[seabiscuit]

Hi there...

I'm not asking for medical advice but I'm curious as to people's experiences with allergies?

I have had asthma since childhood, allergies too. I'm allergic to a lot of things, molds, possibly some foods although I don't have reactions, dust mites, cats, some dogs and I think my Guinea pig. I went to a new allergist who I liked for the most part but he doesn't give Guinea pig shots or drops. I don't know if I should call around to other allergists to find someone who does? I love my furry friend and I'm not giving him away but I wish I could live with my allergies to him more easily.

All suggestions welcome.

Thanks.

[DavidNguyen839]

Have you tried a OTC allergy med? I'm on a daily allergy med, think its clariton or something, but it helps allergies 95%.

[ReNew Me]

I'd suspect the bedding before the guinea pig. Don't misunderstand me, I realize if you have allergies to other animal dander then the odds go up. I mean, heck, I owned a ferret that was allergic to rats so anything is possible.

A LOT of small animal bedding can be very dusty or you can gets some serious funk going on if you don't stay on top of cleaning their cages. Guineas like to do that weird energetic kick run thing that will toss stuff up in the air so maybe think about changing bedding or even the type of housing you're keeping him in.

In the meantime, there's always Claritin or Zyrtec. You might have to try a couple to find the one that works best.

[seabiscuit]

Hi there, thanks for the replies. I take Xyzal every night which is a strong prescription Zyrtec, the two are related. As for my guinea pig, he has paper bedding which is basically shredded and ink free paper shreds. I can't tolerate Aspen or Cedar bedding, so I use paper bedding.

I'm not sure if I have a slight allergy to him, to the fur coat or what. I'm not giving up though, I'm going back to the allergist soon.

Thanks.

Amy

[ReNew Me]

Originally Posted by seabiscuit

Hi there, thanks for the replies. I take Xyzal every night which is a strong prescription Zyrtec, the two are related. As for my guinea pig, he has paper bedding which is basically shredded and ink free paper shreds. I can't tolerate Aspen or Cedar bedding, so I use paper bedding.

I'm not sure if I have a slight allergy to him, to the fur coat or what. I'm not giving up though, I'm going back to the allergist soon.

Thanks.

Amy

You don't want wood shavings anyway, highly irritating stuff for the animal's respiratory tract, especially cedar.

I ran across an article that seems tailored to you, if you haven't already read it: https://www.petfinder.com/pet-care/s...pig-allergies/

Good luck.

[seabiscuit]

Renew Me,

Thank you for posting this. I find this to be a very helpful article. They have a lot of great suggestions, thank you.

Amy