Allergy question

[JK]

Scarlet Rose made a good point about making sure you are not allergic to a rabbit before you adopt one.  What exactly are the symptoms if one is allergic to rabbits?  I have not been to an allergy specialist but I am starting to think that both my son and I are allergic to Edson and/or the hay. It’s not that bad – not enough to go to an allergist.  About one month after I got Edson – early December –  I have been sneezing and feel like I’m getting a cold but don’t.  As of today I still have these symptoms.  I don’t care if I am allergic because I will never get rid of Edson but am just curious if someone could give me a general idea!  My son has been going through this since he started volunteering at Save A Bunny in October.  I realize this is a doctor question but I am not planning to see one! I have a cat and a dog and am not allergic to them. Thanks for any info!

[xnovalentine]

I havnt been to the doctor either…but i am allericic to animal fur and therefore allergic to lullabelle. its never stopped me from having a pet, i dont think it ever will actually but i have those same symptoms, i sneeze and feel like a cold is comming on and i also sometimes get sinus headaches…but like you said not bad enough to go to the doctor. i dont know if these are the specific symptoms to being allergic to a rabbit or any animal, but i do know that these are my symptoms due to being allerigic to pet dander and fur.

[JK]

Mmmm sounds like I am then. Do your symptoms go on forever?

[Scarlet_Rose]

Hi KnowIttons, it does sound like allergies especially if your nose is stuffed up, you have a runny nose and sneezing or discharge from your eyes. I’m not a doctor either but what you have might be hay fever as well. It has been a very dry season. When an allergy test is done, they place the substance under your skin to see if it swells up/itches etc. I’ve actually had this done and it was not fun, I was not allergic to anything but still, it was a pain but really necessary. Have you tried taking any allergy medicine to see if it alleviates the symptoms? I shake out the hay a bit to get some of the dust out, I have air purifiers throughout the house and a humidifier as well. Keep your bunnies well-groomed to elminate shedding and fur all over and it really helps. Also we’ve talked about the Roomba as a nice additional step to keep the fur and hay under control as well.

[JK]

No I haven’t taken any allergy medicine because I’m just now coming to the realization I’m allergic. I have never had allergies before. I think I’ll try Claritin and see what happens. I also shake out the dust from the hay and I keep the rabbit room spotless as well as the rest of the house. I vacuum every day because of kids and animals. So I guess maybe moving the hay out of the office and trying Claritin is worth a try first! Thanks so much!!!!

[Scarlet_Rose]

You’re welcome, I just hope you are O.K. Oh jeese, you’re cleaning is impeccible so I don’t think that’s it. Has anything else changed? Be careful with allergy meds even over-the-counter, I have to steer clear of them because they either make me really drowsy or hyperactive. I really think you might want to see a Dr. just in case, I had a really bad virus that I have just gotten over that had very similar symptoms. V

[JK]

No nothing else has changed. But it could be I have gotten back to back colds which is rare because I really seldom get sick. We have had a lot of rain these last 2 months so maybe it’s just winter sick stuff. But this does not act like the normal cold. When you had tests done did you specifically ask about rabbits and hay?

[Scarlet_Rose]

Yes definately. Part of the “standard” test did not include either so I had to ask for them specifically.

[JK]

Well then I just may get tested just for a piece of mind. Then I’ll know for sure. Thanks Scarlet Rose – you are always such a big help.

[Gravehearted]

I’m allergic to rabbits! But… it’s only bad if I sleep in a shirt covered with bunny fur. I always make sure to wash my hands after putting the bunnies to bed and then change into my jammies and I’m fine. If I don’t, I wake up headachey and stuffy.

[RabbitPam]

I have mild chronic allergies to dust, and in my 30s I developed new allergies. Allergies can come on at any age in adulthood, but usually with animal allergies you tend to either have them or you don’t. My dust allergies caused me to be bothered by some of the litter, but when I got the white Carefresh, it calmed down and he liked the change. It’s strictly mild stuffed nose, runny eyes, post nasal drip.

The kind of allergic reaction that means you really can’t live with something is when you swell and even break out in hives. That’s the more serious kind, and you need to avoid those. Many people have that with food allergies, like shellfish. I got that with an antibiotic after taking them without trouble for years. An allergist can do a scratch test to see if the bunny dander is the problem, but I doubt it’s severe from your description.

I learned (while pasting up a book on allergies when I worked in publishing) that they are cumulative. In other words, if you are allergic to pollen from trees that bloom in May, and then combine it with, say, a mild allergy to pepper, you might go out to eat on a restaurant patio one spring night and get a worse reaction because you are having two allergies hit you at once and it sends you over the threshold. I always have sniffles in the rain, because of mold allergies. So it could just be a combo. The good news is that if it’s seasonal, it usually passes in a few weeks at the most.

If you have hay in the office, and it gets into your keyboard, and you touch your eyes, you would be putting little allergens into your sinuses. Give your computer, keyboard and mouse a shot of compressed air. Could you be shaking the hay dust into your air, then breathing in the dust that the cleaning and vacuuming stirs up? Experiment with a little mask (those white paper nose and mouth ones, or a handkerchief) when you clean and see if it feels any better.

I know people love Claritin, but I tried it again last week and it didn’t work at all for me. Sudafed, the basic one, works really well on my nose and eyes, and it’s only for 4 hours. I actually prefer that since I can take it but know it will wear off soon. I guess that’s why there are different medicines on the market.
Hope this helps.

[JK]

Thanks for all this info. You know it just could be mold allergies because of the intense rain we have had for weeks now. The hay is kept in closed cardboard boxes and not anywhere near the computer. But I am well aware that when I shake the hay I’m breathing in a lot but even before all that I still get sneezie and plugged up. Sudafed is great but I get so spacey on it. I guess I could try a mask. Thanks. I guess this is more common than I thought!

[Staja]

I was allergic to rabbits when I first got Warren 4 years ago.  Luckily, I kept myself hopped up on allergy meds for 3 weeks, and now I’ve lost the sensitivity to him. (Which is good, because there’s nothing I love more than picking him up and rubbing his velvety fur on my face )  But, he’s a rex, so he’s got the short, velvety hair.  Only time I’m ever sneezy now around him is when it’s heavy sheddng season, but that’s just because the fur goes up my nose!

Hay does make me sneeze, but I found I am least sensitive to Sweet Meadow Farm Timothy – and Warren, who never used to eat hay, loves it. It seems fresher than what I had been giving him before.

[Scarlet_Rose]

You’re welcome KonwItons! My biggest allergy is mold and it’s awful!

[ScooterandAnnette]

I’m allergic to, well, basically to breathing. If there’s something that can be airborne then I’m allergic to it. I used to think that I just got a lot of colds until I went for allergy testing. The tech took a look at my arm, looked at her sheets and notes, looked at my arm again, and said “You’re allergic to, well, everything.” I while I don’t think I’ve been tested specifically for rabbits I figure I’m allergic to all the other animals so…. I take claritin every morning and a spray every night and I’m fine. I’ve had some people suggest that I shouldn’t have pets if I have allergies but what am I supposed to do, lock myself in a bubble and breath only finely filtered air for the rest of my life? Get real. I’d rather have the pets and enjoy my life.
– Annette

[5cats1bun]

sounds like allergies to me. I have to say, it seems I am only allergic to longer furred animals.I use to reall want a long haired cat but after being around a friends 2 long hairs that was out of the question (I now have 5 short hairs though), Rocky I’m allergic to when he is shedding. I do have some reactions to my cat Ceasar when he sheds but for such a sleek looking cat (siamese guy) he sure sheds a lot and has very thick fur.

[MooBunnay]

If you are not allergic to your dog or cat – I’d think its probably the hay. I am very allergic to that as well. I use the covered cat litterbox to keep the hay contained, when I handle the hay I sneeze like crazy! just FYI for any of you that take Claritin, I found this “generic” type version of Claritin at Sam’s Club (called Loratadine I think, whatever that stuf that Claritin is made of is called) and it is SUPER CHEAP compared to buying Claritin or other allergy meds. I think it was about $15 for a TON of pills. I use that for my light allergies and it works pretty well.

[ScooterandAnnette]

MooBunnay, that’s what I use too. Loratadine is the generic name for the drug in Claritin. I think it works out to be about 1/10th the price of the name-brand! Just amazing, and it works just as well.

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