Allergies

[kinkajou]

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Does anyone here suffer from mild-moderate allergies when dealing with cats or any other animal for that matter?

Any weird stories of abnormal reactions to a specific breed or animal?

thought it might be interesting to hear

 

[alonepear]

me! pretty much anything furry, but usually I only react to cats, and most especially...

Rabbits!

I started working at an avian & exotic practice, and on my very first day was shut up in a little exam room with two superbly fluffy rabbits, and I thought I was going to DIE. Eyes running, sneezing a mile a minute, face and neck turning red... all while trying to impress the head doctor by holding the darn things still for blood draws.

I thought I was going to have to quit, but I quickly learned to take a Claritin each morning, and to wash my hands *immediately* after touching furry mammals, and I've been good since.

 

[kate_g]

Rabbits!

I know a couple people who are specifically allergic to rabbits and not other furry critters. Weird.

More on topic, I've always had hayfever and I used to think I was allergic to cats. Turns out it's not the cats, it's the pollen they bring in from outside. Indoor cats don't bother me in the least...

 

[animalallergy]

The Dr. told me when I was younger that I'm allergic to everything but cucumbers. I have asthma too. If you have a rabbit allergy (I do) it is usually really bad. I've never heard of a "mild" rabbit allergy. I also get hives if I get scratched by anything. For the puffy eyes, Visine A is the only thing that works for me. I start at OSU in 2 weeks, so hopefully my allergy and asthma meds will do the trick!

 

[ShelterGirl]

Rabbits kill me, too. I was "officially" allergy tested decades ago and came up allergic to cats and poodles (weird, eh?), but it's the rabbits at work that really get to me. One Claritin each morning helps me!

 

[BostonLvr]

I react to rabbits and long haired cats. Rashes, sneezing, watery eyes....and sometimes I even lose my voice! I also have asthma. I double up on the Allegra and carry my rescue inhaler in my scrub pocket while at work and hope for the best! 😛

 

[Hopeful07]

.

 

[silverelf]

i'm mildly allergic to cats, but i've owned them all my life, so i'm pretty desensitized at this point. the only thing i can't handle is when they REALLY blow coat when they're super stressed...if that gets up in my face I usually have to step away for a minute or two and breathe. but i work with a vet who is deathly allergic to rabbits, and has to take steroids if one so much as comes into the hospital (she can't treat them, our other vet does all rabbit visits). i think a lot of people have different allergies and sensitivities, and its just a matter of learning to work with what you've got. but as long
as you are not severely allergic to multiple species, you'll find a way to get along.

 

[pressmom]

Another cat allergy here. I have the most problems when I see them sporadically. If I see them all the time, I get attenuated to it, but if I see them sometimes, watch out--sneezing, rashes, stuffiness, etc.

 

[turtlturtlturtl]

i'm allergic to cats too. before i started taking allergy meds regularly, it was pretty bad. i can still remember the first time i helped strip a matted, long-haired cat. it was horrible! also, i'm not sure if it's from allergies, or if it just irritates me, but sometimes shar pei and pit bull hair make me itch and break out in hives.

 

[Pigsfoot]

heh. i'm pretty much allergic to cats, dogs, horses-etc. oh-not pigs though! I do think I caught a cold from one once...however. regardless-once I was truly diagnosed (I have 3 cats at home), the dr. said to keep the cats out of the bedroom. HA. I opted to go on meds instead. I had pretty bad allergies-I got sick almost everytime I volunteered at the spay/neuter clinic and when I went to the stable, my nose ran non-stop. it was awful. Now I'm on nasonex, which really isnt too bad at all. its like i have a new nose! and sometimes, I'll take an allegra if I know I'll be around dogs or something. It can be controlled, and my need to be around animals is important.

I have a claritin question for those of you on claritin!! Are there any side effects? drowsiness or lethargy or anything? do you feel drugged? can you drink alcohol while on claritin? I have a friend coming in from out of town, and she's allergic to cats, I dont want her to get sick while she's here and I thought claritin may help. Should she get some?????

the Foot.

 

[Pigsfoot]

I get REALLY hivey and itchy when dogs lick me, too. I try to avoid being licked when around dogs...

 

[ShelterGirl]

I have a claritin question for those of you on claritin!! Are there any side effects? drowsiness or lethargy or anything? do you feel drugged? can you drink alcohol while on claritin? I have a friend coming in from out of town, and she's allergic to cats, I dont want her to get sick while she's here and I thought claritin may help. Should she get some?????

the Foot.

I get occasional dry mouth, but no other side effects - and yes, I can drink just fine 🙂

 

[vegternarian]

No allergies to any animals that I know of, although the only time I was around a rabbit for any length of time was in preschool. 😀

 

[vpanopou]

I have allergies out the wazoo. Im allergic to practically anything from animals to the environment. I've had allergies since I was really little and I was also diagnosed with asthma at 5. Since then I've been taking different kids of steroids and other forms of medication.

This past February, I went to see an allergist since I decided that I was really serious about Vet School. And for the past 6 months, I have been receiving allergy shots twice a week, and gotten new medication. Nasonex, which works like a charm, Allegra, and Flovent for my asthma.

All I have to do is take preventative medication before approaching animals, and under those circumstance I have no allergic reaction.

So basically, I am writing to say the allergy shots work like a CHARM🙂. It's annoying after a while with the twice a week thing, but I haven't had a reaction to an animal for 4 months after treatment.

Good luck to everyone!!😀

 

[pressmom]

Actually, I've been through two different courses of allergy shots and neither helped, so it isn't a panacea. But it's worth a shot if you're allergies are bad enough.

 

[Kymmy16w]

I'm pretty allergic to cats, but as long as I take my allergy medication, it's tolerable. I haven't spent a lot of time around bunnies lately, so I'm not sure if I'm allergic to them or not. 😳

I am however extremely allergic to the hay my horse eats. If he licks my arm or face, I have to immediately wash off his saliva or my skin gets red and itchy. 👎

 

[sofficat]

i'm sporatically allergic to animals. in 5 years as a tech 3 cats have made my neck and face break out with hives and get really itchy (seems to happen when they slobber and rub on my neck) and random short haired dogs make my arms break out. genesis spray works great!!

 

[168135]

I got licked by this dog once and broke out in a rash 😛

I don't know what I am allergic to... but once in a while, I'll develope a slight rash on my arm or whatnot.

 

[ckgilabert]

i got allergy tested. im only allergic to ducks, trees, grass, flowers, etc. sorta sucks to go outside...and i cant have down pillows or comforters, but thats basically it.

oh...and im allergic to my own sweat. 🙁 so if i walk a dog outside for a while, and if i start sweating...then i'll get hives. its horrible!!

for the sneezing and itchy eyes...i like benedryl 🙂

 

[rexosaurus]

wow, i think i may be the only person on here not allergic to anything... yet! i'm sure its likely that i'll come across some critter that will make my skin crawl at some point or another though 🙁

 

[wivet2011]

wow, i think i may be the only person on here not allergic to anything... yet! i'm sure its likely that i'll come across some critter that will make my skin crawl at some point or another though 🙁

That makes two of us... well, unless you count ragweed, but who isn't allergic to that stuff to some extent!!

 

[Electrophile]

Here's a warning to all you guys...you can actually become more allergic to something over time. My faculty adviser from grad school wasn't allergic to just about anything but over the years, he would spend hours and hours in the mouse rooms doing his research. They create quite a bit of dander for such small little things if you've been in a research lab. About 15 years ago, he was in there and started becoming very sensitive to them when he had previously not been at all. He went in for an allergy testing and was pretty much told that he needs to wear a mask at all times or he could go into shock and die. He also started developing allergies and insensitivities to environmental things that never bothered him before. Same thing with latex gloves over time. Even if you don't like nitriles, switch back and forth because developing latex allergies is bad news.

 

[ferral]

Ok. Here's something interesting.... has anyone heard of a company called Allerca??? They have developed a genetically modified cat that doesn't express the glycoprotein fel d 1 that most people with cat allergies are allergic to (or atleast, not in its native structure).
they are called "Lifestyle Pets".
And they are for sale... for $5950 😱 (including the shipping and handling, apparently)
Yes. Strange but true.
checkout the website: http://www.allerca.com/

From a business perspective I think this is brilliant.
But it's also kinda creepy.
Supposedly they spay/neuter all pets before they are sold, but what if one somehow gets out and breeds with the wildtype population... (it could be like GMO corn with pesticides!)

 

[david594]

Supposedly they spay/neuter all pets before they are sold, but what if one somehow gets out and breeds with the wildtype population... (it could be like GMO corn with pesticides!)

Probabily more of a business move than anything. Spaying and neutering keeps anyone else from breeding their allergy free cats and undercutting their prices.