Dealing with Allergies

[WSLiu02]

I wanted to get a rabbit, but I have allergies. I heard there were some things that could help, but I wasn't sure how much they helped. If you want a rabbit you are allergic to, how can you make it bearable?

I was looking into HEPA air filters and found this one Rabbit Air MinusA2 SPA-700A
http://www.amazon.com/Rabbit-Air-SPA-700A-Ultra-Quiet-Purifier/dp/B000R50YZE

I liked this one because it's powerful (around 200 CADR) and still very quiet. I thought it would bother a rabbit the least and still do what it's supposed to do.

I was also looking at this one Airgle 750 because it's very powerful (around 400 CADR), focuses mainly on HEPA filtration, and is still very quiet.
http://www.amazon.com/Air-Purifier-Filtration-System-airgle750/dp/B0010Y9TY8/

What HEPA air filters would people recommend? Would a wall mounted HEPA filter be better than one you put on the ground? If it was on the ground the filter would be closer to loose fur, but I wasn't sure if that would be good or bad because I thought large pieces of fur getting sucked in might mess up the filter faster.

How much does a HEPA filter help if you are allergic? Could you stand to be in the same room all day? What if you left a filter on high, would it be enough? How close should one put filters next to rabbit's cages? I'm not sure if big particles being sucked in would be good or bad. Or if HEPA filters that close tend to scare rabbits. What part of a filter is most important in combating allergens?

Aside from HEPA filters, what more can you do to stay in the same room with a rabbit you're allergic to for an extended period of time? Are there any types of diets or special pellets you can feed them to reduce the amount of allergens in pet dander?

I've read that female cats shed significantly less allergens than males. Could this be true in rabbits as well? Does whether or not a rabbit is spayed/neutered have an effect on allergies?

How do most people with allergies respond to mini-rex rabbits? Is it like having no allergies at all?

Lots of questions and lots I'm trying to learn.:wave: Thanks for your help.

 

[elrohwen]

Have you been to an allergist? Have you considered allergy shots?

I've dealt with horrible allergies my entire life and the only thing that has ever helped is allergy shots. Lots of people have a fear of needles, but really, it's not that bad! It does take a while to work (probably a year?) but once you've done it for a few years you will probably be able to stop treatment and be totally fine. It's really life changing, so I would look into it.

For other suggestions, I would say to find yourself a good allergy medicine that works for you - Claritin is popular. I would try to brush your rabbit a lot and keep your house clean - this will cut down on fur floating around. Also, keep your rabbit confined to a specific room or rooms. Do not let them into your bedroom as you spend a lot of time sleeping and need it to stay allergy free. Wash your hands a lot, probably every time you pet the rabbit, to prevent you from introducing the dander to your nose and eyes when you touch your face.

I doubt that there are any types of food that you can feed to cut down on dander. I also have no idea if there is a difference between males and females. And I doubt that mini-rex are really so much less allergenic than a regular furred rabbit - it may be less only because they have less fur to shed and keep your house cleaner (which is a good thing! I'm just trying to say that they are probably not as hypo-allergenic as you hope).

Honestly, as someone who has dealt with this my entire life, I would look into allergy shots. There's really nothing else you can do that will just get rid of your symptoms after only a year or two of treatment!

 

[Orchid]

I was A ok...with Simon...a mix of lionhead/lop and rex...he was never more than 4 pounds at best. I thought I was not allergic to rabbits...period..but that is not the case....

A rescue thought to be maybe jersey wooly or lionhead..perhaps a mix...congestion city....

The flemish giant we have now...same thing...

It almost seems like Simon was a fluke...

I am however still looking into the rex anyway...and probably will be getting one or two of them. I was at a show yesterday and had my face stuffed into the fur..no problems!

 

[WSLiu02]

I avoided getting the shots because I had heard even if you got them for 10 years they would never truly be permanent. I got discouraged.

With allergy medicine the side effects seemed bothersome at the time, I guess that might be optimal. Do there tend to be any long term effects?

 

[elrohwen]

There are no long term effects of allergy medications, good or bad. You can take them your whole life and you'll still be taking them the next day.

As for shots, you should really reconsider. My current allergy doctor says that most people can go off of them after 3 years and never need to be on them again. I have a severe case, so I will probably need to be on the them for life. But honestly, not having to ever take an allergy medicine again (and deal with side effects) or avoid being around certain plants or animals is priceless. And at a certain point you only need to get them once per month - that's easy!

 

[elrohwen]

Also, as Orchid said in another post, make sure your allergies aren't to the hay. You can store it in a better place, handle it with gloves and a facemask, ask someone else to handle it for you - there are a lot of options to cut down on hay allergies. I think most people are actually more allergic to the hay than the bunny.

 

[WSLiu02]

Well I do like easy.

 

[Luvr of Wabbits and Polar Bears]

elrohwen wrote:

Have you been to an allergist? Have you considered allergy shots?

There is no allergy Shot for Rabbits. :

 

[elrohwen]

Luvr of Wabbits and Polar Bears wrote:

elrohwen wrote:

Have you been to an allergist? Have you considered allergy shots?

There is no allergy Shot for Rabbits. :

There are now; allergy shots for animal allergies have come a long way in recent years. I get them for horse, dog, and cat. Rabbits were an option with my doctor, but I'm not allergic for whatever reason. You might just have to call a few different doctors and make sure that they offer shots for animal allergies, but in my experience they've been available for the past 5 or so years.

 

[Luvr of Wabbits and Polar Bears]

elrohwen wrote:

Luvr of Wabbits and Polar Bears wrote:

elrohwen wrote:

Have you been to an allergist? Have you considered allergy shots?

There is no allergy Shot for Rabbits. :

There are now; allergy shots for animal allergies have come a long way in recent years. I get them for horse, dog, and cat. Rabbits were an option with my doctor, but I'm not allergic for whatever reason. You might just have to call a few different doctors and make sure that they offer shots for animal allergies, but in my experience they've been available for the past 5 or so years.

oh. Well I am allergic my Rabbits but theres NO way I'm getting an allergy shot.

 

[elrohwen]

Luvr of Wabbits and Polar Bears wrote:

elrohwen wrote:

Luvr of Wabbits and Polar Bears wrote:

elrohwen wrote:

Have you been to an allergist? Have you considered allergy shots?

There is no allergy Shot for Rabbits. :

There are now; allergy shots for animal allergies have come a long way in recent years. I get them for horse, dog, and cat. Rabbits were an option with my doctor, but I'm not allergic for whatever reason. You might just have to call a few different doctors and make sure that they offer shots for animal allergies, but in my experience they've been available for the past 5 or so years.

oh. Well I am allergic my Rabbits but theres NO way I'm getting an allergy shot.

Do you mind if I ask why not?

 

[Luvr of Wabbits and Polar Bears]

Because I don't like putting drugs into my body and I don't think my allergy's are out of control to get one, bet even then I wouldn't do it.

 

[elrohwen]

Luvr of Wabbits and Polar Bears wrote:

Because I don't like putting drugs into my body and I don't think my allergy's are out of control to get one, bet even then I wouldn't do it.

Well, they're not actually drugs .... but it's ok if you feel like that.

However, they are an extremely effective treatment option and for some people (like me) are life changing. If your allergies aren't out of control, then no reason to get them. They're really only for people who are having a quality of life issue because of their allergies and taking medication either isn't effective or the side effects are bad.

Personally,I'mmore comfortable getting small amounts of an allergin injected to increase my immunity than in taking tons of allergy pills every day.

 

[BethM]

I am allergic to most kinds of pollen, plus mold, dust, cats, dogs, cigarette smoke,........ I magically not allergic to rabbits, but I am allergic to the hay they eat.
My insurance won't pay for allergy shots, but I do take medicine every day. (Which they will pay for, go figure.) When they're in full-swing, my allergies are pretty severe, and even now, in the off-season and on three meds, I have a bit of a sniffle every day.

It took me awhile to find a combination that works for me. I take Zyrtec (I just get the OTC generic kind); Singulair (prescription; I also have mild asthma, and this helps to control it); and Flonase spray (I also get sinus polyps, and chronic sinus infections, and the spray helps to keep swelling down). My doctor was very helpful in helping me find the right things for me. I do have to take all of that every day for it to work correctly.
I have not had much in the way of side effects, though different things will affect people in different ways.

My husband is allergic to the bunnies, but it's only bad if he's in the rabbit room for a long time. He takes OTC generic Claritin, only occasionally, and that works well for him. (Claritin doesn't work for me.)

I used to have a HEPA filter, and it did suck a lot of fur and dust out of the air. The first month I had it, I noticed a big difference in how I felt, but after awhile I didn't notice the improvement any more. It was horrifying to see all the gunk when I cleaned it out. It never helped enough for me to stop using the meds, but I am allergic to outdoor air, as well as indoor.

 

[elrohwen]

Beth, I'm also allergic to everything under the sun *except* bunnies. Haha. It's great! I actually had myself testing for them before getting one, and I couldn't believe when she said I was totally non-allergic. My doctor even says I'm allergic to dogs, and I've never had a problem (even working in a shelter surrounded by them).

And that's a lot of stuff you take! I was definitely in that boat before the shots, which is why I recommend them so heavily to everyone. Bummer your insurance won't pay for them :-( But at least you've found something that works for you. I find the sinus problems the worst - allergies are one thing, but a sinus infection that never dies is awful.

And you're definitely right about things affecting everyone differently - every time I take Flonase it gives me migraines :-( It works really well, except for the yucky headache part. None of the other nasal sprays seem as effective though.

Yay for fellow severe allergy sufferer *waves*

 

[BethM]

elrohwen wrote:

Beth, I'm also allergic to everything under the sun *except* bunnies. Haha. It's great! I actually had myself testing for them before getting one, and I couldn't believe when she said I was totally non-allergic. My doctor even says I'm allergic to dogs, and I've never had a problem (even working in a shelter surrounded by them).

And that's a lot of stuff you take! I was definitely in that boat before the shots, which is why I recommend them so heavily to everyone. Bummer your insurance won't pay for them :-( But at least you've found something that works for you. I find the sinus problems the worst - allergies are one thing, but a sinus infection that never dies is awful.

And you're definitely right about things affecting everyone differently - every time I take Flonase it gives me migraines :-( It works really well, except for the yucky headache part. None of the other nasal sprays seem as effective though.

Yay for fellow severe allergy sufferer *waves*

Yeah, my insurance won't even pay for allergy testing. (I think they'll pay for kids to have it, but not adults.) I have pieced together what I'm allergic to by paying attention to what's blooming when I have my symptoms. (IE, early spring is either elms or maples, but I'm worse when I'm closer to maples. Cottonwood season is REALLY bad, etc.) I've been allergic to cats since I was very young, and became allergic to dogs after high school. I'm VERY allergic to hay, my eyes turn red and puffy, and my throat gets swollen and itchy and my asthma kicks in. But I have absolutely no problem with it, with my medications. Yay!

The one problem I have with the Flonase is that it can deaden my taste buds, so everything tastes like cardboard. I will sometimes go off it for a few days because of that, and then I get an infection, and my doctor gets mad at me! I've tried Rhinocort and Nasacort, but both of those make my whole forehead turn beet red.
(My doctor did recently switch me to just doing one nostril, so my sense of taste is better now than last year.)

Taking three meds for sinus/allergy isn't so bad, now that Zyrtec is OTC and generic, and I can get the generic Flonase. Singulair is the only expensive one now.

 

[elrohwen]

BethM wrote:

elrohwen wrote:

Beth, I'm also allergic to everything under the sun *except* bunnies. Haha. It's great! I actually had myself testing for them before getting one, and I couldn't believe when she said I was totally non-allergic. My doctor even says I'm allergic to dogs, and I've never had a problem (even working in a shelter surrounded by them).

And that's a lot of stuff you take! I was definitely in that boat before the shots, which is why I recommend them so heavily to everyone. Bummer your insurance won't pay for them :-( But at least you've found something that works for you. I find the sinus problems the worst - allergies are one thing, but a sinus infection that never dies is awful.

And you're definitely right about things affecting everyone differently - every time I take Flonase it gives me migraines :-( It works really well, except for the yucky headache part. None of the other nasal sprays seem as effective though.

Yay for fellow severe allergy sufferer *waves*

Yeah, my insurance won't even pay for allergy testing. (I think they'll pay for kids to have it, but not adults.) I have pieced together what I'm allergic to by paying attention to what's blooming when I have my symptoms. (IE, early spring is either elms or maples, but I'm worse when I'm closer to maples. Cottonwood season is REALLY bad, etc.) I've been allergic to cats since I was very young, and became allergic to dogs after high school. I'm VERY allergic to hay, my eyes turn red and puffy, and my throat gets swollen and itchy and my asthma kicks in. But I have absolutely no problem with it, with my medications. Yay!

The one problem I have with the Flonase is that it can deaden my taste buds, so everything tastes like cardboard. I will sometimes go off it for a few days because of that, and then I get an infection, and my doctor gets mad at me! I've tried Rhinocort and Nasacort, but both of those make my whole forehead turn beet red.
(My doctor did recently switch me to just doing one nostril, so my sense of taste is better now than last year.)

Taking three meds for sinus/allergy isn't so bad, now that Zyrtec is OTC and generic, and I can get the generic Flonase. Singulair is the only expensive one now.

For me, the OTC stuff is even more expensive than prescription - I was really sad when Claritin went OTC because it cost me twice as much! I mostly take mucinex now for sinus stuff because my doctors recommend it. I'm actually totally off allergy meds except for very rare occasions, which is fantastic.

That sucks that flonase kills your taste! I would hate that. I don't remember having that side effect, but I guess the migraines were a littler more obvious ;-) It definitely works though.

I'm just so glad I don't get sinus infections all the time anymore. That's the worst.

 

[BethM]

elrohwen wrote:

For me, the OTC stuff is even more expensive than prescription - I was really sad when Claritin went OTC because it cost me twice as much! I mostly take mucinex now for sinus stuff because my doctors recommend it. I'm actually totally off allergy meds except for very rare occasions, which is fantastic.

That sucks that flonase kills your taste! I would hate that. I don't remember having that side effect, but I guess the migraines were a littler more obvious ;-) It definitely works though.

I'm just so glad I don't get sinus infections all the time anymore. That's the worst.

Wow, you must have really good insurance!! I was paying $20/mo for prescription Zyrtec, now I pay $25 for 3 months of generic OTC!

I still have one mild sinus infection every 4-6 weeks, and I get 3-4 serious ones requiring antibiotics each year.

 

[Lola13]

I got allergy tested when i was real young and i was told i was allergic to cats like my dad was... along with pollen, dust, and everything else thats in your house. i never really knew if i was allergic to rabbits untill i got one. what i've done to try to control it is i got a hepa filter as well, but i just got a cheap one from target. i think it works pretty ok, but im just in a small room right now. my bun stays in my room because im only renting a room and thats the only place i can keep him. what i've heard a lot with cat allergies is that the silaiva is the part you get allergic to, not really the hair. so when they lick themselves it gets on their hair. another thing i have done is just to wash my hands a lot. after i pet him or feed him i wash my hands imediately. also i noticed that the first week with him was the worst. i was soooo congested it was crazy. my eyes were so ichy and red and my nose was always running. now its been going on 2 months with him and my symptons have deffinatly decreased. i wake up now in the morning with a runny nose, but after i take a shower and whatnot everything clears up. i also have zyrtec (sp?) and my inhaler for my ashma, so just having these things is probally best. i've never heard of the allergy shots ever, no one has ever told me about it, but i guess thats because ive never really put myself in a situation where my allergies got uncontrollable. like buying a cat or putting my face in a bunch of dust. hahaha. anyways, i hope everything works out for you. if you can have the bun in another room then were you sleep would probally work well, but if its not possible just remeber to keep things clean.
-Alora