Allergies So, apparently I have an allergy to guinea pigs....

[miss.lyonice]

It's been pretty evident since I got Mars and Poppy, that I'm slightly allergic to them. If I put them near my neck, I get a pretty bad rash, nothing hydrocortisone cream can't fix, but I still get it. Also, I never had a problem with chapped lips, but when I put them up near my face, it leaves me with dry cracked skin on my lips and eyelids. I don't have a problem with breathing or anything, it's not drastic. In fact, my arms never get a rash from holding them. Only my neck and face. I do have TONS of allergies to begin with. I went to an allergist who just rolled her eyes and told me to get "rid of them" because my allergy to them wasn't bad enough to warrant her giving me a prescription. So that didn't help. I was wondering if there was an over the counter allergy medicine that helped any of you guys. I was taking benadryl, but it makes me kind of drowsy which isn't good on a day-to-day basis, especially when you're a busy student like myself. If you guys could help me out, that would be great. Thanks!

 

[miss.lyonice]

I don't think it's that. I've bought all kinds of hay, from orchard to timothy to botanical hay (i'm not too sure about it, it was just on sale and looked fancy, so I bought it). I still have the same reaction. I think it has something to do with what they carry on their fur. Because I bathed them last week (i give them baths every few months) and I held them for like 2-hours while they were drying, and for the next two or three days, I hadn't got a rash or anything. But eventually, I did start breaking out again.

 

[Guinea Pig Papa]

Claritin Clear may help you. It's supposed to be non drowsy, if I remember correctly.

 

[spy9doc]

Don't be so hasty in dismissing the suggestion that the hay is at fault. People are rarely allergic to the cavies themselves.........it's almost always the hay. No matter whether you've tried other varieties, if you have used timothy at any time, you must thoroughly clean everything in the cage as well as bathing your piggies. Just bathing them won't solve the problem.......you need to do more.

Quick personal story. My husband, like you, is of an allergic nature and responded dramatically to timothy hay when we began to keep cavies again. He had blinding headaches, stuffy nose, etc. so acutely that we had to do something. I first moved the cage into my home office and we then had the sofa cleaned, the walls washed and repainted in the living room where they previously lived. I even withdrew all hay for a month with depending on hay cubes, grass, and corn husks for fiber. In the meantime, Gary went to his allergist who tested him specifically for guinea pigs. Guess what? No sign of any allergy to them.

After a month and a good deal of research, I ordered bluegrass hay and it provoked absolutely no reaction, nor does orchard grass. You may be the rare person who is truly allergic to your cavies, but I would exhaust all other possibilities before assuming that.

 

[Shieme]

Zyrtec might help. It's known to help allergies for pets. It shouldn't make you drowsy. Use chap stick, plain and try (I kissy my pigs so I know it's hard) to keep from your face. Chapped eye lids concern me. Get an allergy test! Either the allergy will clam down with continue exposure or get worst. Tell the doctor (not that one, a new one) about all the hay and bedding materials you use. Get an allergist, they will take you more serious. They know you will want to keep your babies.

 

[Soecara]

When trying different hay to attempt to alleviate allergies you need to thoroughly clean everything after removing all the old type of hay. Hay leaves hay dust everywhere, and unless you eliminate all that old hay dust you could keep reacting even if you have switched hay types. Guinea pigs also tend to have a good amount of hay dust in their fur, hence why people with hay allergies can get allergic reactions from just the presence of a guinea pig or from direct contact with a guinea pig, so bathing them should be part of the cleaning to remove hay dust.

It is possible to be allergic to either guinea pig fur, urine, or saliva, but those allergies are far less common. It is fair to try to eliminate the possibility of the hay being the culprit as changing hay types is a fairly easy thing to try and if that is actually the issue you could alleviate all your symptoms. Though do keep in mind it is also possible to be allergic to multiple different kinds of hay.

 

[miss.lyonice]

So, cleaning down my room (bc their hay gets EVERYWHERE) and their cage as well as giving them a good bath, and switching to a different hay would be a good idea?

 

[spy9doc]

So, cleaning down my room (bc their hay gets EVERYWHERE) and their cage as well as giving them a good bath, and switching to a different hay would be a good idea?

You have summed it up nicely! But, do find a good allergy specialist and get tested.