Allergies Do people with bad asthma cope with GP's?

[addictivejuliet]

Do you have BAD asthma and guinea pigs?
Have you been hospitalised over it recently?
I'd like to know if you think your piggies affect your asthma.
I'm not talking about the hay though.

My boyfriend's asthma is affected by CATS (his parents have them) and I'm trying to convince him to let me get
piggies in our flat. But he thinks they may make his asthma worse. Their hairs.
He gets hospitalised over bad breathing with a common cold.
Does anyone have any similar situations?

Some people said try fostering to see first, and I will if he lets me xD

 

[cavykaitlyn]

I have a guinea pig and my sister has a righteous case of asthma (although she hasn't been hospitalized). We are one door down from each other on the same floor and she has never had any problems. It all depends on the circulation of the air (she has a personal fan in her room), the amount of the trigger (this is based on how many piggies you plan on) and what exactly the person is triggered by.

Since your boyfriend is affected by cats, why not (keep an emergency inhaler with you of course) head to a pet store or nearby rescue and try it out? You can have him hang with the pigs and see if he reacts (make sure you get medical attention if his asthma is THAT bad when he reacts). Usually people that have asthma triggers are only triggered by a specific type of animal dander/hair. So a guinea pig might be fine, because the two animals are so diverse from one another. Just try it. That is the only way to know for sure.

Sorry if I couldn't help much. I tried

 

[addictivejuliet]

That's great thank you for your suggestions! I will do that. The piggies would be in my room anyway, which is basically a spare room, because we sleep in his room.
I think you're right about the ventilation thing.
I think he'd be okay, I mean, he lived with cats in his parents house before moving out,
so hopefully he'll be okay.
Thanks

 

[GuineaGal2013]

I am asthmatic but it isn't BAD. My daughter also has asthma and has been hospitalized in the past for croup (an asthma related illness she gets when the seasons do wonky things). Neither one of us have a problem with the piggies and they are kept in our living room

 

[dem1ba]

My husband also has bad asthma and his #1 allergy is cats. When I wanted to get a bunny we made sure he held it for a while first especially around his face to see if he had trouble. He didn't and so we got one and he was fine. He is bothered somewhat by the GPs but mostly by their hay. So definitely have your bf hold a pig for a while and see.

 

[theguineapigguy]

I actually have really bad asthma. I have to get 2 shots every 3 weeks of Xolair just to semi control it. I have my guinea pigs in my room and it does not bother me what so ever. Granted I have an air purifier in my room which by the name purifies the air. So what I would suggest is get a cheap air purifier and that would probably help greatly, plus it keeps the cage smell down. Its a win, win situation really.

 

[Varcoda]

its probably best to foster some first so your boyfriend doesn't end up in the emergency dept. its nice you love piggies, but shouldn't you love your current human pet more?

anyway if you do get piggies, fleece bedding would be better for reducing chances of asthma i imagine

 

[HannibalLecter]

I don't have asthma myself but my boyfriend does, and I've developed dust allergies from having the pigs in my room.
The thing that has made it possible for me to keep them was to get a high quality air purifier, not a cheap one, and to move the pigs away from the bedroom. Things like haybags & non dusty bedding helped as well.

 

[bubblepig]

I have energy-induced asthma,and it also acts up at night. The hay makes me a bit itchy in the eyes and makes me want to sneeze,but the pigs don't usually bother me.

 

[pinky]

I have asthma and am really allergic to cats. They not only affect my lungs, my eyes swell up and I get hives when I touch them. My other big trigger is mold. I use inhalers (flovent and albuterol) when it acts up. I have no problems with the guinea pigs but I am allergic to the timothy hay.

 

[addictivejuliet]

@Varcoda: ahaha, I do love him more, but I'm also studying biology at University and want to be a zoo keeper, so having pets is sort of my thing. I've always had them, but I've moved out of mum's house in September and now I live with the boyfriend, just me and him in our flat, sooooo, if his asthma is okay with piggies, he WILL have to let me have some

 

[Varcoda]

shove a piggy on him when he's sleeping and we'll all find out

just kidding, i hope he's not allergic so you can have them

 

[addictivejuliet]

ahaha xD me too :3

 

[Penron]

Hey!

I have asthma. It's not too serious, but my dad's is, and since I'm still a teenager and still live with my parents, this was a big factor when we started considering me and my dad's allergies and asthma.

But!


Before I got my guinea pig Clover I did a lot of research and discovered something very useful. When I got her I put it to the test, and I've had Clover for four months now and not a single time have I noticed any asthmatic or allergenic symptoms.

I use pellet cat litter.

Pellet cat litter is basically wood granules that are super absorbent and are super easy to clean up during weekly cage cleanings. This bedding doesn't smell (my grandma came over for a visit in January and stayed with us for a couple weeks. Later she told me that before she came she thought our house would smell like guinea pigs and urine, but you can't smell anything with this) and with it comes a smaller chance of your piggy getting a URI.

In my opinion it's the best bedding available!

If you have asthma and/or allergies I would DEFINITELY recommend cat pellet litter.

Hope this helped!

 

[HannibalLecter]

Hey!

I have asthma. It's not too serious, but my dad's is, and since I'm still a teenager and still live with my parents, this was a big factor when we started considering me and my dad's allergies and asthma.

But!


Before I got my guinea pig Clover I did a lot of research and discovered something very useful. When I got her I put it to the test, and I've had Clover for four months now and not a single time have I noticed any asthmatic or allergenic symptoms.

I use pellet cat litter.

Pellet cat litter is basically wood granules that are super absorbent and are super easy to clean up during weekly cage cleanings. This bedding doesn't smell (my grandma came over for a visit in January and stayed with us for a couple weeks. Later she told me that before she came she thought our house would smell like guinea pigs and urine, but you can't smell anything with this) and with it comes a smaller chance of your piggy getting a URI.

In my opinion it's the best bedding available!

If you have asthma and/or allergies I would DEFINITELY recommend cat pellet litter.

Hope this helped!

Wood pellet cat litter is basically an expensive version of regular wood pellets made for stove burning. I pay two thirds of the price for a bag twice as large. I would also be wary of recommending cat litters, as many regular cat litters are unsuitable for cavies.

 

[cavy_jdas]

It all depends on the severity of the allergies and the specific triggers. When you compound multiple triggers, the attack can be multiple times worse. So, if there is the pet allergy times a hay allergy, it may end up being way too much. Or certain times of the year when any of his other allergies are bad (if he has multiple), could make the pig bother him when at other times it's not bad.

As a child, my brother had very severe asthma attacks from a guinea pig brought into another classroom at school (no contact with it, not even close by). Guinea pigs were the worst for him, far worse than any other animals.

First figure out if your boyfriend has allergies to any of the supplies needed. Then meeting at the rescue or shelter is good, assuming they don't have other pets that he's allergic to. If all goes well, consider fostering. Ease your way in, so you don't end up in a heartbreaking situation, and so that your poor piggie does not end up sealed up alone in a room without much contact because you can't bring him out.

 

[addictivejuliet]

Thank you
I plan to foster some from my shelter and see how he gets on!