Allergic To My Guinea Pigs! :( Not Sure What To Do.

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Peggy's owner

Peggy's owner

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We have had 2 teddy guinea pigs since the end of July and I've been suffering with bad allergic reactions since the beginning of September. The guinea pigs were originally in our lounge from July to September and at that point I wasn't really aware of allergies, but eyes may have been a bit itchy. The girls were then moved into my bedroom at the beginning of September due to a phantom pregnancy. Vet confirmed that she was not pregnant and then they moved back to the lounge. Whilst in bedroom allergies flared up and doctor said I had conjunctivitis so I assumed it was either the guinea pigs, their pine bedding or the hay. I have now moved them into the garage (poor things) and I have not touched them for a week. My eyes are still sore and have developed scabs on the eyelids. My husband has been great (considering he didn't really want them in the first place) He is taking them out to their run, feeding them, getting the kids to clean their hutch and he has them on his lap in the evening. I am hoping that once/if my eyes heal up I can start contact with them in a controlled manner. I think that it is the guinea pigs (saliva/urine) themselves that I am allergic to and not the bedding/hay

Has anyone else had this, I have read similar posts but couldn't see how they were resolved. I really don't want to rehome them. I also have read about allergy testing but doctor said that they don't do this? I am taking eyes drops and anti-histamines.

Thanks Sarah
 
I am allergic to rats and my allergy developed when I was pregnant, if I touch a rat now I get welps on my skin which itch like mad and if I'm in a room with rats for any great length of time my eyes water and I get cold like symptoms, blocked nose. I am fine with the pigs though, I think the doctor can test you, I had allergy tests done privately which cost £300 ish but they tested for everything
 
it could well be the piggies as alot of people are allergic to their urine and saliva as you've said, or their hair. but pine beddings and petshop type quality hays (and even good quality hays depending on the type) can be real triggers aswell so i'd maybe suggest changing the bedding first to something else and then see if you improve.

i'm allergic to pet fur/hair and also some types of beddings (so i use paper based beddings and/or fleece type beddings for the pets) and some hays really set me off aswell. i take an anti-histamine daily but i'm still covered in rashes alot of the time, and have sore watery eyes. it's not fun when it flares up but i think all you can do is manage symptoms as best you can, and try and see if different beddings and hays work better for you and take it from there. :)
 
What a relief your husband is being so helpful. It sounds like you are willing to work out exactly you are allergic to . Are your kids willing to continue cleaning them out ?

I have heard some forum members have continued to keep guinea pigs with allergies. I' d have a chat with your GP if I were you.

I'm allergic to cats . I don't own one so it's only a problem when I visit people who own cats. The chemist suggested I take an antihistamine on these occasions.
 
I would first change the bedding to something less allergenic and see if that makes a difference. I've had small animals my whole life and now am extremely allergic to wood chips (even so-called less allergenic ones like aspen.) It developed over time- as a child I wasn't allergic at all, but I eventually ended up to the point where I had to wear a mask to change the cage and still had to take antihistamines because the white of my eyes would actually blister/swell due to allergic reaction. I've since changed to paper bedding, which is much less of a trigger for me. So I would remove potential triggers (besides the pigs themselves) and see if there is any improvement, because it may be something you can work around. That said, it is possible to be allergic to guinea pigs (one of my vets is- she has to wear latex gloves for pig exams or develops hives.) If that was the case, I think you would be stuck with antihistamines or other allergy meds and/or not having physical contact. One of my friends is a cat lover who is allergic to cats... she has two of them but takes allergy meds every day to deal with symptoms.
 
Just to add- don't be too quick to write off the wood chips. Pine is extremely allergenic, cedar is even worse. There is even a medical condition called cedar-induced asthma that causes respiratory responses from breathing in cedar essential oils/dust (it happens largely in people who work in wood processing mills and such.) Statistically you are much more likely to be allergic to pine oils than guinea pigs, though of course allergies to anything are possible!
 
aww bless you... i am very allergic to dogs so know how you feel.. i was worried when we got ours that i might be a bit allergic to them but touch wood i am not... i hate the hay though which makes me sneeze... Good luck for the future x
 
Thank you for your replies. I think I will look into allergy testing, but do not want to pay£300! It would be good to know for sure whether it was bedding/hay/them. As even if I'm not touching them much, my husband and kids are and then I touch them. Hubby joked the night, "do you want me to move into the garage with them!"
 
I would definitely change the bedding first, not only because its the easiest thing to check but also the dust from it will have got into their fur too, which could cause a reaction to them, even if its not actually them your allergic too.
 
I'm allergic to a lot of things, even humans :P

Thanks for the link, I'm going to favourite it because I have rhinitis, plus allergies to other things, foods and such. I hope you find out what the problem is and get some help for it :)
 
Check for cheyletiella mite - so many people who think they are allergic to animals are actually allergic to this.

I'm allergic to cat hair - but as I have cats I kind of put up with it, and I'm horribly allergic to the mites in hay - tricky when you are around it all the time - thank goodness for haylage.

Oh yes, humans affect me worst of all, make me come out in a I feel like moving to Mars state of mind!
 
Sorry to hear you are having allergy problems. I react to cats but not rabbits or guinea pigs. But close/prolonged contact with hay can start me sneezing and wheezing.I find my asthma inhalers and a steroid nasal spray keeps it under control daytime and an antihistamine tablet at bedtime. Have found using a gel eye product called "Viscotears"( actually for dry eyes) really helps stop my eyes itching - probably because they are well lubricated by the gel. You can buy it over the counter in chemists. Also an eyelid cleaner called "Blephasol" is incredibly soothing - stocked by some opticians and chemists. Hope that helps.
 
Archie used to have woodshaving bedding, tbh the stuff would set him off too, i would recommend switching it to paper or fleece or something. I used to be very allergic to him, but I found hoovering the room and washing all the stuff once a week, as well as taking nose spray works so well, and over the year or so I just stopped being so allergic and now dont have to take any antihistamines, but still get histamine reactions to him on my skin sometimes but they go away if you put anthisan cream on the lumps, and they go away naturally after like 10 mins.
 
Try recycled bedding and feeding them timothy hay, and i'd get your kids or Oh to do the hay part. Handle them with gloves if you want to pet them, and put them on a towel on your knees and just stick it straight in the washing machine after if you're worried. Get your kids to give them a good groom daily to keep the loose hairs at bay.
I know a few horse owners who are allergic to hay, but it's because they love horses so much that they put up with the sneezing and sore eyes.
 
Thanks for your help, have changed bedding, hay etc. But still have puffy eyes. So just sent off for the allergy test. I will let you know how it goes.
 
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