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What do i do

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Millie's-Mummy

Millie's-Mummy

Adult Guinea Pig
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I really need some advice, i really dont know what to do.

My asthma is really playing up and i am having to see someone at the hospital about it.
My pigs live in my room and apparently its the hay and everything making my asthma worse.
They live on fleece as it is so i cant change them to anything that's different.

The hospital have advised me to rehome them because of how bad i am.
I really dont know what to do, i love them so much but i worry if i end up in hospital then i'm not going to be able to care for them properly.

What would you do in my situatuion?
 
oh love HUGGLES XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Could you perhaps only give them hay in another room to eat, say like at play time? they'd be fine with pellets and a mix thru the day.

Whatever happens you must look after your health first sweetie xx>>>xx>>>xx>>>xx>>>xx>>>xx>>> Rehoming to somebody on here would be the best option, at least then you could ask them to keep you posted regularly.

from us all XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
 
http://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=46947

I'm not trying to be an insensitive clod by posting a link from the rehoming part, but this lady had the same problem and there are some really good bits of advice on there which would all merit consideration before you think of rehoming.

I do hope you manage to find a solution you're happy with as it's plain you love your little piggies.

Good luck m x
 
As we're going into spring and summer, maybe you could house your piggies outside? A lot of people do that on here. They would have all summer to get used to their new living arrangements. You can probably find a hutch of some kind on freecycle and then save up over summer (maybe sell the indoor cage to raise money too?) and buy a proper hutch and hutch hugger that will see them through autumn and winter.

Asthma doctors will ALWAYS tell you to not get/rehome your pets. I'm not allergic to piggies, but I always lie to my asthma doctor and tell her I haven't got pets :) . Is they hay the biggest issue? Maybe try redi-grass or hay cakes?

Cheer up! Well find a way for you to keep your piggies!
 
No there isn't and my garden isn't big enough, i just dont know what to do
 
Have you tried things like antihistamines and steroids?
Couldn't the pigs be moved outside into a shed?
 
Hmm if they aren't helping maybe you should get a second opinion. Do you get hayfever? Because hay shouldn't really start you off wheezing. The main culprits that start of asthma are things like viruses, aerosols etc. Hay alone shouldn't make you wheeze which makes me think there is something else affecting your asthma too? Which antihistamines are you on? :)
 
This may come across a little off, if it does, that isn't how I mean it! Just trying to see where you are at, treatment wise.

Can you not explain to your doctors that your pets mean a lot to you and you would like the explore whatever treatments are available to you before having to consider rehoming? Or have you been through all that already?

Also, as a suggestion, do you have any friends or family close by that could possibly petsit for you for say a week or fortnight (but you still visit to take care of them) so that you can see the true extent that they have on your health? As Tracy said, it might be something else triggering it. At least then you can go back to your doctor and say I've tried X, Y and Z at home and this was the effects that it had on me.
 
Just a couple of suggestions if the cause of your asthma is likely to be the hay. When you get the hay home, un pack the hay outside into a much larger plastic container or clean rubbish bag. Try to gently shake out the dust as you transfer it to the other container. Getting rid of this dust will greatly reduce the amount that comes into your house. The downside is that your asthma might flare up a bit while you're doing it. Store the hay in a sealed container or in a bin, esp. if it is in your room. I would also make sure your bedroom is ventilated really well, do you leave a window open a little all day? Try to have all the windows wide open for at least an hour on weather suitable days. You can always give the guineas a towel to hide under if it is a bit cold with the windows open. But I guess you may do all of this already...

Doctors will always pick the easiest solution to fix a problem but they'll probably support you if you suggest a few other ways you might be able to reduce your asthma before you give up on having pets. Whatever you do, do what's best for you, and your health. :)
 
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Oh hun, what a dilema. I know how much your furries mean to you and how devestated you would be if you had to rehome them. On the otherhand, your own health is paramount. I would deffo want to know if it is the piggies and they hay that is causing your reaction. Is there anyone near you who could watch them for a couple of weeks to see if your asthma improves. Once you have established or eliminated this as the cause then a more calculated decision could be made. Hugs to you sweetie.....
 
Have you tried the compressed cubes of hay ? I'm not sure if that would help at all but I know pulling the loose hay out of the bag and handling it sets my hayfever off , thankfully it's controlled pretty well with antihistamines and I know nothing about asthma so I don't know if it's the dustyness that's an issue , I'm just mentioning them as when I used them I didn't have to spend anywhere near the same amount of time handling it and I gave them in a bowl so it was pretty well contained.
 
I had a thought about you earlier..maybe it's the dust from your hay setting your asthma off rather than the hay? Perhaps you could try dust free hay, if you don't already :)
 
Have you tried Dust Free Hay? You can buy their pet shop quality quite cheaply from www.animalmagicpetsupplies.co.uk

It is basically very good quality meadow hay which has had the dust removed. I keep 7 piggies indoors and the dust from their ordinary meadow hay is unreal! I've switched to dust free to cut down on the cleaning. You can buy 5 bales (about 10kg) for around £20 including delivery. It is reasonable compared to the cost of other comparable hays and is well worth a try in my view.
 
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