Handling allergies

[hobbit5494]

Hi guys, new to the site! I have two girls, both almost 2 years old now, we’ve had them since babies. I’ve always had a little sensitivity to them, sneezing, itchy skin when I touch their fur, but over the last week I’ve been so bad with it, I had puffy eyes, itchy face, wheezing and a completely blocked nose, after 10 mins of having one of the pigs on my lap. Usually I’m fine with cuddles, but it’s getting worse now? We haven’t changed anything in their cage, same bedding, same hay, same everything as usual... any advice? I’m going to book an appt with my GP to see if I can get some stronger antihistamines rather than over the counter stuff...

Ta
B

 

[Eriathwen]

Most people with allergies find they flare up much worse to Timothy hay, so switching to orchard grass or meadow hay will really help if using Timothy, I can't have any timothy in the house at all. Allergies can sometimes fluctuate in severity, especially with things like hay which may have higher or lower amounts of dust or pollen in them depending on the batch, even when it's the same brand.
An air purifier will also help, it'll remove allergens and dust from the air. Long sleeves also help me and when mine are particularly bad, a face mask for cleaning as well as disposable gloves. Definitely get some decent antihistamines though