Don't Know What To Do?

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deltakc

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Hello,

I'm not sure that anyone will be able to give me advice but thought I would see what everyone thinks.

We got our lovely girls a few weeks ago and they are finally starting to settle in. But, I am definitely allergic to their hay, possibly the piggies and the vet thinks that they might be causing problems for the dog too 8...

I don't have a big house and although the girls were originally supposed to be in my daughter's bedroom I felt that they would be better downstairs as the living room / dining room / kitchen is all open plan and they are more sociable.

This morning while spot cleaning I felt terrible, I'm itchy, wheezing, sneezing and my nose is blocked up every morning and evening. My hand are constantly dry and itchy too. even although I wear gloves. The dog has been constantly sneezing and snuffling a lot too and has started snoring!

So, I'm not really sure what to do :( I could move them upstairs but my daughters room is quite small and I'd have to keep the door shut. I love hearing them wheeek away when I'm in the kitchen and they chat away while we are in the living room. I also think they like the noise from the TV?

I'm not sure how much longer I can take the itching and wheezing but my wee girl (and me too) will be so sad if I have to find them a new home 8...8...
 
Have you tried anti-histamines? Maybe worth chatting to the doc about.
 
Which hay do you use? It might be the dust in it.
 
Thanks for your replies :)

I have started taking anti h's and they have helped a bit with the itch but it's not gone and on days where I'm cleaning the cage properly it comes back the next day just as bad. It calms down again after a couple of days but then I have to clean them out again.

I've tried a few different types of hay from normal meadow hay to Timothy and dust free. I think the problem is more the smell with the hay rather than the dust, but can't be sure :(
 
I've never really found anything that works well with a hay allergy unfortunately. I only take antihistamines in the summer when it's extra bad to take the edge off. My gf did a lot of a hay stuff early one when I realised rather foolishly after the first batch of hay went into their cage, that I've always had hay fever and that's why my nose was like the niagra. One thing I've noticed is that I've gotten more tolerant to the hay over time, but hasn't gone completely. I use aqueous cream for my hands and the keeps the dryness away.

The only thing that hasn't really died down and perhaps has gotten a bit worse is the alergy to guinea pigs. There was a tiny bit of itching after handling early on but now I get almost instant rashes on the skin wherever I was holding them. They go away rather quick, so it doesn't really make me won't to stop contact with them. But I can imagine if the rashes were sticking around I would think twice about handling them again so soon.

I can't really offer any solution other than see if it gets better over time like it did for me.
 
The funny thing is I don't suffer from hay fever :{ The only thing that I know I am allergic to is fungal spores (was allergic to my real christmas tree and that's how I found out).

I don't have any rashes, I just itch all over. I was hoping it was something else that was causing it but after speaking with the doc she thinks it is definitely something to do with the piggies. She said I'll probably have to stay on the anti h's while we have the pigs.

I have mild asthma and it isn't much worse but on days I clean the pigs I definitely wheeze more. Also my throat and eyes itch at night, drives me nuts when I'm trying to relax.

I had thought about getting an outdoor hutch but I don't have a shed. We have loads of foxes living across the road and I don't want them to end up as fox food :...
 
Hi,

A friend of mine got 2 piggies about 8 months ago. He is allergic to them too - he's kept bunnies (and is therefore used to hay aswell) for years with no allergy so I think its the actual piggies he's allergic to.

He has tried antihistamines which help a bit and also got a couple of ionisers which I'm not sure helped. His symptoms are like a cold but also his eyes can be red and itchy - especially if he holds them.

Like you he doesnt want to give them up ..... but seeing how badly he is affected I wonder how long he can realistically handle these symptoms.

I cant offer any help but just wanted to share his experience. Hope you can work something out to ease your symptoms.

x
 
Are we sure its the hay? A urine allergy I think is more common if you dont have hay fever.
Also I think it would be worth a go buying form dustfreehay.co.uk to see if it makes a difference.
My old flat mate had an allergy as long as I cleaned out all the time and kept them in rooms with the doors closed constantly and he took antihistamines and we opened a window a crack and had the de humidifier on to clear the air- he was fine lol.
 
To be honest I'm not sure what it is. As soon as I walk in the house I can smell the piggies, not in a bad way but partly hay and partly piggies, iykwim.

I've tried dustfree and other hays, some smell stronger than others and the smell seems to catch my throat, even from dustfree. But it could be urine or just the piggies themselves that's causing the itching.

I guess I'm just hoping that there is a miracle cure so I'll feel better lol.
 
Can you not have an allergy test done to find out exactly what it is you're allergic to?

I don't know how it makes a difference but I'm sure I've read about people feeding barn dried grass as opposed to hay to help with allergy problems - I don't know if you've already tried that though.

Another though with moving outside is would you consider getting a shed instead of/as well as a hutch? It's possible to get small sheds relatively cheap new (cost similar to a decent hutch) and you may be able to find a second hand one or free one from somewhere like freecycle/gumtree/preloved. Although of course you would then have to put the shed up. It would be possible to keep the piggies just on the floor of the shed without need for a hutch - I've seen various set-ups like this (if you search the forum for 'shed' you may find some examples). You could also look into fox-proofing and deterrents but I can understand your caution if you know you do have foxes nearby.
 
Thanks for all of your thoughts.

I was using carefresh but after finding this forum I changed to fleece with drynights pads underneath. Works great, piggies love it and no horrible smell until about the 5th or 6th day and that's when I change them. I do daily spot cleans too though.

I'd love to get a shed but unfortunately my garden is tiny and if I put one up there would be not space left :( There is a bit with some very useless decking that I am going to fix when the weather gets better (I'm in Scotland so might be a while). There is more room out the front but the gardens are all open onto each other and a well used path and the kids use the front to play in the summer.

I doc mentioned allergy testing and I am seriously considering it. I think I'd have to pay to have it done quickly though, not sure if there is a waiting list at the moment mallethead
 
do you have anyone near you that deals with homeopathic treatments. my mom's one dog has terrible allergies to moss, grass, etc. she she's this lady he finds out what exactly ellie is allergic to and makes up some drops for my mom to put on her tongue. the outcome is amazing. it de-sensitises her to all her allergies. i think the chinese herbalist do the same thing. may be worth having a look at:)
 
My OH used to suffer badly when we were using meadow hay (she does suffer from hay fever) with our piggies. We used to get the Burgess Excel Herbage as a treat but we noticed that when this was given the suffering reduced.

Since we switched completely over her suffering has diminished a lot, the only issues she has is when they get lap time. If her arms are uncovered and they decide to wander over them she gets little paw shaped welts.

It might be worth a try.
 
heh well i always gotten hay fever so with the hay from the pigs i am terrible everytime i refill the hay lol but me love my piggies
 
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