Hay Allergies

[TrixieRabbit]

Is there anything I can do to help him? His onlysymptoms are one red, bloodshot, itchy eye. He went to the eye doctoron Thursday and they ruled out pink eye or a sty....

I have read about compressed timothy hay cubes...are they safe for my 7-week old?

Thanks,
Denise

 

[bunnydude]

Hay cubes would probably be fine. As far as your husband's allergies, seeing a specialized alergist might be helpful.

BTW, Welcome to the forum!

 

[maherwoman]

I'm not sure what the exact symptoms of a hayallergy are, as when I went to research it, all I got were referencesto "hay fever", which actually has nothing to do with hay.So, I've never been able to locate exact symptoms for it.

However, what you're describing does sound like conjunctivitis (pinkeye). I would think that if he had an exact allergy to hay,it would affect both eyes. I got pink eye a couple times inhigh school (always have had probs with my eyes of one thing oranother), and those symptoms definitely sound spot-on for it.

I actually posted something about hay allergy a while back, so have alook if you'd like. When we brought Maisie home, I wound upgetting a cold for the first couple weeks she was home, and I wasworried I was allergic to her hay...but it went away after a coupleweeks, so it wasn't an allergy (thank goodness!!).

So...here'e the link, if you'd like to check it out...

http://rabbitsonline.net/view_topic.php?id=12254&forum_id=1

Hope that all helps! Let us know how things go!

 

[TrixieRabbit]

bunnydude wrote:

Hay cubes would probably be fine. As far as your husband'sallergies, seeing a specialized alergist might be helpful.

BTW, Welcome to the forum!

Thanks! I am so happy I found this site! I am at work and it's slowtoday so this site made my day FLY! In 10 more minutes I go home to mylittle baby Trix!

YAY! :bunnydance::colors:

 

[BACI]

Do you store the hay in a sealed container? Onesuggestion would be that he wash his hands after coming in contact withthe hay. Is his eye red all the time? My husbands eyes get red if hepets our cat and touches his eyes but washing his hands after hetouches her helps. I am allergic to alfalfa hay and when I fed thehorses(eat only alfalfa) I would get a rash on my arms after exposure,and a runny nose, itchy eyes. Therefore, I avoided exposure... hadothers feed them, wore gloves and long sleeves. If it is an allergyuntil the specialist can help maybe try Tavist or benedryl and not feedthe rabbits. I know in our house no matter how hard I try the hay getstracked throughout our home so if that is the case vacuming when he isnot around may help.I hope this info helps. Good luck andwelcome to the fourm.baci

 

[FlopsnWills]

timothy hay cubes don't have the long fiberrabbits get from real hay. instead of buying the cubes, i would try adifferent kind of grass hay. there's lots to choose from: orchardgrass, oat, brome, etc. if worst comes to worst, you could try thecubes, but not all buns like them.

 

[bbgrl20]

You can also try changing the brand of hay youuse. I was using kaytee timothy hay and every time I wouldfeed mocha my allergies would act up another member also had thisproblem. so I changed to oxbow timothy hay and I haven't hadone single reaction from that brand. So a change may help.

 

[TrixieRabbit]

Thanks everyone!

I *JUST* changed Trixie's hay from the store-bagged one to the Oxbowbrand I bought on Saturday. You can definitely tell the difference:less dusty, smells fresh, AND Trix loves it! Her cage door is wide openand I can't get her to leave!
Also, my hubby made an appointment with an allergist for a scratch test tomorrow at 5:30pm.
OH! I almost forgot to mention that he took a Clarinex this morning andhis eye is FINE (his dad takes it so he let him try it andit seems to have worked) I told him not to toake it tomorrow so that hewon't have any antihistamines in his system when he gets the allergytesting tomorrow night.

Thanks for all the advice!
~Denise

 

[kitschkitty]

I am allergic to allmy pets (wouldn't give them up for anything) and many airborne particles, which includes hay!



My allergycan definitely affect one eye at a time and my nosegoes all runny too -ick- but I have medication from my doctor thathelps a lot! The less dusty it is the better for your hubby and yourbunny! So I'm glad to hear the new stuff you got is nicer. :bunnydance:

 

[maherwoman]

I'm so glad to hear that he's doing better!

Let us know how the appt goes...

TrixieRabbit wrote:

Thanks everyone!

I *JUST* changed Trixie's hay from the store-bagged one to the Oxbowbrand I bought on Saturday. You can definitely tell the difference:less dusty, smells fresh, AND Trix loves it! Her cage door is wide openand I can't get her to leave!
Also, my hubby made an appointment with an allergist for a scratch test tomorrow at 5:30pm.
OH! I almost forgot to mention that he took a Clarinex this morning andhis eye is FINE (his dad takes it so he let him try it and it seemsto have worked) I told him not to toake it tomorrow so that he won'thave any antihistamines in his system when he gets the allergy testingtomorrow night.

Thanks for all the advice!
~Denise

 

[Nadezhda]

If I touch my bunnies and then rub my eyes, theywill go red. While bunny dander isn't overly allergy-causing,if it's rubbed into your eye, it will irritate. Perhaps thatcould be a cause?

Do you use woodchips? The dust could also beirritating. My pet store sells corncob litter for peopleallergic to wood dust.

 

[TrixieRabbit]

Nadezhda wrote:

If I touch my bunnies and then rub my eyes, they will gored. While bunny dander isn't overly allergy-causing, if it'srubbed into your eye, it will irritate. Perhaps that could bea cause?

Do you use woodchips? The dust could also beirritating. My pet store sells corncob litter for peopleallergic to wood dust.

No, he doesn't touch his face or eyes after touching the rabbit and he's not allowed to touch her hay.
Unfortunately, because he took the Clarinex yesterday morning, theyrescheduled his appointment for the 21st. He said his eye is ok todayand he didnt take anything thinking he was going to the allergist. Hemay have just been allergic to the original hay!

 

[TrixieRabbit]

Great News!
Hubby's eye isnt bothering him anymore! I swtiched the hay the petstore gave me to Oxbow Timothy hay and I also stopped using the hay aslitter and bought a hay manger for Trix....it seems to have worked! Ialso bought an air filter that should be delivered in a week or so....

Thanks everyone, for the wonderful, helpful advice! :colors:

 

[maherwoman]

Oh, that's GREAT!! Glad to hear he's doing better, and that it was so easily solved!!

P.S. Your avatar is absolutely adorable!! Trixielooks like a stuffed animal sitting like that withyou...CUTE!!

 

[Fini]

Talk about your timely discussions. Ihad feared my wife was experiencing an allergy to the rabbit and hadn'tconsidered a reaction to the hay.

After handling a bunny at a local shop; her eyes swelled up and turnedred. Very much like conjunctivitis. I will have todo some cruel experiments on my wife tonight with some hay to see ifthat's it.

Is there anything wrong with using an alternative hay to avoid allergies? Is there a side-effect to the rabbit?

Thanks,
Chris

 

[Nadezhda]

It depends on the hay.

I'd like to point out again, that if you touch and animal and thenaccidentally, without even realizing it, gently rub your eyes, you canget a reaction! If I prod my rabbit and then prod my eye, Iwill get a red, puffy eye! I'm not allergic to bunnies though!

 

[BACI]

Fini wrote:

After handling a bunny at a local shop; her eyes swelled up and turnedred. Very much like conjunctivitis. I will have to do somecruel experiments on my wife tonight with some hay to see if that's.

I have noticed in different pet stores different beddings are used andshe may be allergic to the bedding they use. (No offense Peg,) I was ina pet store and held a lionhead and had horrible allergy problems,however have a minilop now and am not allergic at all. I stronglyencourage people to go to the humane society where there are differentbreeds available to pet and see what triggers her allergies.

Is there anything wrong with using an alternative hay to avoidallergies? Is there a side-effect to the rabbit?

Conincidentally I just finished reading a website that discusses just that, you may want to check it out.

www.VeterinaryPartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&S=0&C=0&A=673

 

[TrixieRabbit]

It depends on the hay. Some brands of hay aremore dusty than others. Also, using the hay manger helped because Trixis no longer stirring up hay dust whenever she moves about her cage asI was previously using the hay for litter. Now the hay is in one smallarea of her cage. I change the hay in the morning after hubby leavesand at night before we both go to bed so he isnt in the room rightafter I change her hay. This way, the dust can settle and he won't getany in his eye.

I also keep the hay in a bag inside a larger box in another room. WhenI change or add hay to her cage, I take out the hay manger, and takeboth the manger and the box of hay outside. I put the manger right inthe same bag as the hay and put the hay in the manger that way. I findthis keeps the dust from spreading.

I also dust and vacuum the room every week. I also bought an air filterwhich should arrive any day. But I honestly don't think I even need itat this point. Since changing to Oxbow Timothy hay, my hubby has beenfine.

OH...he also doesn't touch the hay or change it. He doesn't touch hiseyes at all after petting Trix and washes his hands after playing withher.

I don't know if all this would work for your wife, these are justideas. Hubby has an allergist appointment on the 21st as well for ascratch test....and Visine AC helps a lot as well.

Sorry this is so long....lol. As you can see, the LAST thing I wantedwas to worry about having to give up my Trix because of my hubby'sallergies. I did everything possible!
~Denise

 

[Fini]

Thanks for the response. Just a couple more questions.

1. Not to sound like an idiot, but what's a haymanger?
2. Are there any health issues to the rabbit if they eat analternative hay?

Thanks,
Chris

 

[TrixieRabbit]

A hay manger is just another way of saying "hayrack" or holder...it basically clips onto the cage and has holes in itthat the bunny can pull the hay through with her teeth. It keeps thehay clean and off the floor.

Here's a pic: