Developed an allergy to piggies?

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JackyB

JackyB

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Hello all :)p

Has anyone else developed an allergy to their piggies?

I've had my two for approx 4and a 1/2 months and in the last month or so seem to have developed an allergy towards them.

I sneeze so much by them but not when i'm away from them- but this does calm down after a bit (Almost likes it's a shock to my system when i first go by them) though my nose is then all runny n stuff- it's like having hayfeaver!

and also if they touch my arms or especially chest/neck area- i come out in a rash- nd if they scratch me- the scratched area is raised and red.

Has anyone else developed these sorts of reactions to their piggies or something similar and what do they do to help with the symptoms?

I couldn't have checked if i had an allergy to piggies before i got mine as it has only come on after about 3 months of having them and anyway i'm more then happy to cope with the symtoms to have them
(Luckily it doesn't affect my hands:) ) but a bit of relief would be nice :)

Any advice much appreciated. Thanks xx>>>
 
Get good allergy meds ( a combination of nasal spray, eye drops and antihistamines are most effective).

Make sure the bedroom is completely piggy free (you spend most of your time home there really as you sleep 7-9 hours a night)

Consider getting an air purifier. IKEA has a pretty cool and cheap one!

You should still get tested, it may be the hay or bedding rather than the piggies. How are they bedded?
 
Thanks for that :)

They are bedded on fleece- same washing power is used for my clothes so i know it's not that cause i don't always have these symptoms.

I had similar symptoms to dogs and cats too- and pollution and especially hayfever but seemed to grow out of them as i got older.

I take it guinea pigs moult- poppy (Teddy) seems to be where as pebbles(Merino) isn't and i'm wondering if it could be their fur getting everywhere that could be the issue?

I know that the answers to my questions may be in other links but there's many many threads and many answers and sometimes it's nice to get a personal answer as it may not be quite the same as what someone else has experiance.

I particuly don't want to get into medication if i can help it as they are so expensive- supermarket brands never seemed to be strong enoguh when i suffered from bad hayfever when i was younger and i'd basically have to take them for as long as i have piggies which is expensive and i just wanted ot know if there wasn anything non medicated that helped other people really.
 
This happens to me also, i sneeze when cleaning them out, which is understandable and i also come out in little bumps wherever their fur has touched me. Usually round my neck and arms. I am going to put up with it tho as it goes after i have put the pigs back down. The love of my bunch overrides the allergy bit.
 
ok... the allergens are in the urine and saliva, so it isn't really the fur that's the problem, but the fur helps spread the particles around. Using fleece for a bedding is the best option as loose bedding gets kicked around more and would spread more allergens.

I guess we are spoilt in Sweden with medical subsidies...

Non medical remedies would be to ask someone else shake the fleece before you wash it or wearing some kind of breathing mask to do it. The neck/chest area and the underside of the arms are very sensitive, so perhaps wear a turtleneck if you're gonna have a long cuddling session?

I've heard about stuff you can spray/wipe the piggies with, but it seems really weird! Might be worth looking into though...
 
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