Please help me! I've just become allergic to Thumper

[Thumpies]

I am in desperate need of your help! I hope Ihave put this in the right section as I need all your wisdom to help methrough this!

I have never had allergies or been allergic to anything in my life, soit was a surprise when my doctor told me that I am allergic to myrabbit!

Let me start at the beginning... Last Thursday my eyes were very soreand itchy and being an interior design student in her final year I justthought it was from the 13 hours of designing I had just finished doing(my eyes get sore and tired from the long days). So the next morning Iwoke up to find my eyes completely sealed with conjunctivitis!! I waslike YUCK!!!!!! So I went off to the doctor and she said that it wasfrom a chest infection which can be common. Agreeing I took someanitbiotics and drops for eyes and thought I was on my way torecovery.... until Sunday night.

Sunday night I had just finished having a play with Thumper when myeyes got so itchy I was in pain! It felt like something was in them andit just wouldn't come out! No amount of flushing the eye or the dropscould help! Within the hour my left eye had puffed up so much it wascompletely shut!:shock: Also my nose was blocked so I could onlybreathe through my mouth! Monday morning the eye was sealed with gunkand stayed puffy all day until the afternoon. It was great by theevening and thought I should do some computer work. Thumper hopped ontomy chest and was playing with my shirt when all of a sudden I couldn'tbreathe through my nose and the right eye was puffing up! Same thinghappened as per the previous day!!!

So this morning I woke up with same puffy eye and went off to collegeonly to have asthma attack (have not had asthma in 18 years).Anyway to cut a long story short, I ended up in the docs and have beenadvised that I should get rid of Thumper!

I do not want to give him up!!! No way!

Has any one had any similar experiences or advice? I am in desperate need of your help!

 

[Wee Wabbits]

I'm very slightly allergic to either rabbits ofthe hay, not sure which, but I sneeze alot around them, but nothingthis bad. I know the symptoms of what your describing though because Iuse to have asthma, and I lived in Spokane for a while. Theyuse some decorative tree there that flowers for a month in the springand I was severely allergic to that. Couldn't breath withoutweezing, it was horrible.

I know a little girl that is allergic to rabbits the same as youthough. She loves animals and has the same symptoms withrabbits. She takes some sort of antihystemine right beforeshe plays with my rabbits and she is fine afterwards. You cantry that but if your allergy is to severe for the meds to work and theallergy is still interfering with your breathing then you may have tofind a good home for her..... I hate to say that but don't want you toend up in the hospital with worse problems then you hadearlier.

When you play with her, use a antihystemine, keep her away from yourface, and your hands away from your face, and wash often with soap. Ifyou can play outside even better cause then there is fresh air todilute the allergens. If you can give her baths that mighthelp some. But do talk to your doctor bout getting a strongantihystemine, you can't get the ones you need over the counter mostlikely. I wish you the best of luck.

 

[Thumpies]

Thanks for your reply HoneySuckle. Veryinteresting about your story and the little girl you know. Ihave been put on antihystamines and allergy eyedrops and ventolin forthe asthma. Its a bit crazy as I was a bad asthmatic as a child (runson my dads side very badly) and then about the age of 6 I grew out ofit! Never had an asthma attack again and I was extremely sporty atschool and afterwards (not so much now that I am in my late 20's) so Ithink its very bizarre that this has happened! I am hoping this is aone off! But never the less the doctor said the best thing to do is torehome him and I will not! My animals are my children (my first cat Ihad for 18 years and my dog was 15 when she died and my new cat is 4years old). I think that once someone takes on a pet it is for life andit would break my heart to send him away!

I guess it will just take some getting used to the anithistamines and hoping that the allergy may go away in time!

 

[SOOOSKA]

Hi, I have asthma too and was told I'm allergicto the bunnies (but I'm also allergic to a bunch of other thingstoo). I do take Reactine 20mg daily and i'monVentolin and Advair. Are you sure it's the bunny and not thehay? I actually think I'm worse when I handle thehay.

Can you get latex gloves to wear when you are handling the bunny and also a face mask, they really do work.

Hopefully you can work through this, I know how you feel I would nevergive any of my babies away. I learnt how to deal with them soI'm not bothered too much.

Good Luck

Susan:bunnydance:

 

[Runestonez]

Hi Thumpies! I am not allergic tobunnies! (thank goodness!) But I am verydefinately allergic to cats! We have 5 right now!If I get scratched or most especially if I rub my eyes before washingmy hands...my eyes crust over, swell totally shut and go all blood redwhere the whites are! Reactine is my absolute best friend andI wash my hands whenever I rub/pet the cats! I got a coupleof ionizers to help over the winter (with all the windows closed up)and I found that they helped alot actually! Don't know if anyof this helps at all! There are alot of people who thoughtthey were allergic to their bunns and then found out that it was thedust from loose hay!

Our home is like yours...ourcats and bunns are ourkids! We would never think of re-homing them! Icouldn't even bear the thought!Maybe you couldexperimentwith taking allergy medicine before you playtogether and see if there is away to lessen the effects.Seems odd it didn't start up right after you got the bunnythough. I wonder if it could be a combination of thingscausing it. I notice I get really bad when I am in contactwith say mold, dust and cat...Wow!! That really does it forme! lol Seeing as how it is warming upoutside right now here is there anything else you could be allergic toright now that might be aggrevating the bunny allergy? HTH!

 

[Sweet Pea]

I am also allergic to alot of the animals I haveat my home not my bun bun though. I allergic to the shaving I use foralot of the cages and the hay. I use advair and ventilin and allergiemedications. I would rather suffer than have to give my babies away.

 

[Thumpies]

Hi all,

Thanks for your replies! So much appreciated! Well I think I have myallergy under control with the help of Antihistamines and my pufferetc, so there is no chance that I am giving my baby boy up! RunestonzeI'm in Australia so for me we are going into winter and I cant imaginewhat I would be allergic too! Maybe the colder weather??!! Hehehe... Iseem to be piling on the pounds already for my "winter coat" so maybeI'm allergic to that... Hehe.

Thanks everyone!

Emma

 

[ec]

I'm thinking about the hay, too... The firsttime I opened a bag (petstore hay, not good stuff) I had a fairlyintense (for me) reaction, though nothing like what you're goingthrough.

Did your doctor do actual allergy tests on you to narrow things down abit? If I were in our shoes, I'd really want to know if the problem israbbit dander - or something else.

here's hoping for good health for both you and your boy!

 

[karona]

So glad your selution is working. I wasdespritly elergic to my horses and had to ware long pants andlong sleves to ride but never the less loed them. I also woregloves to groom them and a little doctor style mask.

 

[rabb1tmad]

Hi. I'm allergic to most things - cats, dogs,feathers, grass, trees, dust and even some fruit.I also havemild asthma. When I first brought my rabbits home I was terrible, itchyeyes, a rash, wheezy and I felt sooo bad. But after a few weeks it wentaway. I get a reaction every now and then but it's quite mild. Haycauses more of a reaction though. I have noticed that if I'm reallytired my reactions are worse.

You might find that your allergy goes as quickly as it appeared. Ithink it's great that you're keeping Thumper, I would feel the same asyou no matter what the doctor says. Good luck

 

[Sharron]

Hi there,

My doctor (ND) taught me a procedure whereby you can test and treatyourself for your sensitivities. I've got both written up inmy blog. This is the link for the test

http://jamsgems4u.blogspot.com/2007/03/self-test-for-allergies-and.html

The neutralization procedure is the next entry in my blog. Iknow it sounds strange, but I've treated myself for allergies to mycat, plus a lot of food sensitivities. PM me if you havespecific questions.

Oh, and I'm not a doc, just someone who's found something that works for me :wave:

Blessings,

Sharron