Do Vets have Allergies?

[peacebro]

---

Members do not see this ad.

Hi, I am considering application to vet programs in the next year. I was wondering if other people in this field experience what I have experienced and what to do about it. When I handle certain types of animals I break out in hives. (guinea pigs, some rodents, ferrets, long haired cats). Because of this problem I have encountered in the last few years (I didn't notice I had allergies before), I have considered looking into health care professions I would enjoy less. Maybe somebody knows how to control this or how to handle this situation if I choose to stay in the field of Animal Care. Thanks for any advise.

 

[almostglue]

My boss actually has allergies. I think he's pretty much allergic to life, but he's definitely allergic to cats. He gets an allergy shot once a month to keep it under control and I've never seen him have a problem. Have you looked into this? It might work for you... Try checking with your doctor and see if he can recommend anything for you.

 

[hippo11]

i'm going to be starting vet school in august and i can definitely empathize with you. i'm allergic to probably anything with fur! i used to have really bad reactions to cats, but i've found that over the years, my physical allergy reactions have lessened to point where i even volunteered for a year at a small animal clinic that had two hospital cats and didn't once have a reaction. have you tried prescription or OTC allergy meds? i'm on allegra AND flonase and it works well for me (i swear by flonase). i've heard singulair is supposed to be good too. and of course, like *almostglue* said, allergy shots are an option. if you do decide to go to vet school, i would recommend finding a good allergist and staying in touch with them through school. there's always the chance that things really won't work out for health reasons, but if it's what you want to do, i'd exhaust all possibilities before throwing in the towel! good luck!

 

[HorseyVet]

i'm going to be starting vet school in august and i can definitely empathize with you. i'm allergic to probably anything with fur! QUOTE]

Are you planing to not work closely with those animals or do you just plan to deal with it forever?

 

[MicheleVet]

One of the docs here is so allergic to cats he has to wear gloves to handle them...and he's a small animal surgeon.

One of my classmates was on nasal sprays, shots and oral meds for his allergies to animals.

It all depends on your tolerance of your allergies.

 

[hippo11]

Horseyvet: Are you planing to not work closely with those animals or do you just plan to deal with it forever?

i dunno...i'm still not quite sure what my direction in vet school is going to be. but regardless of which species i end up working with, i'll probably be taking allergy meds forever. to clarify, it's the blood tests that show i'm allergic to dogs, cats and rodents (and so i assume it'll tell me i'm allergic to most things with fur), but i've only physically reacted to cats and mice in particular. my allergies have gotten better, so hopefully the trend continues! i hope it doesn't come to the point where i have to avoid certain species...

 

[peacebro]

Thanks for the good ideas. I thought I was the only one with this dilema. I've tried OTCs and occasionaly Flonase, and Claritin. I haven't tried Singulair and Allergy shots, thanks for the input.
I noticed that with pets that my immune system grows stronger but with new animals I frequently break out. That was my concern.
Really thanks, life is so much more enjoyable with animals in it 🙂

 

[Miranda]

I'm starting vet school this fall, and right now I work at a small animal hospital and I am allergic to cats, to horses, to sheep, dogs with pit-bully fur, and giraffes. And who knows what else! However, despite being covered in fluff all day ever day, I don't have much of a problem. The cat allergy is only bad when I get fur in my face, therefore I compulsively wash my hands. If I have to restrain a shar-pei, I'm covered in hives, but rubbing alcohol helps a little. If it gets really bad, Claritin does the trick for me, and doesn't knock me out like Benadryl. But, most importantly, I feel that I've gotten much better in the past year, I can now bury my face in a big fluffy cat and will not fall over wheezing!

I know plenty of vets (and others who work in the animal care industry) with allergies. We're just suckers I suppose! I'm also *way* to klutzy to work with animals! Wanna hear my story of taking a huge face plant while leading a horse?!

🙂
Miranda

 

[peacebro]

What's the story with the plant and the horse?

 

[kate_g]

I know a vet who walked into a horse barn for the first time as a vet student. She went anaphylactic, had to be hospitalized. She's a purely small-animal vet now. 🙂 (FWIW she thinks it was all the dust and hay rather than an allergy to horses per se.)

 

[HorseyVet]

I know a vet who walked into a horse barn for the first time as a vet student. She went anaphylactic, had to be hospitalized. She's a purely small-animal vet now. 🙂 (FWIW she thinks it was all the dust and hay rather than an allergy to horses per se.)

It very well might have been the environment. I've heard a similar situation of someone having an asthma attack in a dusty horse barn.

When you're working with large animals, especially during fly season, and you have a reaction it very well might be a result of chemicals on the animal rather than the animal itself.

I think this is what happened to me a while back. I restrained a calf and got mild hives on all of the contact locations about 8-12 hours later. I had worked with cows before but not handling them as intensively. I've since tried to wipe myself on all cows I come in contact with, and have yet to have another reaction, so I'm hoping it was chemicals rather than the animal.

On another note, I'm allergic to cats but don't seem to have much of a problem unless the contact is intensive, but even that seems to vary a lot from animal to animal. I've owned cats and I found bathing them about once a week seemed to eliminate all problems as well as making the cat a lot fresher to be around.

Just something to think about.

 

[Infamous]

Hi, I am considering application to vet programs in the next year. I was wondering if other people in this field experience what I have experienced and what to do about it. When I handle certain types of animals I break out in hives. (guinea pigs, some rodents, ferrets, long haired cats). Because of this problem I have encountered in the last few years (I didn't notice I had allergies before), I have considered looking into health care professions I would enjoy less. Maybe somebody knows how to control this or how to handle this situation if I choose to stay in the field of Animal Care. Thanks for any advise.

I dug this thread back from the dead.

Has anyone become desensitized from dog/cat allergies through immunotherapy?

 

[KoreanVet]

Hi, The best and the most important thing in preventing allergies is that you avoid contacting it. If your doc says you're allergic to cats, dogs, and othe furred animals, you , at least, try to keep a certain distance from it.
But when it comes to being a vet in your career, you might not encounter any problem. In college, You don't have many chance to contact with those animals except the 4th year. Moreover, you just can choose other field than the jobs where you handle those furred animals. For example, there are lab scientists, bacteriologists, virologists, etc...
One way or the other, you take a measure on yourself how much allergic you are and if it's not severe enough for you to get outside or to see a doc whenever you contact with those animals , I think you are totally able to perform as a vet in any field. Like these guys saying, many vets are allergic to many things and most of them can control it by themselves.

 

[elfgirl]

i am so glad i am not the only person in this situation! this post has really helped me so thankyou... what did you find the best help for instant relief (or close to) when you came up in a reaction at the vets ?

 

[PureAirExpress]

Thanks for the good ideas. I thought I was the only one with this dilema. I've tried OTCs and occasionaly Flonase, and Claritin. I haven't tried Singulair and Allergy shots, thanks for the input. 🙂

I wouldn't recommend OTC's or any prescription medication except under certain circumstances. "The most toxic thing you can put in your body, and the number one cause of virtually all illness and disease is prescription and nonprescription drugs (Natural Cures "They" Don't Want You To Know About, Trudeau p.73)!
"They never cure; they may change the difficulty to create a worse one. Many of those who practice the prescribing of drugs, would not take the same, or give them to their children (ellenwhitedefend.com/healthmessage/Herbs.htm)."

I would recommend natural remedies like Immunity boosters from Alternative Health Care: Premium Echinacea - $13, or Olive Leaf Extract - $7. Or ImmuneEssentials from Swanson - $8. Or Goldenseal from Botanic Choice - $8

Also a portable air purifier using effective and proven technology such as the Fresh Air Buddy - $200 from PureAirExpress.com could help with instant relief.

 

[sunshinevet]

Hey, I'm also super-allergic to cats - I constantly sound like I have a cold when I'm in clinic and have forgotten to take my anti-histamines! And some types of dog fur, and some horses. I think it's unrealistic to tell people to just "stay away" from what they're allergic to, if this has been their life dream - i would rather take anti-histamines every day for the rest of my life than go into lab work!

Unfortunately, I've found prevention is so much better than cure... and what provides instant relief depends on your allergy. I find that washing my face with warm water and putting in eye drops can really help make me feel more comfortable. When I know I'm going to be around a lot of cats, I take anti-histamines once a day for a few days before hand as well as on the day - it helps get more constant levels in your system. Other than that, once I graduate I am DEFINATELY going to get the immunotherapy - I've been a tech for 4 years and my allergy has never gotten better 🙁

 

[BruceCaboose]

Both my husband and myself have been getting allergy shots for a year now and we're in our second year of vet school. We like to argue about who is more allergic 🙂
Shots work. I don't notice my symptoms anymore and I'm pretty sure I'll be in the 75% cured in 3 more years. The only drug I'm on is OTC zyrtec. I used to be absolutely miserable pretty much year round since I'm allergic to animals, pollen, and dust mites. My issues were upper respiratory, my husband's face would swell up. Shots have worked beautifully for him as well. That said we've both had anyphylactic shot reactions.
"Holistic" cures absolutely would not have worked for us. When the pollen is really bad I use a neti pot with varying success. My husband goes into anaphylactic shock from bee stings, sorry but holistic medicine can't compete with an epi-pen and antihistamines.

 

[Hollycozza]

a few of my classmates professed cat allergies at the beginning of first year, that had resolved by the time we graduated!

Conversely my boss worked with bunnies before he became a vet, and now he is quite allergic to them!

 

[bunnity]

Conversely my boss worked with bunnies before he became a vet, and now he is quite allergic to them!

My worst nightmare😱

I do think I'm getting allergic / sensitive to gloves, but it seems that it is to the nitrile ones rather than the latex. Can't tell if it's that or if it's just to washing my hands more often. Has anyone heard of a nitrile glove sensitivity happening?

 

[sumstorm]

My worst nightmare😱

I do think I'm getting allergic / sensitive to gloves, but it seems that it is to the nitrile ones rather than the latex. Can't tell if it's that or if it's just to washing my hands more often. Has anyone heard of a nitrile glove sensitivity happening?

There is some research to suggest that people shouldn't use powdered gloves because the powder ends up in the air and in our lungs/mucus membranes and can trigger or increase the potential for allergies.

Also, some people's allergies do get a lot worse over time even with immunotherapy and pharmaceuticals. One of our guest speakers talked about how his allergies to cats helped encourage him into pharm industry work. That and the hours/wages! I have heard other profs say similar things.

Also, at some schools you will have animal contact all four years, so don't assume it is a fourth year problem (as mentioned above)...and you will also be exposed to people who have pets you are allergic too..and if you are very allergic, dander does carry on clothes, back packs, etc.

I am allergic to bees and was swarmed the weekend before our first anatomy test. After the epi pen, a long evening in the hospital, tons of pharms, and a bashed immune system I was hit with a sinus infection. Sicker than a cat in the last stages of FIV. Just now feeling better. That is something to consider...will exposure to your allergens make your 'job' of being a student overly difficult for you? For some it wouldn't ,but for others it might be nearly impossible.

 

[stevejohnson]

well i have also experience of working with a vet according to me it is allergic or not depends on what type of animal you deal with because certain animal diseases are allergic...so can u describe what kind of animals are mainly to deal with....

 

[twelvetigers]

...wha?

 

[Bill59]

I do think I'm getting allergic / sensitive to gloves, but it seems that it is to the nitrile ones rather than the latex. Can't tell if it's that or if it's just to washing my hands more often. Has anyone heard of a nitrile glove sensitivity happening?

The most common glove allergies are a type I hypersensitivity to latex and a type IV sensitivity to an accelerant used in the manufacturing. Some glove that are latex free are still made with an accelerant, so if that's your problem you have to get an accelerant-free glove.

 

[CombatVeteranVeterinarian]

I feel like animal allergies is chronological... perhaps I'm wrong.

It's like you have a bad experience (or a really good experience) with one species, and then you possibly develop an allergic reaction to that species.... Perhaps that has a lot to say about that one particular species? My mind just flashed to cats, more specifically the "Burgers" Cat... the psychotic one... 😵