So After All The Wait And Excitement It Turns Out I'm Allergic : (

[Mezzle2121]

So after getting my 2 little cuties I have made the discovery that I'm alergic to DANDER. I have been itching on my face, fingers and the tip of my tongue. I have not had any redness or swelling so it's only mild.

Is there anyone else here who is alergic and what do you do to ease it ?

I really dont want to give them up so I am going to fight this and do what ever I can to ease the itching.

I really don't want too take antihistamines on a long term basis so I have been looking at natural remedies so far I have found stinging nettle tea and bromaline can help with alergic reactions so nettle tea it is.

Any advice would be great.

 

[Mezzle2121]

I am also going to look into investing in a hepa air filter.

 

[Mezzle2121]

Bump !

 

[VickiA]

I just take a daily antihistamine.

 

[Swissgreys]

I think the first step would be to arrange some proper allergy testing.
It may turn out that you are actually allergic to the hay or bedding, as opposed to the guinea pigs themselves.

I have a myriad and complex allergies, and the only thing that has ever really helped (not cured, but helped) was proper skin prick tests (if you are only testing for a few things I imagine they aren't that bad), followed by a course of desensitisation injections.

A hepa filter would be a good idea too.
And where do your piggies live - inside or outside?
If they are indoors, then a good place to start is removing all soft furnishings from the room they are in.
Hard surfaces are much easier to keep clean and will prevent a long term build up of allergens.

But first I would start with the Dr.
It may be as simple as needing a nasal spray before you handle the piggies, and lots of hand washing and changing your top afterwards.

 

[Dindypig]

I'm a lifelong allergy sufferer, hay, pollen dust mites etc. I have taken antihistamines since I was 7yrs old and I'm still here. You may find that the allergy to Dander will go away the more you are exposed to him/her.
Holly the explorer sow used to make me itch every time I picked her up. But recently my allergy to her has gone. I used to rinse my hands and face straight afterwards to get rid of the allergens. I still rinse my hands before I touch my eyes or forehead. Think of it like handling chillies.