Don't know what to do :( hi

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emma bailey

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Hi,
Ever since I have had my guinea pigs I have had a rash that has spread across my arms and its now all over my stomach the docs said its an allergic reaction to the guinea pigs wee .....
I have been treated since July with steriods,creams ,body wash and its not getting any better :(
I wear a polo top and gloves but its not going away
I'm really worried about my health as I'm getting really run down and I have kidney diese as well so it's not good for me.

Can anyone help I really don't want to re home my girls
I have only just found out about what is causeing my problem and I'm so down about it :(
Please help
A very very very sad Emma :( x
 
Awwwww poor you, I was allergic to my rex agouti piggy and used to sneeze and my eyes would stream and I would have massive red lumps all over me and I struggled to breathe, but I found antihistamine pills and cream helped, I hope you find your answer xx
 
Sorry no answers for you. How is the wee getting on you? Could you not do something to prevent it?
 
is it definately the wee? or could it be the piglies hair?
Do the piglies have the same coats or are they different coat types (e.g. rex, abysinian, smooth/ short coats).
i know it's a long shot but have you tried only handling ones with similar coat types for a few days, then switching the handling to the other types for a few days if different? it may be the type of hair causing the irritation?

Also a distant friend of mine had an allergy to cats.... or so she thought... a year or so later i was chatting to her & she said that she now had a cat- it turned out that she only had an allergy to i think it was white cats & not black cats (or vice versa) something to do with the different saliva types produced by different coloured cats!
sorry thats probably no help if your piglies are all the same :-(

is it any good boarding out (piggy sleepover)the piglies for a few days / week or so, just to see if it makes any difference to your reaction/rash?
Hopefully if its no different in this separation period, then it may not be connected with the pigglies & just be a coincidence. (heres hoping, xx )

I'm guessing the piglies are all healthy, no signs of mites, lice, ringworm etc?Have you tried barrier creams before handling?
Have you tried different types of feed(nuggets or muesli(prone to bugs &moths in). Different hay types or bedding for the pigglies (fleece, shavings, shredded paper,newspaper, etc?)

Just a thought...Have you had any changes in detergents, washing powders, deodorants, etc (at home or work)?
Are you a keen gardener? some plants may cause a reaction? have you had a pin prick allergy test?
Have your kidney medications got any side effects to them that could cause any of these reactions (photosensitivity, hypersensitivity, etc?


These are all optimistic thoughts, which your doctor has probably covered already, but its always worth a try!

Good luck. hope you can sort it. x
 
Your doctor can arrange for allergy tests and if you think it's specifically your guineas then they should be able to narrow it down a bit. I recall a colleague at work having them done although it took quite a bit of persuading.
 
been thinking, do the piglies actually have the odd accident on you? if so have you tried a plastic backed picnic blanket or similar to put the piglies on when you're cuddling them? their wee is quite acidic... might be worth a try?!?
xx
 
GPTV said:
been thinking, do the piglies actually have the odd accident on you? if so have you tried a plastic backed picnic blanket or similar to put the piglies on when you're cuddling them? their wee is quite acidic... might be worth a try?!?
xx
Click to expand...

Hi thanks everyone for your advice
It is from dried wee so when I clean them out, as I lift the hay and sawdust up to clean them out they are released and that's how its affecting me :( xx
 
oh right then.
Is it worth getting some extra long rubber gloves (pond cleaning type that have elasticated tops,nearly under the armpits) for clean outs?

or would a more absorbent bedding, eg shredded paper make a difference, should be less likely to touch your skin if locked into the paper.

i always have a layer of newspaper at the bottom of the hutch, all the way along overlapped for the first layer. this means i can just roll the whole lot (paper, shredded paper & top layer of hay) making it into a fat sausage/swiss roll effect & pull it straight into an awaiting bin bag, its so much quicker & i hardly have to touch the soiled bedding. i think I'm clutching at straws for you now!
xx Good Luck! xx
 
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