I also did the allergy tests that showed a slight allergies to dogs, worse for cats but the pain in the chest seemed way out of proportion to the test results. Too bad for me, I love animals and are not nervous around them. I have had
to care for and train my dogs and went to dog school. In order to rid myself of allergies I took allergy shots for 2 years, all to no avail. Now I have a pet free household and feel fine. I always enquire if I am going out visiting whether there are animals in the house. I take my steroid inhaler before going but it is only of limited help. Mostly I just don’t go where there are animals. Reptiles and fish are ok. To have some living creatures in the house ( besides my husband that is) I bought a 90 gallon aquarium and some Africian Cichlids (very responsive fish and hardy);If you are contemplating this I suggest you study first and buy the best quality filter. It’s a hobby and requires work however it is rewarding in that it’s beautiful addition to the house. Stay away from salt water fish until you are very very experienced.
I am sorry that there seems to be no medical knowledge out there of our condition. I feel it is related to asthma but different in some significant way. Please let me know how you are doing as you search for answers. I have only met one other person who had this pain and I am 74 years of age. Also note that all fur bearing animals can cause allergies , it’s not their fur it’s the invisible protein in their saliva that floats in the air and that we unwittingly inhale that causes problems.