One in three Brits have given away their pet because they suffered an allergic reaction

Research has discovered that as many as 35 percent of Brits who own a pet, suffer some from an allergic reaction to their furry friend.

Worryingly, as result, one in three (34 percent), of those who experience pet allergy symptoms have had to give away the family pet because of a reaction.

A further 28 percent are actually considering re-homing their beloved animal because of sniffles, sneezes and itchy skin.

The survey, commissioned by Piri, an allergy relief range, discovered that this is only the start of the nation’s allergy problems – with 58 percent of Brits claiming they suffer from some kind of allergy.

“With almost half of UK households owning a pet, an allergy to animals poses social problems, says Psychologist, Honey Lancaster-James. “Symptoms could stop people from visiting friends and relatives who have a pet and this could be especially troublesome for children who might not be able to play at a friend’s home.

"Pets are also part of the family and no owner wants to re-home their beloved furry friend as a result of endless sneezing and wheezing. Thankfully, there are many solutions that can be explored to prevent an allergy from limiting lives, from simply washing hands more to grooming regimes and of course antihistamine treatment”.

Interestingly, according to the data, as many as 2 percent of people even say they’re allergic to their own partner - or at least the fragrance that they wear or detergent they use.

According to charity Allergy UK, Britain has some of the highest prevalence of rates of allergic conditions in the world. And the number of sufferers is rising with an estimated 2 million new sufferers added in just one year.

The nation’s most common allergy is dust (29 percent), followed by cats (19 percent) and certain washing powders (19 percent). Almost two in ten (12 percent) say they are allergic to some form of plant, while one in ten (11 percent) had a reaction to dogs.

With 78 percent saying their allergies affect them regularly, it’s no surprise that the nationwide research revealed our aversions are causing chaos in our day-to-day lives.

Over two thirds (69 percent) of people say they are embarrassed by any allergic flare ups and they seem to occur at the worst possible moments.

The research of 1,500 Britons revealed that 14 percent of allergy sufferers have had a flare up ruin a job interview, 11 percent have suffered on a first date and 4 per cent even had an allergic reaction during their own wedding.

Pet allergies alone cause big problems even with non-owners. A quarter (26 per cent) of people affected have been prevented from pursuing a romantic relationship, while around a third say they don’t go to friends’ or families’ houses because they have an animal which would cause them problems.

The most common symptom of allergy is sneezing (44 per cent), followed by itchy skin (36 per cent) and runny nose (35 per cent). Fortunately, most people (64 per cent) are sympathetic to people who are reacting badly, though 19 per cent say that some of their family “doesn’t believe them”.