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Horrible decision to make - please help

pigsforlife

Mama Doe
I've always had allergies, but the guinea pigs weren't a problem hence I felt confident the bunnies wouldn't be either. Charlee was ok, and then Noah came along and my reaction has steadily gotten worse. Its at the point now where within 5 minutes of being in their room I'm sneezing, the eyes and nose are going and I can't breathe properly. I'm not enjoying looking after them any more, as the reaction is just so horrible.

What I've tried/am doing;
- Hair gets swept up regularly
- I do not deal with hay at all - someone else does that
- I purchased lino to cover the carpet, making it easier to clean up regularly
- I'm on hayfever tablets daily and a preventor for my asthma which the doctor has today upped to a higher dosage and twice a day

The doctor mentioned finding the bunnies new homes :( I teared up just at her mentioning it. I don't want to let them go but then realistically, being on steroids long term for my asthma isn't good for me either. She then mentioned "swapping" (her words) my two for longer haired bunnies as they don't shed as much. Theoretically I guess this is a possibility but how can I just swap Charlee and Noah like they mean nothing to me at all!?

I don't know what to do.

The other thing is, we are moving this year and the original plan was for the bunnies to have a room specifically for them. Is there a particular set-up or any ideas that might reduce my allergies?

I'm feeling really sad. At the moment, it's not fair on the bunnies or me but I just don't know what to do. Sorry for the rather long ramble..
 
Sorry you are having so many problems. Here are just a few thoughts:
- if the asthma preventer inhaler works (it takes several days), keep using it. There are no long term problems with this type of steroid. I also use them.
- long haired animals do shed. I find that the finer fluff just floats around and gets everywhere, so may make an allergy worse. You also need to do the grooming, which can also make you worse. It can make me snuffly and I'm not allergic to the animals.
- have you tried grooming your buns with a damp cloth or window leather? It stops the fur and skin particles flying around.
- Better still, get someone else to do the grooming
- it may help to know exactly what you are allergic to: animal hair, skin, mites, hay, etc. then you can manage the offender. Maybe there is something different about Noah that is setting you off.
- Could the buns move outside in Spring? It will reduce the build up of allergens in the house, but they could still have contact with you.
- I have had friends with severe allergies to their pets. One made her partner get desensitisation injections from their doctor when they got persian cats. Another used a nasal spray (from local chemist) which coats the inside of your nose with a fine layer like plastic. She could then come in my house for a few minutes, otherwise she couldn't breathe because my animals set of an asthma attack. Both made the situation more bearable.

I hope you find something that helps.
 
Thank you both for your suggestions!! Much appreciated!

I'd prefer not to move them outside. I live in Australia. They'd probably cope in winter but in summer its far too hot. The OH has talked about them having their own shed when we move, insulated and air-conditioned but I can't see how it would be any different (for me) to their current set-up (they are confined to the spare room).

I'm really glad to hear there are no long term problems with using the preventor, the doctor indicated there was. She also suggested against the desensitisation injections stating they were expensive and time consuming :? surely that's for me to decide?

I have a strong feeling its their hair, however if I have a particularly dusty bale of hay - that doesn't help either.

Must admit they don't get groomed much, but I can see that regular grooming would definitely help. Charlee will probably be ok with this, but Noah is incredibly flighty and nervous and hates being handled. Any tips on how to go about grooming him?
 
Hi.

I developed a really bad allergy to bunny fur a few months after we got them to the point where I couldnt get any fur anywhere near me without sneezing and if i did my nose would get blocked up for 2-3 days. I tried hayfever tablets and anticongestion tablets but they didnt have much effect. BUT, I got a nasal spary from the pharmacy at the suggestion of a friend and its AMAZING! I can now cuddle my bunnies even when they are moulting and my nose never gets blocked. I have now got them from the doctor as its cheaper. Maybe you can get a similar thing from the pharmacy or doctor in Australia? Mine is called Beckonase and its got a mild steroid in it. I think it works because it goes straight onto the nose. I would def try and get something like this. Now i dont bother with any of the other tablets because I only need the nasal spray. With me, it only took one hair to set me off so no matter how hard i tried it was unavoidable. good luck!
 
I use a double sided metal dog comb for grooming all my animals. One side has wide set teeth, the other is a standard comb. A standard human comb would be OK to start with.

You could also try a rubber brush - like a studded rubber pad, or just stroke them with rubber gloves to remove the really loose hair and get them used to the feeling of being groomed. Rubber has the advantage of keeping the hairs from flying all over.

Look under dog or cat grooming aids for other ideas.
 
Hi.

I developed a really bad allergy to bunny fur a few months after we got them to the point where I couldnt get any fur anywhere near me without sneezing and if i did my nose would get blocked up for 2-3 days. I tried hayfever tablets and anticongestion tablets but they didnt have much effect. BUT, I got a nasal spary from the pharmacy at the suggestion of a friend and its AMAZING! I can now cuddle my bunnies even when they are moulting and my nose never gets blocked. I have now got them from the doctor as its cheaper. Maybe you can get a similar thing from the pharmacy or doctor in Australia? Mine is called Beconase and its got a mild steroid in it. I think it works because it goes straight onto the nose. I would def try and get something like this. Now i dont bother with any of the other tablets because I only need the nasal spray. With me, it only took one hair to set me off so no matter how hard i tried it was unavoidable. good luck!

If wanted to try something like that, the active drug in that nose spray is beclometasone, there is a newer drug called mometasone which is marketted in the UK as Nasonex. They are the same type of steroid as in your preventer inhaler and can be used long term. You would need to use it for a few weeks to get the full effect.
 
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