Does anyone have any advice for rabbit allergy sufferers? u/d post 21

I am having a nightmare at the moment, my husband is allergic to rabbits, guinea pigs and hay! All of ours have lived outside, and he is fine with that and helps me to feed them without any side effects.

However... I have had to bring 3 piggies inside because of illness, a pair and a single (dental problems and an abcess) - one is in my son's room and the others were in the front room / office so my husband just didn't go in those rooms and he was fine.

However Pickles, our French Lop was diagnosed with pneumonia early in November and has so far done really well, even through the cold (she lives in an insulated shed) until it went mild and damp on Christmas Eve - overnight she took a turn for the worst and became very very ill. My husband is golden and rushed out and bought her a big dog cage and she moved into the front room, we took her to the vets and she is doing much better in the warm (fingers crossed).

Obviously now she will be inside through the winter. I have now had to move the guinea pigs into the dining room as she is obviously contagious.

My poor husband is really struggling (although he wont admit it), his chest is tight and his breathing is strained, his eyes are sore too.

I feel so guilty. Does anyone have any advice or tips that might help him please?

Sorry for the long post.

Is he taking antihistamine tablets?

Buy some anti histamines....
Do observe your hubby.Allergies can give unwanted reactions.

im also allergic to rabbits, hay. shavings and trees so have it all year round :roll: i have found it has got eaiser over the years though
tell him to take allergy tablets they may help

louise and Gus said:

Is he taking antihistamine tablets?

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No, he was fine until Christmas Eve when Pickles came inside, I know that he wont go to the doctors (typical man :roll is that something that you can buy over the counter?

Try putting vaseline up his nose - that apparently stops the dander etc

you can buy this anti histamine over the counter....and vaseline is good too..smear a little round the eyes and nose...catches floaty bits that would irritate....

i will add if your husband is really struggling you will have to rethink keeping them inside your husbands health should come first in this case especially since its effecting his breathing :?

my daughter when she was very young had breathing problems around the animals even if you brought in the fur on your clothes she stopped breathing everytime at least 10 times a day so the animals went
we have been lucky and she has out grown it now
you have to remember allergies like this can be dangerous especially when it effect their breathing regardless if they keep saying they are fine i once had such a bad attack i ended up in hospital i had stopped breathing at college as i just couldnt catch my breath !
now i know my limits if im struggling i get out and go back later ive learnt to control it but i know i couldnt keep them in the house all the time if im grooming or going to a show i take the tablets or i do suffer
if it comes down to it im afraid the animals may just have to go out the house again failing that make your hubby sleep in a tent in the garden !!
if it was me the animals would be back outside it they were effecting the health of my family

antihistamines are just hayfever type tablets.

jazzywoo said:

if it was me the animals would be back outside it they were effecting the health of my family

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The animals are in because of their health problems though. Tricky situation. Could the Guinea pigs maybe fit into one room & bunster in the other? Toughie

Becki xX said:

The animals are in because of their health problems though. Tricky situation. Could the Guinea pigs maybe fit into one room & bunster in the other? Toughie

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the guineas are in for dental problems id personally since dental problems wont kill them if they are not in the house get them out and move rabbit to a room where hubby isnt going to go in that way its going to help him out
but thats just me its very rare i move anything inside unless it will die outside or has to be in quarentine
as your shed is insulated the guineas should be ok out although it will make your job harder with meds etc unless the vet has said they have to be indoors if that was the case move guineas together in one room and and rabbit in another
i know this is a hard situation but im my eyes your hubbys health should come first it may sound harsh but if a animal was effecting the health of my family i wouldnt have them in the house
as ive said ive been in this situation and i solved it it meant rehoming all 5 of my chinchillas , 30 hamsters and 16 rats but thats what i had to do even if it did break my heart doing it but my family always comes first and it always will :?

My hubby has the same probs and under NO circumstances can the bun come indoors. If he comes in by accident my hubby has a tightchest and can't breathe has to be neblised, but is then told off at teh hospital for being around them in the first place! So as long as he is outside that's fine but if he has to come in will hae to get him rehomed which would kill me but if he comes in it will literally kill DH. Please be careful.

The guinea pigs don't seem to effect his breathing - he was OK until Pickles came in - she is in the front room which he does not go in with the door shut.

If she goes out in this weather she wont make it - she has pneumonia and is on Baytil and Septrin plus Bio lapis and Bisolven.

I understand what you are saying and of course he comes first but do I let our bunny die? It is not a case of rehoming her she is seriously ill. She is a fat fluff and has lived with us for just over a year.

Try some Beconase (the hay fever nasal inhaler).

Does your OH take a Budesonide or other steroidal style of inhaler? If so these will work given time (a few days)

I have an asthma allergy too which can be bad when the buns are inside as they are at present.

The weighing up of animals vs human health problems is one that everyone has to make for themselves. Personally I suffer rather than let the animal suffer - but thats my own choice.

I would get him onto antihistamines daily (they take about a week to build up to full effectiveness so it is important that he continues to take them daily) and also have a look for some stuff called petal cleanse. I think I've seen it on Amazon and other places, it's stuff you wipe over the animal once a week and it reduces the level of allergens. Might be worth a try as well

Netutopia said:

The guinea pigs don't seem to effect his breathing - he was OK until Pickles came in - she is in the front room which he does not go in with the door shut.

If she goes out in this weather she wont make it - she has pneumonia and is on Baytil and Septrin plus Bio lapis and Bisolven.

I understand what you are saying and of course he comes first but do I let our bunny die? It is not a case of rehoming her she is seriously ill. She is a fat fluff and has lived with us for just over a year.

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cant you move the guineas to same room and move bunny to a room he doesnt go in ?
problem with rabbit fur it clings to everything and can be carried around the house its horried stuff , i groom in the kitchen and i find it goes everywhere and im still finding it days later after hoovering several times it clings to clothes too :?
even if im just snuggling them i have to change clothes and put them straight in wash as fur gets everywhere
remember now shes inside she will molt which will mean more fur loss because of centeral heating
other option get rabbit out and get her a heat lamp like they use for lambs a local farmer may have one you can borrow or your vet

Anti histamines are great!! I was told to take them before I go to bed to get the best from them. I also team that with nettle tea. I used to be very allergic to fur, and have hayfever and especially hay. I am also asthmatic.

However, I did have bad reactions in the first few months which for about 10 minutes made me reconsider having rabbits, it has worked out. I have now become desensitised to hay, and it has helped with my hay fever too.

Now I just have to figure out how to stop the cold effecting my asthma, and triggering chest infections:roll:

Its possible to have desensitisation therapy for common allergens.
But that would require a GP's referral letter. What is it with men & not wanting to go to the doctor?
Would definitely get him to take antihistamines, step up the hoovering & damp dust surfaces to collect any hair & dander too. If necessary get one of those flash vacuums that are designed especially for dealing with pet hair, I think they have special filters etc.

If it is a breathing disorder then I don't think anti-histamines would be of much help. Asthma is inflammation of the bronchial tubes causing restriction, this is the cause of wheezing associated with an asthma attack. Common treatment is inhaled steroid to reduce the inflammation and re-open airways. These days though it is possible to be prescribed "preventers" which de-sensitise the bronchial tubes and avert the inflammation.

I have one indoor bun (until recently three) and do get affected by the fur. I have a further issue with having to rinse my hands after every contact or touching my eyes will cause swelling. Dander is associated with asthma but there is a belief that an enzyme in the buns' saliva which ends up on the fur through grooming may be the cause of the eye sensitivity.

Another option is a HEPA filter in the room where the buns are located. They remove 99.9% of airborne particles down the the very smallest. Unfortunately they can be an expensive option, although there are many more smaller units on the market now at lower cost. This is in Australia though, the asthma capital of the world.

Perhaps a discussion with your doctor who might be inclined to prescribe a combined preventer/steroid as a short term option.

Sometimes we are confronted with making hard-line decisions regarding our pets. My choice has been to medicate and employ filters and keep the pets as outdoors is not possible. I have weighed up the options and recognise that my choice may well shorten my life span, but to me to have an extra few years without any pets is too high a price to pay. I stress this is a personal decision.

I am allergic to my cat and I manage it fine. I have to wash my hands straight after any contact, and like if I touch something like the sofa I have to wash my hands before I can touch my face. We have all wooden floors, we got rid of all the carpets when my allergies were confirmed by the doctor, and I hoover everyday and keep the house very clean. I brush her everyday because her fur makes my eyes worse when they are irritated but I have to do this outside and also if I want to cuddle or pat her I do this outside or right next to an open door then immediately have to wash my hands. I take allergy pills but more when the weather is warm and I use the optrex eye baths every day and that helps lots with the itching in my eyes. Weird thing is to react to my mums cat I actually have to shove my face into his fur but with my girl I just have to touch her and put my hands near my face

I would easily suffer with my allergies more if it meant keeping Smirnoff healthy or looking after her better but I have quite a few allergies so I am used to feeling like **** anyways :lol: Right now my legs are covered in the most horrible looking bumps and about to start bleeding from being scratched because I wasn't careful enough and didn't rewash a pair of jeans in a safe washing liquid when my sister returned them to me and my hands are cracking and itching because I washed my hands using the soap in a nightclub tonight after someone spilt a pint over me. So I think its easy for me to say my allergy to Smirnoff is nothing and I would happily feel ill for her because I spend quite a lot of my time crying over pain caused by other allergies that are worse than the one to my cat

I would try to get him to go to the doctor anyways hun x