. Not surprisingly, even "our" allergies to dogs and cats are triggered by contact with these substances.
Well, it has been shown that the same can be proved in our animals, which can develop various typical symptoms of allergies when they come into contact with these residues. This discovery had already been anticipated in 2005 by a Scottish research, according to which cats can manifest an important form of asthma, due precisely to contact with humans.
Dr. Farnsworth managed to identify two slightly different types of manifestations in the dog and cat. In dogs, the symptoms are mainly localized at the level of the skin, with inflammation and itching, but sneezing and rhinitis may also appear. In cats, on the other hand, dermatitis accompanied by dandruff and hair loss is more frequent, more evident in the head and neck area.
To understand if dogs or cats suffers from this rare form of allergy, we must first examine the duration of the symptoms. Generally, seasonal allergies (such as pollen allergies, for example) only occur with the appearance of the allergen in the environment (pollen for example, as said before). On the contrary, if the symptoms persist throughout the year, it could be a reaction to some ingredients present in the food or we could even begin to assume that he is allergic to us.
The vet is able to test our animal against various substances. Specifically, it is possible to check whether the dog is allergic to the cat's cellular debris.
But how can we intervene if our four-legged friend is allergic to us? No fear. The vet can safely treat dog and cat allergies, just as humans do. The solution is to treat the animal with sprays or oral drops that contain a minimum amount of allergen (the substance that triggers the allergic reaction) to adapt the immune system to the substance. It will then start to ignore it.
Source: http://news.nationalgeographic.com/2015/04/150411-dogs-cats-allergies-science-pets-animals/