Veterinary School and Allergies

[Melissa04]

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Hi,

I was wondering if anyone is considering or applying to veterinary school who has allergies to any animals which vets would commonly come into contact with. I have been striving for medicine for my first 3 years of undergrad but still have the desire to become a vet a goal which I put aside purely due to the fact that I found out I was extremely allergic😡 to cats about 9 years ago but have not been around any since. Does anyone know if there is a way around this is in vet school, I would love to specialize in exotic or mixed veterinarian medicine but don't know the practicality of this.
Does anyone have a similar situation to me or know of any vets who do have allergies and if they are satisfied with their careers?

Thanks !!!🙂

 

[Pomona2006]

I've also got allergies to cats, but I've found that repeated exposure gets my body more tolerant of them (so much so that I now have a cat myself). I worked for a while in a facility dealing with cats all day for 8 hours and in a small space - in that situation, some days were better than others, but on the really bad days, I would take allergy meds that are good for daytime work (I used generic loratadine), and it worked great for me!

 

[chordy4]

Hey there! I know there was a whole thread early this year/last year about the exact same issue, and multiple people applying (and many who got in I think) have allergies. I'm allergic to a variety of animals, but have had no problems working in a clinic (dogs and cats) and doing a variety of other animal-involved activities.
Most days I could get by without taking anything, but I would always keep some Claritin/Zyrtec/Benadryl etc with me, so if I got sneezy I could just pop a pill, no problem.
By no means do I think being *slightly* allergic should prevent you from pursuing veterinary school.
If you have such bad allergies around animals to the point which you can't function WITH meds, that's a bit of a different story.

 

[LucyLoo]

I'm very allergic to horses to the point I can't breath around them but have manageable allergies around cats and dogs (I live with both). My strategy has been to look for schools that allow me to track into small animal medicine to decrease the exposure to equine. Also, I have found a disposable mask that I can wear while working around horses. I find chlorpheneramine (Chlortrimeton) works well as a basic antihistamine and doesn't make you drousy.

 

[CookieBear]

I'm allergic to most things with fur, but, I'm able to manage with Claritin, Singulair, and a medi-inhaler. 🙂

I don't need the medi-haler often, and I don't die without Claritin, but it sure makes life easier.

 

[BrumleyVet]

Our local small town large & small vet is allergic to cats as well, but a big part of her practice revolves around them!

 

[KittyRex]

I'm allergic to cats, but I am fine working with them in a clinical setting (gotta love loratadine!) Unfortunately, living with cats at home is a different story. Thankfully I am not allergic to dogs, horses or any other animal that I know of. 😀

I know atleast 5 vets who are allergic to one or more species that they treat. Some vets develop their animal allergies in veterinary school! Most of the vets with allergies that I know take loratadine or Zyrtec.

Have you considered allergy shots?

Good luck! I hope there's some way that you can make it work. It would be a shame to miss out on your true calling due to allergies 🙁

 

[Nexx]

I think you'll find a lot of vets are allergic to the animals they treat, just seems to work out that way.

One of the doctors I worked with was highly allergic to rabbits (to the point where she had to be warned if any were coming in).

I myself am allergic to cats and highly allergic to horses. I used to get pretty bad with cats, but after owning a few (and having them sleep by your head every night) I've pretty much gotten over it for the most part, although some cats do get me going.

Horses.. well yeah, my eyes puff up, nose running, tons of sneezing. I used to also get bloody noses from them as well.

It's just a matter of being conscious about animal handling. As soon as I'm done doing work on horses I change clothes (maybe shower as well), try and take a clarityne/claritin, wash my hands immediately, and try not to touch anywhere near my eyes.

You also have the option of looking into desensitization (aka allergy vaccines). But yeah, don't let a pesky medical condition stop you!

 

[projekt]

Many allergies start mild and get worse, but people are still vets who have them. The first few years of school, you hardly see any live animals unless you're on treatment crew. Also, if you want to become a large animal vet, most schools are eager to have you, and there are possibly fewer allergies there.

If you want treatment, first try claritin/loratadine, then zyrtec/cetirizine (both now over the counter). Don't use the -D forms, because the decongestant won't let you know if it's working for the allergy. Then, if that doesn't work, your options are serum injections and N95 respirators. I use N95s when I'm around rabbits, because I'm very allergic to them. It's a good idea to get a respiratory test before using an N95.