Severely allergic to hay...what can I do?

[Caerah]

I've been a guinea pig owner for several months now, and I'm having a serious problem. I've always been a bit sensitive to plants and such, but it was never anything I couldn't put up with. I expected to be allergic to the pigs' hay, and of course, I was. But again, it wasn't terrible. Over time though, it seems that my allergy has increased in severity. When I give them hay, within minutes I'm sneezing continuously and red itchy welts appear on my arms. This wouldn't be so bad, but my asthma is getting worse as well. After I give them hay, my throat swells, and I cough for hours. All this loveliness leads to headaches, and generally being miserable all day.

I'm afraid that eventually I'm going to have a reaction that will require medical help to recover from. And yes, I'll be honest, I don't like feeling terrible all day. I love my pigs, and I don't want to give them away (though I'm beginning to feel like it's the best option for getting the pigs the care they need). My husband agrees with me, but he doesn't want to help clean or feed them. Over the counter allergy meds don't work (believe me, I've tried them ALL), and getting help from an allergy specialist is too expensive.

So...what can I do?

[Peggysu]

I have really bad allergies. I seek help from an allergy specialist and receive shots on a weekly basis. Have you tried a different hay. Timothy seems to be the worst. Have you tried a locally grown hay? Always wear long sleeves and gloves when you handle the hay. A mask will help insure you don't breath as much of it in.

I've noticed that other hays tend to be less dusty compared to timothy hay. Make sure you are not sleeping in the same room as the guinea pigs and keep them out of your sleeping area.

Also the type of bedding being used can help cut down on allergies.

[Caerah]

I've tried all the different hays that I've read are acceptable for guinea pigs. Same effect. I haven't tried a locally grown hay though. I've looked online for a source, but haven't found anything.

They're as far away from my sleeping space as they can be, and I never bring them inside.

I always have long sleeves and gloves, but I haven't tried a mask other than my shirt. What kind of mask would you recommend?

I'm using fleece bedding currently. What type of bedding is best for allergies?

[VoodooJoint]

Try switching to bluegrass/orchard grass hay. That type of hay doesn't seem to bother allergies like timothy hay does.

If that doesn't work then get some larger sized brown paper bags (the kind used for lunches). Take the hay and bags outside and stuff the bags with hay. Fold them down and store them that way. You can then simply take a bag or two a day, open it up and drop it in the cage. The pigs will get the hay out of the bag to eat and get a toy all at the same time. You don't have to deal with hay dust constantly.

[frillint]

Have you tried KM's hay?