I think I'm Allergic

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maisydaisystar

I think i may be slightly allergic either to my guinea pigs or the hay.
I'm not worried about it as it doesn't seem too bad, but when I'm holding any of my piggies I seem to get breathing problems, but only very slightly, i am aware of my breathing, it's more of an effort,and it's heavier than normal, and seems to be slightly husky, and my throat goes tickley. I noticed this when i first got them a year ago, but always brushed it off to being my imagination.
just wondering if anyone else has this, do you think it's the hay or the piggies? is it likely to get worse? hope not
 
I am allergic to my buns fur even more so when they're moulting, but it only makes me sneeze no other symptoms so i am not bothered. I am also allergic to cats cant go near them. Hay and straw can set me off sneezing too but I worked with horses for 9 years so just brush it off if the sneezing gets too bad i take a hay fever tablet.
 
Hi, it does sound like you are having a reaction to something. How long does it take for the reaction to subside?

I am asthmatic and notice that I react to the hay by getting tight-chested and a bit wheezy. There have been some types of hay that we found too dusty - several of us react to dust - you may even be reacting to dust in the hay. I also get a slight rash if I handle the piggies with bare arms. We deliberately went for a short-haired breed in the hope it would reduce the likelihood of allergies. I get other members of the family to change their hay bedding and make sure I wash my hands after handling hay or piggies.

Unfortunately some people do have a sensitivity to their piggies. I suggest you keep an eye on your reaction, in particular whether it gets worse - perhaps mention it next time you are at the docs. Have you tried taking an antihistamine syrup or tablet to see if the reaction subsides quickly? Have you noticed any pattern, eg do you react less to them after they have had a bath? Or more when they are shedding hair? I hope it doesn't come to it but if your reaction worsens you may have to consider rehoming them or taking a regular antihistamine.
 
newpiggies said:
Hi, it does sound like you are having a reaction to something. How long does it take for the reaction to subside?

I am asthmatic and notice that I react to the hay by getting tight-chested and a bit wheezy. There have been some types of hay that we found too dusty - several of us react to dust - you may even be reacting to dust in the hay. I also get a slight rash if I handle the piggies with bare arms. We deliberately went for a short-haired breed in the hope it would reduce the likelihood of allergies. I get other members of the family to change their hay bedding and make sure I wash my hands after handling hay or piggies.

Unfortunately some people do have a sensitivity to their piggies. I suggest you keep an eye on your reaction, in particular whether it gets worse - perhaps mention it next time you are at the docs. Have you tried taking an antihistamine syrup or tablet to see if the reaction subsides quickly? Have you noticed any pattern, eg do you react less to them after they have had a bath? Or more when they are shedding hair? I hope it doesn't come to it but if your reaction worsens you may have to consider rehoming them or taking a regular antihistamine.
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Thanks,
It doesn't take long at all to subside, so I don't feel it 's too big a problem, I haven't tried to work out if it's the hay or the guineas, although have used a P@H hay this week and it was dusty, so will do some investigating from now on, I get slightly tight chested and slightly wheezy, I'm not getting any rash or anything.
I haven't taken any antihistamine as I have only really started to take it seriously, just brushed it aside before.
I don't think it will come to rehoming my piggies as it's only a slight reaction, and it's been the same for a year, but will definatly see if i can work out what it is that's causing it.
 
Good to hear your reaction is mild and subsides quickly. Like you I'm not considering rehoming piggies either cos I feel my reaction is mild, within control and does respond to inhalers and/or antihistamine. I've been better with the hay than I expected, given I react strongly to straw but have noticed that I react when transporting the bagged hay home in my car or when I've handled a lot of hay or dusty hay (I don't use that hay now).

So far the only reaction I've noticed to my piggies has been when handling them bare-armed. Certainly haven't stopped giving them lots of cuddles!
 
Sounds like you could be asthmatic? My little brother is the same :)

If you go to the docs I'm sure they can work out exactly what it is.. :-\
 
ohhhh never thought i could be asthmatic, never had any reaction other than this, will mention it when i'm next at the doctors.
 
Well....my brother doesnt get it from anything else but when he comes near my piggeroos and their bedding....hes only ones had to use the pump though...usually his breathing just gets a little more laboured :-\

If it is an allergy...there are looooads of things you can do to sort that out! At least you arent al rashy or anything *touch wood* ;D
 
thanks perfect piggies, will check that out, yes glad i don't have any rashes
 
You could go to the boots pharmacy? they have advisors about things like that now? Ive seen a tv advert..apparently they are trained and everything? ? :-\
 
i would get it checked out.

i had my first allergic reaction last week, i went very red with a nettle type rash which felt very hot, thank god it wasnt due to my piggies but was something on a peaches skin - a pesticide or something but i had to take an antihistame to calm the reation down

breathing type allergic reactions are a bit more serious as obviously if it goes too far your breathing airway could be restricted and then it can be life threatening

definately mention it to the doctor who could test you for asthma and maybe refer you on for allergy testing at your local hospital

i have been told to carry piriton (an antihistamine) with me wherever i go encase i get an allergic reaction

i think it would be safer to get it checked out, rather be safe than be sorry

Laura
 
I was wondering whether to mention your reaction sounded asthmatic but didn't want to worry you in case it wasn't. A doctor or asthma nurse can assess whether it is asthma and also give you a reliever to try when you have symptoms. My husband recently went through the assessment process of keeping a diary and measuring his peak flow with a meter he blew into every morning and evening. The pattern of variation in the readings were significant. He also found that his response to the inhaler was dramatic - his peak flow increased so much it was thought to be definitely asthma. My sister, on the other hand was assessed for breathing difficulties whenever she has a cold and told she was definitely not asthmatic. However she was given some asthma inhalers because they help relieve her symptoms.

Hope you get some answers soon.
 
The way it sounds to me it is hayfever. I started suffering with it for the first time in my life about four years ago. Hayfever is NOT triggered by hay its triggered by pollen. ;) try some over the counter meds they work a treat for me ;)
 
Hi there, yes, agreed when even mild reactions are asthmatic, you don't want to mess around. I would first change the hay around and see if that is it. My son's eczema breaks out on his face when he snuggles with ours when I have them eating Timothy Hay. He does have asthma and allergies, so we do know he is allergic to Timothy grass. He doesn't seem to break out with the orchard grass or the Alphalfa though. The alphalpha is higher in fat though. I try to stay away from the Timothy unfortunately. This seems to help. I would then try an antihistamine. There are many over the counter allergy meds you can take....
 
jediquigley said:
i would get it checked out.

i had my first allergic reaction last week, i went very red with a nettle type rash which felt very hot, thank god it wasnt due to my piggies but was something on a peaches skin - a pesticide or something but i had to take an antihistame to calm the reation down

breathing type allergic reactions are a bit more serious as obviously if it goes too far your breathing airway could be restricted and then it can be life threatening

definately mention it to the doctor who could test you for asthma and maybe refer you on for allergy testing at your local hospital

i have been told to carry piriton (an antihistamine) with me wherever i go encase i get an allergic reaction

i think it would be safer to get it checked out, rather be safe than be sorry

Laura
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Good idea to make sure you do have an antihistamine in stock in case you ever have a severe reaction. Would be worth trying an antihistamine with a milder reaction to see if it works.

At my asthma review yesterday it was suggested that I may be experiencing hayfever in my chest rather than my head (eyes, nose) because I have been wheezy just from going out into the garden. The nurse suggested that we might try an antihistamine to get me through certain periods of the year but in the mean time am on a higher dose of inhaler to bring the asthma back under control. She also suggested my asthma was worse since getting the piggies 4 months ago but I think it pre-dates piggies. However handling hay in large quantities does appear to make me wheezy - I am sensitive to dust, pollen, straw, mould and infections so it may be the dust in hay that is setting you off.
 
hi guys,

thought I'd update this thread, went to the doctors, and i have been given an inhaler, I have been feeling tight chested at other times aswell as when i'm hugging the piggies.So I'm hoping this is gonna sort me out. x
 
Hope so O0
I am horribly allergic to hay, very bad when I am cleaning them out and putting fresh hay down. I sneeze for a couple of hours and my eyes stream, but I take a tablet and get on with it! I would never rehome my piggies because of it and they HAVE to have hay so...
 
Hi, thanks for the update - was wondering how you got on. Sounds like you did the right thing to get checked out, especially given you were tight-chested at other times too. It can take a while to work out the best inhaler to give you. Well done for getting it sorted!
 
I have had animals (mainly cats and dogs) all my life and the only fur that doesn't bother me is dog hair. Since we gots buns and guins I permantly have hay fever symptoms. At first I thought it was just the hay but I now know it's both. I don't think mine is at all as severe as yours but since I already suffer from hayfever I take antimhistamine daily and it sorts it out (I've just got to remember not to rub my eyes straight after rubbing them!)

The only thing I would be wary of is I'm sure when I worked at Boots if you were asthma medication you had to be careful of antihistamine. You may want to check that with a Pharmacist though.
 
miss_piggy said:
I have had animals (mainly cats and dogs) all my life and the only fur that doesn't bother me is dog hair. Since we gots buns and guins I permantly have hay fever symptoms. At first I thought it was just the hay but I now know it's both. I don't think mine is at all as severe as yours but since I already suffer from hayfever I take antimhistamine daily and it sorts it out (I've just got to remember not to rub my eyes straight after rubbing them!)

The only thing I would be wary of is I'm sure when I worked at Boots if you were asthma medication you had to be careful of antihistamine. You may want to check that with a Pharmacist though.
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well i'm on ventolin and the doctor did say to carry on with the antihistermine, but i actually haven't, had better check that out thanks
 
I take daily antihistamine and I am also asthmatic and have ventolin and seretide. Have been on these for several years no problem. The antihistamine actually helps because the constant sneezing and runny nose aggravates the asthma
 
I just thought I would menion it as I worked in Boots many years ago and it was one of those things where you had to ask 'are you ashtmatic'. I imagine drugs have moved on since then but I did always think it was weird because I would imagine antihists could be quite beneficial
 
All mine are prescibed by my doctor so I assume they are safe. I think the non rowsy ones are best suited as the ones that make you drowsy supress your breathing which is not good for asthmatics. Things like night nurse wont be given by the Pharmacist for that reason . Other things that can be a problem are asprin and Ibuprofen.
 
I've been told to watch aspirin and ibuprofen but then I'm on prescribed daily aspirin. Some asthmatics can react to ibuprofen, but not all asthmatics. My daughter is asthmatic and had to be put on a daily antihistamine and nasal spray in order to reduce her asthmatic reactions to pollen and dust. Once the hayfever was treated the asthma improved too.
 
With me it's the bloody hay! Take some anti-histemine tablets (works for pet allargys and hay allergys). I have to take pills, eye drops and nasel spray, but I'm hayfevery anyway and the only difference is with piggies I have it in my flat AND outside.
 
it's defintly better to get allergies/symptoms checked out, because each time the reaction can get progressivly worse :-\
 
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