I have extremely bad allergies to the piggies.. can anyone help?

Sarah-sore

Sarah-sore

Teenage Guinea Pig
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Hi guys. So unfortunately weve discovered I'm incredibly allergic to my guinea pigs. More so to my long haired piggie Nala it seems. Theyre in my room right now and I'm honest to god waking up at night gasping for air. My parents are saying theyre having allergic reactions aswell but not as bad. I dont know what to do... I'm at a loss. I seriously dont want to have to get rid of these girls that i just got a week ago but this is awful. I cant even be in the living room without losing my breath. Ive never experienced anything like it. Does anyone have ANY solutions? We have a very small house with limited rooms. My last piggie was in the living room and that was fine but she was anabyssinian in a much smaller cage. If anyone has dealt with anything similar or knows what to do please let me know. I might seriously have to put them up for adoptio and that breaks my heart but I'm going to end up in the er soon
 
Also i keep them on shavings that i was planning on changing to fleece soon. they eat oxbow orchard grass hay. Nalas sister, Kiara is an abyssinian but my allergies arent as bad with her... my allergies are tolerable with her
 
I am allergic to hay, my hands come up in blotches then running sores. I wear cotton gloves 🧤 which helps with the reaction. This only happened this July? Never had any problems before, it’s weird how these things suddenly happen. Betsy is right, try anti-histamines, do you have a garden area/hut where you could keep them in, in summer? Know it get extremely cold in winter, so impossible then.

So sorry for you, it’s awful if you can’t get your breath x
 
Washing your hands with hot soapy water helps get the dander and dust off when you clean them out, if you get sore eyes and runny nose x
 
Hi guys. I do use antihistimines but unfortunately its still really bad :( its so bad that i cant even be in my room without having an allergic reaction. I dont even have to touch them and i have a reaction
 
Sarah-sore said:
Hi guys. I do use antihistimines but unfortunately its still really bad :( its so bad that i cant even be in my room without having an allergic reaction. I dont even have to touch them and i have a reaction
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Are you sure its the pigs and not the hay? My wife is allergic to cats and takes antihistamines but they dont work. She cant breathe properly and gets itchy eyes
 
Skypipdot said:
Are you sure its the pigs and not the hay? My wife is allergic to cats and takes antihistamines but they dont work. She cant breathe properly and gets itchy eyes
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Its definitely them. I was okay with my last piggie and the hay(well not okay but i could deal with it. With these piggies i dont think i can.) And my last piggie would get hay ALL over and in her fur. I bathed both piggies last night hoping it would help. Kiara i had a little reaction, with Nala i thought i was going to die. I was shaking uncontrollably, vomitting, gasping and coughing. i thought i was going to passout. Once i dried her and put her back in her cage my allergies immediately started to calm down.
 
Sarah-sore said:
Its definitely them. I was okay with my last piggie and the hay(well not okay but i could deal with it. With these piggies i dont think i can.) And my last piggie would get hay ALL over and in her fur. I bathed both piggies last night hoping it would help. Kiara i had a little reaction, with Nala i thought i was going to die. I was shaking uncontrollably, vomitting, gasping and coughing. i thought i was going to passout. Once i dried her and put her back in her cage my allergies immediately started to calm down.
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Sounds like will have to re home🙁
 
If you are having that much of a reaction to them when handling them then I'm sorry to say it is highly unlikely that any over the counter medications are really going to help. I know you are attached to the piggies (as well all get) but it sounds like you are putting yourself at a serious risk by keeping them. You need to consider quality of life for the piggies, you and your parents. Clearly you are going to struggle, with Nala especially, and what happens if she needs syringe feeding due to illness at any point? I think you could end up hospitalised from trying to feed her every couple of hours.
 
i would seek help from your general practioner(doctor),and see if any medication can help.there are alot of new treatments to help with allergies,if after that still no reduction in symptoms,you may need to rehome your piggies.at the very least you should carry a epipen,in case of very severe asthma or allergic shock.i hope you can find a solution.
 
eileen said:
i would seek help from your general practioner(doctor),and see if any medication can help.there are alot of new treatments to help with allergies,if after that still no reduction in symptoms,you may need to rehome your piggies.at the very least you should carry a epipen,in case of very severe asthma or allergic shock.i hope you can find a solution.
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The only problem is is even in my room I'm still reacting to them from anywhere in the house and my doctor takes a while to get into. I definitely will give them a call tomorrow and ask for advice tho. I'm so confused as to why its just THIS piggie. Her sister is no where near as bad for allergies. I'm wondering if i could try and foster another pair and see what happens. Id just hate to lose them too
 
You need to get a doctor's appointment asap for some advice and medication. Over-the-counter meds won't do at this point.

It sounds a lot like the allergy is triggering an asthma attack - have you had this before? There's no way to self-treat, you'd need inhalers from the doctor. Stronger antihistamines on prescription might also be worth a try though they might make you drowsy.
 
Forgot to say I have allergies too, cats are my worst, but some cats more than others just like you find one pig worse than the other. Short-haired black cats, weirdly, are the worst!
 
Sarah-sore said:
Its definitely them. I was okay with my last piggie and the hay(well not okay but i could deal with it. With these piggies i dont think i can.) And my last piggie would get hay ALL over and in her fur. I bathed both piggies last night hoping it would help. Kiara i had a little reaction, with Nala i thought i was going to die. I was shaking uncontrollably, vomitting, gasping and coughing. i thought i was going to passout. Once i dried her and put her back in her cage my allergies immediately started to calm down.
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please, please, be very careful if your piggies are causing a severe asthma attacks, see your Drs asp. l lost my sister.in.law last year like this, aged 32. everybody says, take your piggies to the vets when poorly, please,,please give yourself the same great care.Xx
 
teddymouse said:
please, please, be very careful if your piggies are causing a severe asthma attacks, see your Drs asp. l lost my sister.in.law last year like this, aged 32. everybody says, take your piggies to the vets when poorly, please,,please give yourself the same great care.Xx
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Thank you for caring so much! I called my doctor today and I'm booked in for next week on Thursday. In the mean time i have an enhaler(not sure if i mentioned that before) and I'm sleeping on a cot in the living room while the piggies stay in my room. My symptoms have drastically reduced but i still do have asthma attacks. I'm talking to my vet tech about taking the girlies
 
I hope you get on ok at the doc's. Unfortunately I think this is one situation where you're going to have to put your health first, and rehome your piggies. People tend to think of allergies as a nuisance, and in most cases, this is right (I sometimes have to take antihistamines myself), but they can be very debilitating and in extreme cases a risk to life. With the severity of your reactions, you can't afford to be taking any chances. I know it's heartbreaking, but I think you have no choice but to rehome them. My heart goes out to you.
 
Oh, so sorry for such sad news but your health really must take priority x Have you any friends or extended family who would enjoy looking after them and can send you photos or you can watch through a window perhaps?
 
Bill & Ted said:
Oh, so sorry for such sad news but your health really must take priority x Have you any friends or extended family who would enjoy looking after them and can send you photos or you can watch through a window perhaps?
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Unfortunately i tried this already. Theyre actually not at my home anymore but my friends home. She tried to take them but her cats are not happy with them so its in their best interest that we find a different home :(
 
Sarah-sore said:
Unfortunately i tried this already. Theyre actually not at my home anymore but my friends home. She tried to take them but her cats are not happy with them so its in their best interest that we find a different home :(
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Yes, sorry I fully understand x hope you find a good home for them soon, got my fingers cross
 
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