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Blood Test Tracker

Dog Dander IgE

Shows whether your immune system has made IgE antibodies to proteins from dog skin flakes, hair and saliva.

AI-verified against cited sources. Awaiting expert reviewAlso called e5, E005LOINC 6098-8

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What it is

Dog allergens come from a dog's skin flakes (dander), hair, saliva and urine. This test measures IgE, the type of antibody linked to allergic reactions, that your body has made against a dog dander extract. It doesn't show which dog protein you react to. Some labs add follow-up 'component' tests that look at single dog proteins. Sensitization means your body has made IgE antibodies to a substance. It does not always mean you are allergic.

Why it matters

IgE to dog dander is linked to nose and eye symptoms and, in some people, to asthma. A result can help you and your clinician work out whether dogs may be a trigger for you. A positive result shows sensitization, which is not the same as being allergic. Many sensitized people have no symptoms, and some reactions come from proteins that dogs share with cats or horses.

If it’s high

A result above your lab's usual range means your body has made IgE antibodies to dog dander. Many people with this result have no symptoms around dogs. Others have a stuffy nose, sneezing, itchy eyes, cough or wheeze. Higher numbers are more often linked to symptoms, but they don't reliably predict how strong a reaction will be.

Common causes

  • An allergy-prone immune system (atopy), often together with cat, pollen or dust mite allergy
  • Contact with dogs at home, at work or in other people's homes
  • Cross-reaction with similar proteins in cats and horses
  • IgE to a protein made only by male dogs (Can f 5), which can affect how you react to different dogs
  • A weak result of 0.10 to 0.34 kU/L, which labs treat as uncertain

What can help

  • Talk with your clinician about whether your symptoms match your contact with dogs
  • Ask whether component tests (such as Can f 1 and Can f 5) could add useful detail
  • Ask which steps to cut exposure are worth trying. No dog breed has been proven to be hypoallergenic

Usual ranges

What labs print as the reference range, by who was tested. Ranges differ a little between labs, so the range on your own report is the one your result is judged against.

For adults: 0–0.1 kU/L. Source: Thermo Fisher Scientific, ARUP Laboratories, Labcorp, Quest Diagnostics, Thermo Fisher Scientific (Phadia), Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, NIAID / Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, World Allergy Organization Journal, Allergy, Children's Minnesota.

ImmunoCAP class scale as printed by Quest and ARUP (cut points differ by about 0.01 between labs)

  • Class 0: absent or undetectablebelow 0.1 kU/L
  • Class 0/1: very low level, relevance uncertain0.1 to under 0.35 kU/L
  • Class 1: low level0.35 to under 0.7 kU/L
  • Class 2: moderate level0.7 to under 3.5 kU/L
  • Class 3: high level3.5 to under 17.5 kU/L
  • Class 4: very high level17.5 to under 50 kU/L
  • Class 5: very high level50 to under 100.01 kU/L
  • Class 6: very high level100.01 and above kU/L

Labcorp class scale (ImmunoCAP, as printed on Labcorp reports)

  • Class 0: negativebelow 0.1 kU/L
  • Class 0/I: equivocal or low0.1 to under 0.32 kU/L
  • Class I: low0.32 to under 0.56 kU/L
  • Class II: moderate0.56 to under 1.41 kU/L
  • Class III: high1.41 to under 3.91 kU/L
  • Class IV: very high3.91 to under 19.01 kU/L
  • Class V: very high19.01 to under 100.01 kU/L
  • Class VI: very high100.01 and above kU/L

What can affect your result

  • Contact with dogs and how much dog allergen is in your home
  • Cross-reaction with cat and horse allergens, which share similar proteins
  • Which dog proteins you react to: Can f 5 is made only by male dogs
  • Lab method: results from different labs or assay systems may not be comparable
  • Medicines: antihistamines do not change this blood test, unlike skin prick testing
  • Very high total IgE can produce weak, nonspecific positive results.
  • Different assay systems give different numbers for the same blood sample, so compare results from the same lab and method.
  • Some labs reject samples that are hemolyzed (red cells broken), jaundiced (icteric) or lipemic (very fatty).

Antibody levels usually change slowly, over months to years.

When to talk to a clinician

Talk with a clinician if nose, eye or chest symptoms keep coming back around dogs. Call your local emergency number for severe trouble breathing.

Questions you could ask

  • How should I think about this result if I live with a dog and feel fine?
  • Does this result fit my symptoms around dogs?
  • Would component tests, such as Can f 1 and Can f 5, add useful information?
  • Could cats or horses be part of the picture too?
  • Which steps to cut exposure are worth trying?

Questions people ask

Are some dog breeds hypoallergenic?

No breed has been shown to be truly hypoallergenic. One study found that so-called hypoallergenic breeds had at least as much of the major dog allergen (Can f 1) on their hair and coat as other breeds, and differences between dogs of the same breed were bigger than differences between breeds.

Why did my lab run extra dog tests?

Some labs automatically add component tests when the dog result is above a set level. Labcorp's level is above 0.34 kU/L. The extra results show which dog proteins you react to, which can help your clinician read the pattern, including cross-reaction with cats.

Could I react to male dogs but not female dogs?

Possibly. Can f 5 is made only by male dogs, and people who react only to it may tolerate female dogs better, though that is not guaranteed. This pattern is not common: about 15% to 20% of IgE-sensitized people react to Can f 5. A component test and your own history would show whether it fits you.

Show the science and sources

Units

  • 1 kU/L = 1 kU/L
  • 1 kU/L = 1 UA/mL

For clinicians and researchers

ImmunoCAP e5 measures IgE to a dog dander extract (manufacturer range 0.1 to 100 kUA/L; above 100 is printed as >100). Dog allergens include the lipocalins Can f 1 (a major allergen), Can f 2, Can f 4 and Can f 6, the albumin Can f 3, and the prostatic kallikrein Can f 5, which is made only by male dogs; between 15% and 20% of IgE-sensitized people react to Can f 5, and those who react only to it may tolerate female dogs better. Labcorp reflexes to dog component testing when dog dander IgE is above 0.34 kU/L. Labcorp's report comments describe Can f 1 IgE as better than extract IgE for diagnosing dog allergy. Thermo Fisher describes Can f 3 as an albumin with extensive cross-reactivity to other mammalian albumins that is seldom of clinical importance, and Can f 6 as cross-reactive with cat Fel d 4 and horse Equ c 1. Can f 1 cross-reacts with the cat lipocalin Fel d 7, so co-sensitization is common and can be hard to untangle. ARUP labels 0.10 to 0.34 kU/L as clinical relevance undetermined, while other labs call it equivocal or very low. The class tables differ slightly between labs, so use the class your own report prints.

LOINC 6098-8 (primary). Specimen: serum.

Sources

  1. Allergen, Epidermals and Animal Proteins, Dog Dander (test 0099568), ARUP Laboratories
  2. Allergens, Inhalants, Comprehensive Profile IgE (test 0055312), ARUP Laboratories
  3. Allergen Profile With Component Reflexes, Respiratory, Area 2 (test 607111), Labcorp
  4. Sample patient report: Allergens with Component Reflex, Area 20 (test 607120), Labcorp (2021)
  5. ImmunoCAP Specific IgE Blood Test: Allergy Test List (interpretation table and test codes), Quest Diagnostics (2017)
  6. ImmunoCAP Specific IgE blood test results: Interpretation (respiratory results interpretation guide), Thermo Fisher Scientific (Phadia) (2023)
  7. ImmunoCAP Epidermal and Animal Protein Allergens (Thermo Fisher product page; lists e5 dog dander; measuring range 0.1 to 100 kUA/L), Thermo Fisher Scientific
  8. ImmunoCAP allergy: Change to Reference Interval Interpretation, UR Medicine Labs, University of Rochester Medical Center (2022)
  9. Prevalence of allergic sensitization in the United States: results from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2005-2006, Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology (2014)
  10. Guidelines for the Diagnosis and Management of Food Allergy in the United States: Report of the NIAID-Sponsored Expert Panel, NIAID / Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology (2010)
  11. IgE allergy diagnostics and other relevant tests in allergy, a World Allergy Organization position paper, World Allergy Organization Journal (2020)
  12. Recombinant IgE-Reactive Functional Can f 5 Devoid of Cross-Reactive Carbohydrate Determinants, Allergy (2025)
  13. Can f 1 levels in hair and homes of different dog breeds: lack of evidence to describe any dog breed as hypoallergenic, Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology (2012)
  14. Allergen IgE (laboratory test manual entry; class table and reporting rules), Children's Minnesota (2018)
  15. ImmunoCAP Specific IgE: Dog allergy (testing algorithm), Thermo Fisher Scientific (Phadia) (2025)

AI-verified against cited sources. Awaiting expert review. Last reviewed 2026-10-03. How we build and check these pages.

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