Who else has allergies to their pigs? (not the hay)

[PiggleLove2013]

Hi all!

I have what is uncommonly allergies to the pigs themselves, not the hay (though I am allergic to Timothy, I have switched to Orchard and that helps a lot.) Anyone else with the same issues? Was just wondering if there were others with the same problem and your ways of dealing with it. (I have my own thread on dealing with allergies, in fact).

 

[PiggyMommyWendy]

So sorry to hear about your piggy allergy. Our first 2 piggies were thought to be both females....(My bad....Being a guinea pig newbie, I didn't know any better, and I had an 'expert' determine the sex for me)....Every time I cleaned the cage & changed the fleeces, Angelina (the dominant piggy) would run around rubbing her back end all over the place to scent mark her territory. If I was close enough, my nose would itch & I would start sneezing up a storm until I walked away. Angelina turned out to be a male (big surprise)! Since then I have only had female piggies, and no problems with allergies. I originally thought I was allergic to the hay, but after sticking my head in the hay bag and getting a good whiff several times, I found out that wasn't my problem. I have heard that piggies don't really produce dander, so people (like me) who are allergic to cats and some dogs usually don't have an allergy to piggies. Good luck dealing with your allergies. They can be a real nuisance!

 

[lissie]

I'm allergic to both timothy hay and piggies. Tested positive during skin test. I wear long sleeves and gloves when I handle my pigs. If not, I break out in hives.

I get asthma from timothy hay. I've been using KMS bluegrass and its been better, but not completely gone.

I take Zyrtec every day, and use Benadryl and inhaler as needed, which is like once a week. I do better when I wear a mask during cage cleaning.

 

[labgirl5]

I break out in hives on my arms/back of my hands when I hold my guinea pig, or he sniffs me, and his whiskers/nose touch my skin (not my palm). It doesn't really bother me, though, and I don't believe I'm allergic to hay. I'll take allergy pills if the hives really start to itch (or there are a lot), though.

 

[Rain Shadow]

I'm oddly enough allergic to long haired pigs. A friend has several short hairs and I have no problem with them. Yet I sneeze my head off with Logan and now Jake. Both of which are long haired. I have horses and I'm fine with their hay which is the same as the boy's.

I'm the same with cats and some dogs. So of course both my dog and cat are long haired

 

[ClemmyOddieIndy]

I'm allergic to my pigs and hay. But I don't really do anything for it, except deal with it. I have an inhaler for allergy induced asthma (didn't know that could happen until recently), but I'm too afraid to use it because I'm allergic to many meds and even the allergy meds I've tried. I don't want to come off "harsh" by saying I just deal with it. I'm allergic to pretty much everything so, if it wasn't them it'd be something else. I'm allergic to horses, dogs, and cats (all of which I have). I'm allergic to pretty much everything outside and inside. I live in a constant state of respiratory distress and covered in hives and rashes. I was born, put into a diaper, and boom bright red rash all over my body from the latex. They tried to feed me milk... nope allergic to that too.

 

[PiggleLove2013]

[MENTION=27350]ClemmyOddieIndy[/MENTION]

Man, that must be horrible. My allergies thanfully are not severe, just seasonal and animal allergies.

 

[ClemmyOddieIndy]

@ClemmyOddieIndy

Man, that must be horrible. My allergies thanfully are not severe, just seasonal and animal allergies.

Not really. When you're born with it you don't know any different

 

[Heather_GP]

I'm allergic to feathers, dust and fur, so any 'cute' animal, including Frank is like hell. Been this way since I was a child, it's a joy, so I agree with [MENTION=27350]ClemmyOddieIndy[/MENTION] on being born with it and not knowing any different.

However I do love Frank to the moon and back. Even my other half has just developed an allergy to him, which is odd considering he has been around dogs and cats and frank for a while...

When I have him out it's a matter of long clothes and cover my neck, or become blotchy and itchy. My throat itches like mad. My eyes itch all the time, think having him also caused the eczema to come back on my eyes, but hey ho, he can only go in our room. When I change his bedding, it's hell trying to breathe considering it's 'dust free'.

However, one thing to consider maybe for those who do have allergies and the pigs in their room or any room of the house, maybe invest in an air purifier, helps definitely during the day and night as it clears the air and removes any of the smells that come from the cage.

 

[Mastershroom]

I'm definitely allergic to my pigs. It's not very severe; my skin gets a bit itchy (but no hives) if I handle them with bare skin, and I get sneezy and my eyes water up. But I usually don't have any reaction to just being in the same room if I'm not directly handling them. And I seem to react more severely to my short-hairs and Abyssinian than I do with my texel, or with my teddy when she was alive.

Incidentally, no allergic reaction at all to my rabbit. My allergies are seemingly very selective. I'm extremely harshly allergic to all cats, but I've never had a reaction with a dog, even a non-hypoallergenic breed. Guinea pigs, but not rabbits. I don't get it

 

[maddy harper]

i'm alergic to spike's fur
when ever i handle him my eyes start running and i have to take anti histamines now so i can handle him ok with out suffering as much