Allergies - how do you cope?

[No Imagination]

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So, something I didn't bring up during my interview (but they didn't ask), is I am extremely allergic to horses (and to a less extent cats).

After a few months working with cats, I develop resistance (I know resistance isn't the right word when describing a hyper-immune response, but you get my drift).

Now sure how I am going to deal with the intermittent work at vet school however, as I am sure I will not be around horses and cats 8 hours a day ever day.

I end up with trouble breathing (similar to asthma attacks which I used to have as a kid), also very bad rash in any spot of contact. Goes away after 2-4 hours after I leave and wash up with soap and water.


Definitely going to try pills and or shots.

What has worked for you?

 

[dyachei]

So, something I didn't bring up during my interview (but they didn't ask), is I am extremely allergic to horses (and to a less extent cats).

After a few months working with cats, I develop resistance (I know resistance isn't the right word when describing a hyper-immune response, but you get my drift).

Now sure how I am going to deal with the intermittent work at vet school however, as I am sure I will not be around horses and cats 8 hours a day ever day.

I end up with trouble breathing (similar to asthma attacks which I used to have as a kid), also very bad rash in any spot of contact. Goes away after 2-4 hours after I leave and wash up with soap and water.


Definitely going to try pills and or shots.

What has worked for you?

My fiance has a similar problem with cats but it is well controlled with Claritin allergy (I think he uses the generic and that works as well). Zyrtec made him sleepy though. Since he lives with cats, he takes it once a day.

 

[LVT2DVM]

That really sucks. Tolerance (build up a ....) may be the word your looking for. And luckily I dont have allergies but Im assuming your going to have to go see your doc and start getting de-sensitization (?? mommy brain, cant remember the correct word) injections; the sooner the better I would imagine. I would assume he'd put you on Zyrtec or some newer generation antihistamine as well...for days with alot of exposure.

 

[CatVet2Be]

Zyrtec works great as long as I take it before the allergies start. For the skin rashes benadryl cream or animax/panalog after rinsing with cold water usually take care of the welts and hives. I'm allergic to cats, usually just runny nose and sneezing but in severe attacks my eyes will swell up which is not pretty. Despite that I may go for a feline specialty 😀, that's true love and devotion.

Also, if you have a moment where your allergies are really acting up, going to another room where you can get fresh air and making sure you have no fur on your face or hands can really help. The worst thing is rubbing your eyes or nose and accidentally rubbing the allergen in.

 

[gone2dogs]

So, something I didn't bring up during my interview (but they didn't ask), is I am extremely allergic to horses (and to a less extent cats).

After a few months working with cats, I develop resistance (I know resistance isn't the right word when describing a hyper-immune response, but you get my drift).

Now sure how I am going to deal with the intermittent work at vet school however, as I am sure I will not be around horses and cats 8 hours a day ever day.

I end up with trouble breathing (similar to asthma attacks which I used to have as a kid), also very bad rash in any spot of contact. Goes away after 2-4 hours after I leave and wash up with soap and water.


Definitely going to try pills and or shots.

What has worked for you?

I sound really similar to you... horses are the worst for me and I also have scary asthma flare-ups from the allergies! In fact, allergies are why I was not pre-vet in college... never thought I could pull it off! As a kid I was only allowed to have a poodle and couldn't spend the night at friend's houses if they had cats (a trip to the ER after a severe allergy situation with compromised breathing freaked my parents and doctor out!)

But over the years I have built up some "tolerance," especially to dogs and more recently to cats. When I first started volunteering at the s/n clinic I was a mess... even with claritin and benedryl! I have seen an allergist who wasn't terribly pro the idea of allergy shots and instead put me on a maintenance dose of claritin with extra dosing for bad days along with a nose spray and a steroid inhaler for the asthma. Since I sleep with 3 dogs in my bedroom (I've come a long way from the poodle only policy my parents and pediatritian set for me), I was waking up wheezing every morning, which he said was the most dangerous thing of all my symptoms. He was really funny though, he said that he has never once been successful getting patients to get rid of their pets, so he doesn't bother suggesting it anymore. I did remove all the carpet from my house as a compromise though 😉. As for the horses, I am only occasionally around them (therapeutic riding assistant and occasional equine vet shadowing) and have no way to build up a tolerance to them... in those cases I just heavily medicate and have my rescue inhaler nearby. With that said, my last time around them I did much better than ever before.

I am also concerned about vet school (I obviously intend to track in small animals), but hope I will be able to medicate myself through the large animal stuff. I am also interested to hear how others have dealt with this though! I feel a little nutty putting my self in situations I know are borderline dangerous, but hey, nothing else will make me as happy I'm afraid!

 

[Ben and Me]

For whatever reason, I think I have a mild allergy to kittens. Whenever we have a litter of strays in the hospital for adoption and I clean their cage/handle them, I sneeze/get really congested for the rest of the day. I also get itchy after handling adult cats, but that might also be because of dry skin, so who knows. I just try to wash immediately after handling. My dad and brother are both super allergic to cats, so I'm sure I've got a mild allergy somewhere in my genetic makeup...Or it might just be psychosomatic, haha. OTC Claratin-D usually works pretty well for me, but I have to plan ahead and take it before work.

 

[redsteven]

I've been on shots and medications since I was in elementary school.

Took a while to find a doctor who wasn't pissed about us keeping the cats and dog though.



It's very strange because I grew up with cats and a dog... and then was diagnosed with allergies to them (as well as environmental allergies) when I was about 7 years old.

When I was younger if I kissed them a lot my eyes would get itchy, but that issue subsided after several years of allergy shots.
Now I still kiss them but my eyes really don't bother me.

How have you been when working in vet offices? That's probably the best indicator. Luckily I've been fine there.

The only issue I really have now are if I get bitten or scratched (especially by cats) and I don't wash the site quickly with soap and water... then it gets itchy.



However, your allergies do sound worse than mine. Although I occasionally have slight trouble breathing when around a LOT of dust/dander (not that I'm unable to breath so much as it simply feels like my lung capacity is diminished; i can't breath in as deeply as I normally would be able to), my breathing is usually not an issue.


I highly recommend injections though. What better way to build up tolerance than force the allergens into your body, right? 🙂

 

[CookieBear]

Claritin, Benadryl cream, medi-haler.

Not touching mucous membranes after handling furry things, and attempting to wash hands as soon as is feasible afterwards.

I get real nice and red after handling anything with a bristle-like coat (Sharpei's come to mind) .. but even some Boston terriers and even some cats will set it off. The Benadryl cream works GREAT for it on me, and it's usually not crazy huge big areas that I can't use the cream. (Another reason why I used to wear thin long-sleeves under a scrub-top, to expose less of my skin... even though I know it's less sanitary? for exam rooms, etc.)

 

[StayingHopeful]

So, something I didn't bring up during my interview (but they didn't ask), is I am extremely allergic to horses (and to a less extent cats).

After a few months working with cats, I develop resistance (I know resistance isn't the right word when describing a hyper-immune response, but you get my drift).

Now sure how I am going to deal with the intermittent work at vet school however, as I am sure I will not be around horses and cats 8 hours a day ever day.

I end up with trouble breathing (similar to asthma attacks which I used to have as a kid), also very bad rash in any spot of contact. Goes away after 2-4 hours after I leave and wash up with soap and water.


Definitely going to try pills and or shots.

What has worked for you?

I have the exact same problems with cats! I am very slightly allergic to horses and dogs (and other furry things), but am VERY allergic to cats (and oddly enough, to ferrets and guinea pigs). I was on allergy desensitization shots for about a year and a half, but I was only working at a small animal clinic for about the first 6 months of that - and after switching to an exotics clinic (to get a different kind of experience), the shots that were made to help me with cats/dogs/environmental allergens weren't helping, so i stopped them.

Luckily, I am more drawn to avian/exotics professionally, so I think cats are out of the question, but I wonder the same thing as you since I am very allergic to ferrets and guinea pigs (especially males), which I was dealing with very often at the exotics clinic I worked in for a year and a half.

Interesting fact about the cat allergy...
When I was in South Africa working with lion cubs, I was not allergic (which is GREAT because I didn't think about it until I got there and that would have been aweful!!), but when I was around a cheetah for 5 minutes, I was a sneezing-wheezing-puffy-eyed mess!

 

[cozycleo]

I found out that I developed a cat allergy as an adult, and at the time I was fostering a litter of kittens and had 2 cats of my own! We no longer foster, but I currently have 3 cats. My allergist has me on Nasonex nasal spray and Allegra. It's been working pretty well for me as long as I remember to take it.

 

[critterfixer]

I'm allergic to cats and dogs, grass and tree pollen, mold, and dust mites. I've been getting allergy shots for awhile now. I don't know if they are helping.I find my eyes are getting more and more puffy as time goes on, but I think it may be more due to living in East Tennessee than to being around cats and dogs, because I've always had both cats and dogs in my house and never felt this miserable in middle Tennessee.

I did have a pretty major attack on CE when I went in the large animal clinic and again when I worked open house right near the large animal area. I think it's the dust and mold, though, because it makes me feel differently.

I take zyrtec, sudafed (the real stuff), and vitamin C daily (good for countering the respiratory oxidative burst). I use optivar for my eyes. I am never ever without my inhaler. I've been using the nasal steroid spray, but I don't think it is helping.

I think I might have a problem working in the barn on clinics during the mold season, so I am going to try to request I get that rotation when it is dry and not during the rainy season. Otherwise, I just kind of deal with it, and stay swollen and congested a lot of the time.

 

[LLIPPY]

That really sucks. Tolerance (build up a ....) may be the word your looking for. And luckily I dont have allergies but Im assuming your going to have to go see your doc and start getting de-sensitization (?? mommy brain, cant remember the correct word) injections; the sooner the better I would imagine. I would assume he'd put you on Zyrtec or some newer generation antihistamine as well...for days with alot of exposure.

The owner of my hospital who has a 1 year old calls this "mom-nesia" instead of amnesia. Ha It always makes me 🙂

 

[Willowhand]

Mmm I feel your discomfort. I have similar reactions to cats, only I also get very itchy eyes and throat as well. Like you I tend to develop a "resistance" after a while, which is made easier since I love cats and have often lived with them. The trick for me is finding an allergy medicine that won't knock me out but still works. Chloropheniramine is the best balance that I have been able to find, though I recommend that you try various drugs and see what works best for you. I also store an inhaler somewhere nearby in case the breathing trouble gets too bad.

I've also noticed an unpleasant rebound effect with most allergy medicines; the symptoms can be worse after the drugs wear off than they were originally. Because of this, I only use medication when the symptoms are getting pretty nasty (or when I anticipate that they will, such as going into a house that has both carpeting and cats).

Good luck, and I hope you find something that works really well for you.

 

[Ninnerfish]

I do pretty well around most animals, but occasionally, I'll flare up around a particular dog or cat (nose gets stuffed up, eyes red and itchy, skin rash). I pop a benadryl for the respiratory symptoms and we have something called "Relief Spray", which I think contains a small amount of steroid, for the skin issues. It's worked so far, but my allergies don't seem to be as major as what some of you guys are describing.

 

[DocDVMD]

It's good to know there are other pre-vets with animal allergies! The only animals I'm allergic to are cats, and no allergy medication I've tried has helped. It's not terrible, but does make it uncomfortable to work with them and then I'm congested and itchy for the majority of the day. I started allergy shots last summer and it's been a bit of a hassle, especially with bad reactions and that sort of thing, so we'll see how it turns out. I think most insurance companies cover allergy shots, so I would definitely give it a try. Now the only problem I have is finding a place to live without any cats 😛

I'd say go to an allergist and get it figured out. Medications work differently with different people, so the doctor will probably be the best resource for treatment.

 

[twelvetigers]

I'm so thankful that so far my only allergy is cedar. I love sticking my face in my kitties' fur! I hope I never develop any allergies to cats... 🙁

 

[winddolphin]

I am very allergic to alfalfa hay, to some extent horses, and mildly to some long hair cats. In the worse case I'll have non-stop sneezing, runny nose/congestion, and itchy eyes. I also have seasonal allergies that have noting to do with animals....

Anti-histamine before contact definitely help. If you don't take it until once you start having symptoms, then its effect is limited, and may take a few days before it starts working. Benadryl is stronger compared to claritin, but it causes drowsiness. I use claritin, but for my sister, zyrtex works better. OTC Allergy eye drops also work great.

In terms of prescription meds I've tried clarinex and allegra. Both work better than OTC meds, but OTC might be sufficient to you depending how severe your allergy symptoms are. If your nasal allergies are severe like mine, nasalnex (a prescription nasal spray) works wonders for me. Also need to use before contacting the allergens for best results. Ex. I use nasalnex + claritin before going to an internship that I know involves alfalfa hay and horses. Definitely talk to your doctor if OTC meds are not cutting it for you. Allergy shots (de-sensitization shots? can't remember the name either =P) are pricey, but for people with severe allergies they may be the best option in the long run.

If you are not working in front of clients, personal protection may be the best thing--wearing a gown, gloves, and masks. In one of my internships we had to work with lab rabbits. Our supervisor require us to wear gown and gloves (masks were provided but not required) because she said "most people who work with rabbits regularly will develop allergy at some point." Minimizing contact is the best way to protect yourself.

 

[redsteven]

In one of my internships we had to work with lab rabbits. Our supervisor require us to wear gown and gloves (masks were provided but not required) because she said "most people who work with rabbits regularly will develop allergy at some point." Minimizing contact is the best way to protect yourself.

Why is that? Isn't that like saying that getting allergy shots regularly will cause my allergies to get worse, because I'm regularly exposed to them?

I'm so thankful that so far my only allergy is cedar. I love sticking my face in my kitties' fur! I hope I never develop any allergies to cats... 🙁

Well that makes you the winner so far 🙂

 

[DrVegan]

thank God im not allergic to any animals.but I do have severe food allergies 😡

 

[hlkcirdnek]

I'm pretty allergic to cats and dogs.. and rabbits, guinea pigs, mice... horses... pretty much everything!

I have tried every allergy medication on the market, prescription and OTC. They all worked for a while, but lost their efficacy after a while. The most recent medication I have been on is Zyrtec. I took it at dinner time, so I didn't notice the drowsy effect.

I have been getting immunotherapy shots for about a year, and I have had a significant decrease in the number of days I have to take Zyrtec. I was taking it every single day, and now a 30-tab bottle is lasting me 3-4 months!

Worth looking into at least..

 

[Perfbird]

Allergies suck! Just as a note shots take a long time and don't even fully work for some people. I was on allergy shots for about 8 years, and my Dr. finally conceded that they weren't working after such a long period of time.

I am allergic to most everything outside, cats, guinea pigs and rabbits. Benadryl really works for me, but I can't take it unless I'm ready to zonk out for the next 6 hours, it seriously renders me unconscious for hours.

I take Nasonex now, it gives me headaches but it works on the allergies and I'd take allergy relief over headaches any day! There is also supposedly a steroid shot that you can get at the beginning of the allergy season and it works miracles, however there are some undesireable side efects so you have to have really bad allergies to get that.

Good luck, allergies suck especially when you're going to be around animals all the time!

 

[starlene45]

1. Allergy shots, allergy shots, allergy shots. They can and do help.

2. Flonase nasal spray-- but you need to take it every day, and get it refilled a day or 2 before you run out, or right away, because Flonase "withdrawl" is an itchy/sneezy b**ch. I have terrible dust/pollen/mold allergies and have literally been prescribed EVERY oral medicine on the market and Flonase works better than all of them put together. It doesn't work as a "rescue" med but if you are good about taking it every day it's very effective. Can you tell I'm a fan?

3. Wear gloves around the horses if you can't build up a tolerance and there is a contact allergy issue-- I am sure there will be a few things you can't do with gloves on, but there's no reason you can't wear gloves for basic handling activities. Doesn't necessarily have to be latex/nitrile gloves, either, nice leather ranch gloves would probably work fine at blocking the allergens and not look ridiculous. Besides we should all be wearing leather gloves when handling horses anyway, to prevent rope burn 😛

Good luck from a fellow horrific allergy suffer-er!😀

 

[SaintSamson]

So far I've not developed an allergic response to any animals, but I think I might have a slight response to cats now, which is sad since I work with them, and I own 2, lol.
I've really allergic to grass pollen (esp. alfalfa), tree pollen, MOLD, soy, and pesticides (unorganic raw fruits and veggies make the back of my mouth it soooo badly). Uck. Oddly, I hang around barns as much as possible, lol.

Someone mentioned that waking up wheezing is a serious concern?

I'm on Advair, Flonase, Albuterol, and I'm supposed to do an eye one, but I rarely need it, so I don't use it. I'm supposed to use claritin as well, but I haven't been. I do, however, wake up more often than not with a tight chest or wheezing. I have an air purifier in my room... My doctor isn't that.... great. Would my fellow allergic-peoples recommend I find a doctor more in tune with allergies and that waking up wheezing is a big concern? I always just wrote it off......

 

[critterologist]

Quote:
Originally Posted by winddolphin
In one of my internships we had to work with lab rabbits. Our supervisor require us to wear gown and gloves (masks were provided but not required) because she said "most people who work with rabbits regularly will develop allergy at some point." Minimizing contact is the best way to protect yourself.

They say the same thing about mice. Apparently it is much more of a problem when they urinate and defecate on you. One of my coworkers can't go into the mouse house without a respirator by now. It's no fun having to do 6 hours of labor with that contraption on.

 

[PharmToxGuy82]

I'm not sure if I'm stepping "out of bounds" here, but I am responding to your request for opinion on finding another physician.

I would definitely recommend that you find a health care provider who takes your nocturnal asthma more seriously. I am not trying to scare you, but research has established that a significant proportion of respiratory arrests and sudden deaths in asthma patients occurs between midnight and 8:00 AM (references are below, if needed). I also suffer from asthma, but my physician and I have worked together to come up with a treatment plan that has *knock on wood* controlled it very well thus far, and I no longer have nocturnal episodes. (If you're really interested in the pathophysiology of nocturnal astma, plenty of articles are available...it's pretty complex, having to do with circadian rhythms, inflammatory mediators, etc)

I'm not trying to be frightening or negative. I just wanted to voice my concern for your well being. 🙂

-Josh


[E. Sutherland, Nocturnal Asthma, J Allergy Clin Immunol.javascript:AL_get(this, 'jour', 'J Allergy Clin Immunol.'); 2005 Dec;116(6):1179-86.; M.R. Hetzel, T.J. Clark and M.A. Branthwaite, Asthma: analysis of sudden deaths and ventilatory arrests in hospital, BMJ 1 (1977), pp. 808–811; G.M. Cochrane and J.H. Clark, A survey of asthma mortality in patients between ages 35 and 64 in the Greater London hospitals in 1971, Thorax 30 (1975)]

 

[SaintSamson]

Thank you 🙂
I'm pretty hard to scare, so you're not out of bounds at all.
I will be looking for a new physician, as I had a hunch that it was serious, but he never gave me that impression. Thanks 🙂

 

[sumstorm]

All of you with animal allergies working with animals amaze me. I am only allergic to bee stings (yeah, I have to carry an epi-pen) but I see hubby's seasonal allergies, and I can't even IMAGINE putting myself in any situation to deal with that.

 

[cpatel27]

Zyrtec!!!

 

[jglovicz]

Thank goodness I have not noticed any allergies to pets. I do, however, have very sensitive skin (I'm severely allergic to nickel...most metals make me break out--I even put a piece of tape on the back of the button on my jeans because otherwise I get a rash on my stomach). I did an externship at a brand new vet clinic for a few weeks and I stayed in the clinic's apartment (on the roof of the clinic, also brand new). I broke out with severe rashes up and down my arms and legs, even on the bottom of my feet...turns out I was allergic to the brand new carpet (or at least, that was what we deduced). Since I was working looong hours every day, I didn't want to take anything that would knock me out. I went to the drug store and the pharmacist told me to take an antacid (pepcid, I believe). He said that it was a common OTC thing for people to take during the day for allergic reactions. Has anyone heard of this before? I tried it and it did kind of work (it was either that, or the placebo effect, or the fact that windows were open and the new carpet "particles" disappeared).

I have also heard about developing allergies to mice easily...has anyone heard anything about how common it is to develop allergies to latex (gloves)?

 

[sumstorm]

I just read an article that said not to use powdered gloves because the molecules of latex end up on the powder in the air and are inhaled, increasing potential to develop latex allergy.

After I was severly ill with reactions to Hogsweed (similar to poison ivy...skin was peeling in sheets) I had derm reactions to EVERYTHING for the next 3 months. Thank goodness I seem to be past that. That is my only experience with allergies. I was offered a job in a pharm rat lab, but my friend, an MD that worked there advised me not to if I didn't want to risk severe allergies in the future.

 

[katryn]

Hey, I feel you on being allergic to horses. (had my 1st allergic rxn when I was 10). I get hives all over no matter where the point of contact is.

Solution: I've experimented with every prescription and otc med on the market. A family friend of ours has horses and I'd get on a med for a month then go out and ride with her for a few weekends in a row. I finally found that clariten and zyrtec both work to atleast limit the reaction to points of contact and with clariten if I'm careful not to touch my eye/nose/mouth/etc, I don't break out at all! It can take awhile to find the right drug but it definitely worked for me.

 

[Backwoods Boy]

I am also in the horse allergy boat. I have been getting allergy shots for close to a year now. I'd definitely recommend it. While the reaction is still there, it is usually to a lesser extent and for me at least, it takes more contact to have any reaction. When you consider that I have a ton of allergies (horses are the only animals) and I have asthma, the shots have been a godsend...

 

[LLIPPY]

Thank goodness I have not noticed any allergies to pets. I do, however, have very sensitive skin (I'm severely allergic to nickel...most metals make me break out--I even put a piece of tape on the back of the button on my jeans because otherwise I get a rash on my stomach). I did an externship at a brand new vet clinic for a few weeks and I stayed in the clinic's apartment (on the roof of the clinic, also brand new). I broke out with severe rashes up and down my arms and legs, even on the bottom of my feet...turns out I was allergic to the brand new carpet (or at least, that was what we deduced). Since I was working looong hours every day, I didn't want to take anything that would knock me out. I went to the drug store and the pharmacist told me to take an antacid (pepcid, I believe). He said that it was a common OTC thing for people to take during the day for allergic reactions. Has anyone heard of this before? I tried it and it did kind of work (it was either that, or the placebo effect, or the fact that windows were open and the new carpet "particles" disappeared).

I have also heard about developing allergies to mice easily...has anyone heard anything about how common it is to develop allergies to latex (gloves)?

I haven't heard of people taking an antacid for allergies but it does make some sense. Drugs like Pepcid, zantac, etc are H2 blockers - H stands for histamine. Histamine is the hormone mostly responsible for our inflammatory/allergic rxns - runny nose, scratchy throat, hives, etc. There are a few different Histamine receptors in our body. So, the antacids are H2 blockers which when blocked do not tend to cause drowsiness.

Drugs such as Benadryl, claritin, allegra, etc are H1 blockers. Which cause drowsiness. So, they are both histamine blockers, just different ones which my guess is while they are probably slightly different may have very similiar mechanisms of action when activated or blocked.

Hope that made sense! Has anyone else tryed this? I'd be interested to know.