Love for cute animals wakes up from people since childhood. At a young age, children insistently ask their parents to have a pet, but sometimes even the most harmless animals can provoke a negative reaction of the body. How to understand whether a pet is an allergen , and how an allergy to guinea pigs manifests itself, we will understand in this article.
Causes of Allergies
An adverse reaction of the body can be caused by many factors, ranging from the animal itself to the objects of its content (dust coming from sawdust or hay, feed, etc.). It is believed that allergies to guinea pigs can to a greater extent be caused by tactile contact when touching the hair, but there are a number of other reasons.
The causative agents of allergies include the following:
- Keratin, secreted in the saliva or excrement of guinea pig.
- Sweat discharge of the animal.
- Dandruff.
- The skin of a rodent.
A protective reaction in the form of an allergy to the human body is caused by the production of class E immunoglobulin from the mast cells of a pet (antibodies that our body perceives as foreign). They are located on the subcutaneous tissue, on the mucous membranes, near the blood vessels, near the lymph nodes, in the spleen.
Who may be allergic?
Answering the question whether there is an allergy to guinea pigs, it should be noted that, of course, it does, but not all of it is affected. To check the reaction of your body, before you get an animal, you can tinker with other people's pets, which is also not entirely safe. The best way is to pass a special test for an allergic reaction.
Typically, a tendency to painful irritation is detected in children or adults with a weakened immune system. As well as signs of allergies can occur in pregnant women, they personally should protect themselves from any contact with the animal.
It is important to understand that allergic reactions to dogs, cats, and rodents can be completely different. You should not assume that if you are allergic to guinea pigs, the same will happen when you come in contact with other animals, similarly in the opposite case. The fact is that these animals have a different structure of coat, smell, etc.
With the help of medical examinations, you can check in advance whether there is an allergy to guinea pigs in humans.
Signs of the disease
Symptoms of an allergy to guinea pig arising from tactile contact:
- Irritation, redness, rash on the body. May be accompanied by skin itching.
- Swelling in the eyelids, redness of the mucous membranes, pain and burning in the eyes, profuse tearing.
- Shortness of breath, shortness of breath, wheezing.
- Dry cough, sneezing, runny nose, itchy nose and throat.
- Dry skin.
The occurrence of allergies to guinea pigs usually manifests itself immediately after the first contact, sometimes in the first 2-3 days. Of all the signs of an allergy, one thing can occur, so you need to be very careful. If, after contact with the animal, at least one symptom has manifested itself, you should immediately consult an allergist. Allergy to guinea pigs in children and adults has the same symptoms.
First Aid for Allergy Detection
Having found signs of allergy, you should immediately protect the victim from the animal. Then take anti-allergenic drugs and call a doctor at home.
In anticipation of the ambulance crew, it is worth changing into clean clothes, since the irritant can be on clothes and further provoke a negative reaction. If it is difficult for a person to stand with difficulty breathing, he needs to be comfortably placed on the bed and provide maximum access to fresh air.
If the victim is afraid, you need to talk to him and immediately calm him down. A negative mental state and emotional outburst can aggravate the situation, especially if a person experiences an allergic attack for the first time. Then everything will depend on the recommendations of doctors.
Prevention Methods
The surest and most effective way to defeat the disease is to try to avoid contact with the animal or, at least, to make it minimal.
In order for guinea pigs not to cause allergies, you should:
- Take the cage away from the bedroom.
- Do not touch the rodent without protection. Upon contact, gloves and a respirator may be used.
- Wash hands thoroughly with soap after contact.
- Do not bring it close to your face.
- Transfer responsibility for caring for animals to other family members.
- Use an air purifier.
- Carefully approach the choice of hay or sawdust.
- Do not put your pet on furniture.
- Bathe your pet regularly and ensure daily cleaning.
- Change clothes when cleaning in a cage.
- Following a few tips, you can protect your health.
It happens that allergies are not caused by guinea pigs, but rather a filler in the cell. If this is the case, then sawdust or hay should be replaced with special absorbent mats or oilcloth.
Allergy Diagnosis
Detect allergies to guinea pigs using diagnostic procedures. For this, scarification tests are taken. Thus, doctors determine what is a real irritant for the disease.
This method applies only to those people who do not suffer from asthma, urticaria, blood and liver disease, heart disease, acute chronic diseases, tonsillitis and colds. Also, this method will be denied to people who take hormonal drugs.
There is another method for determining allergies, in which a blood test is taken for the content of IgE antibodies. In the course of research, doctors determine how the body responds to epidermal and animal proteins.
Treatment
Allergies to guinea pigs can be treated at home, if there is confidence that the reason for the negative reaction of the body is just being close to the animal. In this case, the pet is better to determine another location, otherwise a long persistent treatment may be left without result.
If obvious symptoms are found, the following antihistamines should be used for treatment:
- "Erius." The drug is in the form of tablets or syrup. Helps in a short time to cope with physical ailments due to allergies. It has no side effects. However, before using it is worth making sure that there is no individual intolerance.
- Xizal. It is used to neutralize all types of allergies. It can be taken for children from 2 years of age. Cannot be taken during pregnancy.
- Zirtek. It removes some manifestations of negative reactions. Allowed for babies from 6 months of age.
- "L-cet." Helps relieve swelling with allergies, improve nasal breathing, and reduces other symptoms. It is possible for adults and children from 6 years.
Then, depending on the problem, the following medications are recommended to help improve the condition: "Zodak", "Loratadin", "Suprastin", "Tavegil", "Claritin".
To get rid of rashes and redness of the skin, creams and ointments are used.
If even minor signs of allergy are manifested, it is still strongly recommended to consult a doctor to verify the causes of the disease and receive treatment recommendations.
Are there non-allergenic guinea pig breeds?
Faced with the fact that guinea pigs cause allergies, many are wondering: are there breeds to which the body will react normally?
Of course, if allergic reactions are caused by wool, then you can choose another, less fluffy breed. But if it comes to the enzymes that the animal secrete, then it makes no sense to look for an alternative. You can get another animal, making sure that upon contact with it an allergy is excluded.
The fact that people can experience unpleasant consequences, animals are not to blame. In no case should you be treated as "the spread of the infection." Many people have a predisposition to one or another natural signs of animals. Someone does not tolerate the smell of dogs, others do not get cats because of the coat, someone does not fit rodents.
How to care for animals to minimize the likelihood of allergies?
It is best if the care is taken by that member of the family who is well tolerated by contact with the animal. The first rule is to keep the cage and the pet clean. That is, wet cleaning and cell cleaning should be regular, if not daily. You should also bathe the animal more often, but here you need to understand how useful it is to him, and observe temperature conditions so that the pet does not get sick. Filler should be used only of the highest quality. It is unlikely to cause a negative reaction of the body. What types of filler are suitable for guinea pigs, will be prompted at a pet store. It is necessary to ventilate the room and clean the air in the apartment regularly so that harmful substances do not stay in the room for a long time.