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Forum THE LOUNGE Husband allergies… so bummed

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    • LizzieKnittyBun
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        Stan got bronchitis AGAIN and so I made him go to the doctor.  Turns out, he’s allergic to the children!  So they’ve been banned from the bedroom, to their confusion and unhappiness, and I spent a good hour sweating through a marathon vacuuming session yesterday making our bedroom look like a Calvinist Chapel…

        So basically, my dream of winning the lottery and having a menagerie of animals has been crushed.

        I feel so guilty because the buns were originally my idea, and I love them so much.  He loves them too, so obviously they’re not going anywhere.  But do you guys have any advice on what we can do, beside vacuum and dust all the time?

        It’s so ironic that I’m allergic to nature but not animals, and he seems to be allergic to animals.  The doctor said that if you’re allergic to cats (which he is) then it’s likely you will be allergic to buns too.

        But I long for animals!  My passion is animals!  And since we can’t have a baby for a few years, I mother my animals.

        Pity and comfort, please, from my Binky Bunny dears


      • mrmac
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          Get well vibes for the hubby! I have been trying to fight off bronchitis too.

          My husband has allergy issues with the bunnies/hay. He takes an allergy medicine everyday and it works wonders for him. What about an air purifier?


        • LizzieKnittyBun
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            Yeah, he’s getting on prescription medication. But it’s like… now we can never have another animal in the house. I guess we could get a poodle, lol


          • Sage Cat
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              Oh, that is a big bummer!
              And it is obvious by how much he talked about them – he likes them.

              Is there medication that he can take?

              My brother is allergic to cats – he has 4 of them. He has built up a tolerance to them. But if he gets scratched – he gets a big welt. Other peoples cats set off his allergies.
              Can you talk to the doctor about how to build up a tolerance?


            • MarkBun
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                Divorce him.

                Simple answer.


              • mrmac
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                  Is he allergic to cats and bunnies only or is it all animals?! Somehow I don’t think the “no more animals” thing will hold out!lol


                • LizzieKnittyBun
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                    LOL MarkBun. But I love him!

                    Well, I keep suggesting things… hamster, poodle, mouse….

                    But he’s not feeling too hot right now and the suggestions aren’t going well.

                    The real reason why I’m bummed is because there was a sweet rabbit at the shelter where Sage Cat volunteers. This little guy has a cast on his leg, and they told me they might have to amputate in a couple of months if they can’t operate on him. I just really took to him when I was there, and was hoping we might consider adopting him, amputation or otherwise, in the three or fours months when he’s available.

                    Now that’s sort of shot to heck…


                  • Sage Cat
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                      I just remembered; Nancy, at the shelter, has helped a bunch of people deal with allergies to bunnies. 

                      You should e-mail her:  Nancy LaRoche    co-hrs@comcast.net


                    • LizzieKnittyBun
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                        Yeah, she’s the one who told me Cosmo might have to get his leg amputated.

                        Apparently you kind of have to jump through hoops to adopt from that shelter…

                        You need to have another bunny, or adopt in pairs, and you have to show your lease to prove you’re allowed to have two buns!

                        The website has a great section on allergies. Next time you go to the shelter, can we tag along and talk to her?

                        : P


                      • Elrohwen
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                          Awww, that sucks! I honestly think keeping out of the bedroom (hard as it is) will make a huge difference. He’s breathing that air for 8 hours a day – it has a big effect on his symptoms. It’s a great first step.

                          Funny the doctor said that about cat allergies – I’m very allergic to cats, but not one bit allergic to buns (apparently I’m more allergic to dogs than buns, and I’ve never noticed a single symptom even around 20 dogs at once). Anyway, interesting and I’m glad I didn’t fit that rule.

                          I’ll share some other advice from my many allergy and ENTs – they swear by the neti pot for sinus irrigation. I only use it when I’m sick, but it’s made a huge difference in my ability to get over colds without needing antiobiotics. It doesn’t have any immediate effect (for me; it does for some people), but it does help in the long term. And no side effects! The best part.

                          Is he willing to consider shots? I’ve had them throughout my life – this time through, it’s taken me less than one year to move past the shot every week and now they’re ramping me up to every two weeks, then every three weeks, and soon I’ll only have to go once a month. They’re fantastic. They used to not give shots for animal allergies, but in the past few years they’ve proven that shots for animals work and I’m getting a whole work up of dog, cat, horse, and gerbil 😉 It sounds like his allergies are resulting in some pretty serious medical issues, not just a runny nose, so he should work closely with his doc to figure out what will work best for him.

                          Don’t give up hope on getting other fuzzies! Has he been tested for other animals? Like I said, I test positive for dogs, yet I’ve owned them my whole life and worked with them in shelters (where I’m around 20 at a time) and have never had a symptom. Sometimes those tests are very sensitive and don’t necessarily indicate whether you’ll react to something in a way you notice. There are probably other animals he’s not allergic to that you can have in the future. I’m also fairly allergic to gerbils but have had them for 20 years with no problems – mostly because they live in a cage and don’t leave hair all over the house. Keeping the allergy contained to one area is a big help and you could do this with your buns by just letting them into a certain part of the house and nowhere near the bedroom.

                          I have total sympathy though! I know how horrible allergies are and how rough it is when you’re constantly getting sick because of them. Good luck!


                        • jerseygirl
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                            From the title I thought you meant you were allergic to your husband!

                            I’m a little wary of the doctors diagnosis……I don’t think if you’re allergic to cats then you must be allergic to rabbits. It’s a bit of a generalistation. Also, being allergic to an animal can be more specific too. Like allergy to their dander, fur or saliva.

                            Do you think he may get allergy tested? Also, I’m wondering if the immune system is under stress from say, a viral infection, then one might be more sensitive to animals or show allergic symptoms that otherwise wouldn’t show when in full health. Also could possibly work the other way round. i.e Have mild allergies and this suppress immune system somewhat, so more susceptible to infections…

                            It all warrants further investigation.
                            (((Vibees!)))


                          • jerseygirl
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                               Sorry/   I should have asked…….did his doctor test for rabbit allergy?


                            • LizzieKnittyBun
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                                His doctor actually referred an allergist, so he’ll probably be tested for a bunch of things. I just hate that he doesn’t feel good : -\


                              • Elrohwen
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                                  He hasn’t seen an allergist yet? Have hope for getting more animals then! A doctor can’t really tell anything without the allergy tests – he’s just guessing at what your hubby is allergic to. It could be the hay and not the bunnies at all in which case they probably wouldn’t need to be kept out of the bedroom.


                                • MimzMum
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                                    I’m actually dealing with something very close to this right now, so I get an idea of how unhappy a situation this must be for the two (well four) of you. My husband is really having sinus problems (may be genetic) but he has put his foot down about no other animals and, although he says it’s because he hates to deal with end of life decisions for pets, I think it’s really because he is having lots of trouble with his breathing now and it would seem to me that it’s because of the animals. No medication he takes deals with the problem well and also doesn’t upset his system. With chronic pancreatitis on top of it all, he has to be very careful about what meds he swallows.
                                    He also gets fur in his eyes constantly…no matter how we vacuum and we just can’t get all the dust in here either. So I’m thinking that’s a contributor as well.
                                    At least your hubby is not considering giving up the sweet Remy and Momo. I often wonder if mine is secretly plotting to remove all the animals from our house at some point, since he’s made noises about the bunnies going outdoors in some ohana hut he wants to build them (NEVER! I’d pack it up and leave first!)…or perhaps he’s considering leaving the home altogether…neither of which I want.
                                    Would Stan be adverse to you at least sponsoring the dear bun with the cast? That way perhaps you would have a foot in the door at an eventual adoption if the cause of the allergies is found to not be rabbits? And you would be helping an bunny in need.
                                    Of course, either way, I wouldn’t push for another pet right now anyway and would probably drop the subject to keep the peace. If he’s feeling at all the way my hubby is, he is not of the mind to even discuss it right now is my guess. Hopefully they find something for him to use that clears this up. I’ve had chronic bronchitis before plus I have rampaging hay fever and it’s no fun.
                                    Just throwing things out there randomly…don’t mind me. ~_~
                                    Plus, you guys just moved…how do we know it’s not a regional allergy?


                                  • ScooterandAnnette
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                                      Well from my personal experience as someone who’s allergic to all animals – I’ve got 2 allergy meds I take, a pill (generic claritin) in the morning and a prescription spray every night. Between the two of those I’m covered quite nicely.
                                      – Annette


                                    • LizzieKnittyBun
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                                        You guys are wonderful. Poor Stan feels actually really guilty because he knows that animals are one of my passions and he wants me to be happy. I think I’ll let him read this thread to give him some ideas on how to deal with it.

                                        SMOOCH to you all!


                                      • Monkeybun
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                                          Just don’t let him go with MarkBun’s suggestion

                                          When you deal with the hay and cleaning litter boxes and such that stirs it up and makes it dusty… spritz some water in the air to make the dust settle before vacuuming. Helps clear the air. A friend of mine recently adopted a bun, they got an air purifier cuz he has allergies to poor Bubbles. It helps him a bit. Still gets sniffly, but he’s a dork and refuses to take any sort of allergy medicine.


                                        • MimzMum
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                                            MB has a good idea. I’ve got one of those ionizer fans that helps pull dust and fur out of the air in the bunny room. You might invest in a few of those?

                                            And yes, I am sure MarkBun was JOKING…*shoots a stinkeye at Markus* ^_^


                                          • LizzieKnittyBun
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                                              That is very dorky, Monkeybun…


                                            • BinkyBunny
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                                                My husband was allergic to cats, and was not allergic to rabbits. And my brother is allergic to rabbits, but not cats, soooooo….there ya go.

                                                My husband’s allergies to cats seems to have gotten much better though — so strange. We had a cat come adopt us after his owner moved away and abandoned him. (well, the cat sort of came and adopted us before then because his owner was neglectful) Anyway, I was planning on finding a home for him, but over time, my husband decided he wanted to keep him and he would try to work through his allergies. The first year was harder, and he was on meds, but somehow over time, his immune systems doesn’t seem to react so much anymore. He now doesn’t take any meds, and the cat sleeps in our bedroom. When my husband went to the allergist, they did a huge series of tests and only big reaction was from “dust” and a some mild reactions to certain grasses.

                                                My husband now will only get irritated if he pets our cat alot and then rubs his eyes.

                                                So I would encourage the allergy testing. It seemed like the doctor just made an “assumption” based on generalities. But even if he were right, there still may ways to combat it.

                                                I know my best friend is allergic to cats, but she will always have a cat in her life, so she takes meds for it. She has also said that her allergies have gotten better over the years (maybe with more exposure, some people get better…???)


                                              • wendyzski
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                                                  Like the others said  – the first step is to get him tested.  I’m TERRIBLY allergic to cats but not to rabbits – carnivores have different proteins in their saliva and dander.  I am however VIOLENTLY allergic to timothy has (which is the “grass” in most allergy tests) so I have to take steps to contain that.

                                                  Once you’re sure what exactly the allergy is, then you can take steps to manage it with lifestyle changes and medication.  You could designate the bedroom as pet-free to give him a break at night.  You could get a good vacuum and use it regularly – I heart my Roomba because I can set it to go and then leave the room, thus avoiding breathing the sucky-bits.  You can get a HEPA filter or two and use them.  You can use slipcovers on your furniture and wash them regularly.  I do all of these.


                                                • MimzMum
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                                                    I can attest to both the different protein thing and the allergies coming and going. I didn’t really have allergies most of my life, now I find that many things aggravate my sinuses. I keep it pretty well under control though, medications and lots of hand-washing…plus I wear a mask when I need to deal with lots of dust or pollens.
                                                    It’s funny…only our feral cat used to make me sneeze or cause hives to come up on my arms with her spit…now it’s the other female cat as well, (my male cat has no effect on me), plus the dog that never bothered me before. Except for the hay, my bunnies do not cause any allergic reaction in me.

                                                    Yup…further testing would be a good idea. When he’s up for it, of course.


                                                  • LizzieKnittyBun
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                                                      Well, I gotta tell you… this thread has definitely helped me in the hope department.

                                                      He’s going to make an appointment with an allergist tomorrow morning. They’ll probably have to do those pinprick tests on his back or something. Poor guy!

                                                      What I’m hoping is that he’s not actually allergic to the buns, but something more fixable like timothy hay. There are alternatives, right?


                                                    • Monkeybun
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                                                        Theres tons of alternatives Orchard grass is a good one, it doesnt affect most people like timmy hay does.


                                                      • Karla
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                                                          Fingers crossed that it isn’t the bunnies he is allergic too!

                                                          My brother is very allergic to cats, and because of being out of job he has lived with my parents for the past 3 months – and they have 4 cats. I asked him the other day when he was sitting with one of the cats on his lap, if he was taking meds every day…apparently, his allergy has disappeared after he went to live with the cats.

                                                          Not that that helps you bf. First of all there is the desensitive treatment I’ve heard of from various dog forums, but you can also get homeopathy treatment which seems to have great results.


                                                        • Elrohwen
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                                                            It’s interesting how some people’s allergies get better when they live with an animal. I’ve never lived with a cat, and I don’t like cats enough that I’d try it, but it still interests me! There’s probably an equal chance of your allergies just getting worse though from constant exposure.


                                                          • wendyzski
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                                                              Allergy testing has come a LONG way since the back tests -  I remember those.

                                                              Now they have isolated the most common protein in a substance that people are likely to be allergic to and test with THAT.  When I got tested about 5 years ago they were able to do a full testing profile on both inner forearms.  Get him some benadryl spray or cream for afterwards and he’ll be fine.


                                                            • Cassi&Charlie
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                                                                Thanks guys, this has been a huge help. I’m moving in with a friend of mine in darwin and they’re very allergic to animals and hay…lol…should be interesting. It’s a compromise cause he has a 3 years old and no-one wants to live with him, and I have 2 bunnies so no-one wants to live with me…perfect solution…we live together 🙂 Now I have some solutions to his allergy problems..although still no solutions to my universal dislike of children lol.
                                                                And don’t worry, I’m installing a lock on my bedroom door so that the 3 years old can’t access my rabbits!


                                                              • Monkeybun
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                                                                  Meh, I’d rather lock the 3 year old up

                                                                  >.>

                                                                  <.<


                                                                • MimzMum
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                                                                    I’m definitely allergic to timothy hay if it’s 1st or 2nd cut, but I feed the buns 3rd cut and it doesn’t paralyze me with sneezing. So I think any hay that is cut without seedheads (real beasties when it comes to pollen count) should be very helpful.
                                                                    I used Orchard for quite a while with my three, but this 3rd cut timmy is excellent and the bunnies all love it. No finickiness.

                                                                    Yay, your hub is going for testing! A true hero!


                                                                  • lancy
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                                                                      Hope everything be fine and the result trun out that bunny and dog are not the allergetists. Then you can have your poodle and give the bunny a home.
                                                                      Few people around me are allergetic to anything, me either. I often pet Fluffy with my nose, and I contact with dozens of cats daily. My other animals won’t cause allergy as they are hairless…
                                                                      Talking about hairless, you may also think of chinese crested dog. My firend has an 3 year old one, and he is very cute and looks like a poodle with much less hair.


                                                                    • lancy
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                                                                        Posted By jerseygirl on 02/09/2010 04:05 PM

                                                                        From the title I thought you meant you were allergic to your husband!

                                                                        That happens. I know some cases.


                                                                      • MimzMum
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                                                                          Lancy brings up a good point…I wonder too if diet has something to do with it? In Asia diet is so much more different than here in the US, and you see less of certain ailments there than you do here. This was something I realized after battling breast cancer, that apparently there are very few women in the East who ever deal with it and diet is considered a catalyst.
                                                                          So perhaps something in Stan’s diet could also be changed to assist in taming the allergies?
                                                                          Of course, that’s somewhere down the road if other interventions become unsuccessful. But an idea to keep in mind.


                                                                        • LizzieKnittyBun
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                                                                            LOL Cassi&Charlie… universal dislike of children

                                                                            omg I’m laughing


                                                                          • Elrohwen
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                                                                              Posted By wendyzski on 02/10/2010 05:32 PM

                                                                              Allergy testing has come a LONG way since the back tests -  I remember those.

                                                                              Now they have isolated the most common protein in a substance that people are likely to be allergic to and test with THAT.  When I got tested about 5 years ago they were able to do a full testing profile on both inner forearms.  Get him some benadryl spray or cream for afterwards and he’ll be fine.

                                                                               

                                                                              My newest allergy doctor did the back tests. It was the first time I’ve ever been tested on my back! Weird. And then they had to retest with each thing I was allergic too (which was all of them) using a needle on my arm (instead of the little pin prick thing).


                                                                            • Sage Cat
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                                                                                I still think it is very interesting that this came up right after you moved!
                                                                                Plus you moved to an totally different climate and an area with lots of construction!

                                                                                Paws crossed that it is not the buns!!!


                                                                              • Elrohwen
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                                                                                  Posted By Sage Cat on 02/11/2010 07:26 AM
                                                                                  I still think it is very interesting that this came up right after you moved!
                                                                                  Plus you moved to an totally different climate and an area with lots of construction!

                                                                                  Paws crossed that it is not the buns!!!

                                                                                  So true! My allergies are well under control on the east coast, but when I was in Cali last year I was a mess! Totally different plants and pollens I guess.
                                                                                   


                                                                                • LizzieKnittyBun
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                                                                                    PAWS CROSSED!

                                                                                    He’s gonna make the appointment today. I have had the back tests done, the forearms tests done…. I’ve done weekly allergy shots, I take daily allergy meds… I guess I take it for granted that I’ve done all that and others haven’t.

                                                                                    Still can’t breathe through my nose half the time lol…


                                                                                  • Elrohwen
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                                                                                      Good luck! It’s probably a good thing that he’s never been to see an allergic before – it sounds like he really hasn’t tried anything yet, so there’s a good chance that something will work. It would be worse if he had already tried all of the meds, etc and still had bad symptoms, kwim?


                                                                                    • Beka27
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                                                                                        I was also wondering about your recent move. Remy is not new to your home. Momo is a newer bun, but she’s still a rex… same fur. I wouldn’t be surprised if it was something in the environment, not the bunnies.  Or… here’s another thought: is there any chance there could be mold or something else in your new house? If your husband doesn’t mind, keep us posted. I’m interested to hear what the doc says. Make sure he gets tested for hay too.


                                                                                      • LizzieKnittyBun
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                                                                                          I am *really* crossing my fingers about the hay allergy… I know that sounds wonky, hoping that he’s allergic to hay, but it would make things so much simpler! We could switch to orchard grass and he’d feel better, and then I would feel better, and things would just be BETTER.

                                                                                          Will keep you posted : P


                                                                                        • LizzieKnittyBun
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                                                                                            Bad news, buns…

                                                                                            Stan went to the allergist today and discovered, through much testing, that he is *severely* allergic to cats, dogs, and… rabbits.

                                                                                            And cue my weeping session.

                                                                                            I guess I felt so guilty because while I was feeling so bad for him, I was also feeling so sorry for myself because I know we can’t have any animals in our house, unless they’re hypoallergenic.  That doesn’t include buns… this entire thought process made me feel totally selfish.

                                                                                            He’s going to get on medicine, and I’ve been vacuuming much more and even lint-rolling the buns, to their chagrin.  Hopefully that helps, but now I know that I couldn’t bring myself to bring another bunny home since it would make his symptoms worse.

                                                                                            So I emailed the Denver shelter and told them we couldn’t adopt the little bun who might have to have his leg amputated.

                                                                                            I’m so lucky, though, because Stan would never even consider living without our bunnies, for my sake and theirs.  He’s so good to me to deal with this and take medicine when he shouldn’t have to.  He does it to make me happy.  After today I feel even more lucky to have Remy and Momo, since they’ve become almost like forbidden fruit…

                                                                                            And they aren’t just pets.  They’re part of our family.  So I’m feeling both disappointed and blessed at the same time.  It’s confusing…

                                                                                             


                                                                                          • Monkeybun
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                                                                                              Aww that sucks I’m glad that he wants to keep remy and Momo tho, would suck even more to have to get rid of them on top of the allergies…. *hugs for Stan*


                                                                                            • jerseygirl
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                                                                                                I get the feeling he loves Remy & Momo just as much. I’m sorry about the results. At least now you know what specifically it is and can work around it. I think Remy being bonded to Momo now is really good as he won’t take being turfed out of the bed as badly – I hope!

                                                                                                The best thing is allergy can be managed, as many members have already posted about. Hopefully Stan can get the best method to combat this now and generally improve health wise. Has he gotten over the last bout of bronchitis now?  By daily managing the allergies, his system may become less stressed so hopefully the deeper bronchial infections will become a thing of the past.

                                                                                                Edit: Did the allergist say specifically what of dog/cat/rabbit he is allergic too?  Fur?

                                                                                                With vaccuuming, I’m not sure whether it helps or makes things worse. Wendy mentioned that for her it worsens things.  I guess it depends on how vac cleaners work. They do blow air out too so that can stir stuff up.  I’ve seen vacs that filter the recirculating air thru water which is supposed to entrap any nasties. Was an infommercial though, so don’t know real value of the product.

                                                                                                An Air purifer would be a good investment though!


                                                                                              • Sage Cat
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                                                                                                  We have an air filter that works well and was not expensive.
                                                                                                  Do NOT get an Ion Air Purifier – California is trying to ban them – they expose you to high levels of ozone, which can damage your lungs. Plus they are really expensive.


                                                                                                • LizzieKnittyBun
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                                                                                                    ruh roh… I’m wondering if that’s exactly what we have.

                                                                                                    What kind do you have?


                                                                                                  • LizzieKnittyBun
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                                                                                                      ruh roh… I’m wondering if that’s exactly what we have.

                                                                                                      What kind do you have?


                                                                                                    • MimzMum
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                                                                                                        I still find this so odd that it’s only seemed to surface now, after you’ve moved. Perhaps the air flow in your new place is different than from where you were.
                                                                                                        And hopefully, (there’s always hope), the allergies will fade as time goes by. Not in time for the shelter bun, I know, and I’m sorry about that…but I never really had allergies myself when I was younger, now I’ve gotten some and lost others in my lifetime. I’ll keep your family in my prayers that this will also fade away and things will get back to normal.
                                                                                                        Bless you, dear! ((((((((hugs))))))


                                                                                                      • LizzieKnittyBun
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                                                                                                          Well, he had it a lot in Jacksonville, but it’s gotten *much* worse here… probably because of the evil carpet.

                                                                                                          BLAH

                                                                                                          Thankfully his bronchitis is gone, but he still doesn’t feel very well : -\


                                                                                                        • Elrohwen
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                                                                                                            It could definitely be the different environment, but it’s odd that he would be so bad there in the winter. It’s not like there’s a ton of stuff growing. I’m allergic to California, but that makes sense because there are so many plants growing year round.


                                                                                                          • MimzMum
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                                                                                                              The thing is, in winter, you keep your windows closed more to keep heat in (if you have forced air heat,t hat could also contribute) so things tend to hang around longer than if you had them open.
                                                                                                              Different pollens where Lizzy is now too…so Stan is probably getting hit on all sides with a bunch of new irritants and allergens. Glad to hear the bronchitis is easing up though…I had that for all four years in high school and then got follic tonsillitis that almost went to rheumatic fever after that…it was bad news.


                                                                                                            • LizzieKnittyBun
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                                                                                                                Ack Mimz…. that’s bad news…

                                                                                                                Actually, Stan and I are kind of freaks of nature. Even in the dead of winter in Colorado, we open our doors and windows every day. We love the feel of the cold!

                                                                                                                So I guess that’s good… lol


                                                                                                              • Barbie
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                                                                                                                  An ionic air purifier is different from other air purifiers in that it doesn’t have a filter nor (in some) fans. Instead of pulling the air through a filter, it produces negative ions that charge the air borne particles and then attract them to a metal plate. They do produce ozone, and also, the particles don’t always stick to the plate…. they may fall on the tv, table top, and wall (meaning that eventually the wall around the ionic purifier will turn black  BLECH)

                                                                                                                  http://articles.latimes.com/2008/ap…-skeptic21

                                                                                                                  I’m sorry to hear about your hubby’s allergies! They’re really terrible to live with. But it’s great that he still wants to keep the buns and is willing to just deal with the allergies for the sake of the bunnies.


                                                                                                                • MimzMum
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                                                                                                                    Barbie, does this go for anything that has an ionizer in it? I have a tower fan that ionizes and I use that in the bunny room.


                                                                                                                  • Barbie
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                                                                                                                      The ozone or the dust?

                                                                                                                      Anyway, I think both. An ionizer works by generating negative ions (an atom or molecule with a negative charge – more electrons than protons which result in a net electrical charge). These ions go out into the room and “find” other particles – dust, pollen, allergens, etc – and bind with them. The addition of the ion makes the particles too heavy to float and they fall to the ground or any surface. Then they can be dusted or vacuumed up. Problem is, they don’t fall just where you want to.

                                                                                                                      As far ozone generation goes… When I was looking for an air filter for my home, I read that most all ionic purifiers produce ozone. Basically, O2 + electricity –> O3 (ozone). But I think it takes a lot of electricity. There are FDA set levels for “acceptable” amounts of ozone generation, but I don’t know what all goes into that. There are some antibacterial benefits of ozone (it’s often used to clean hot tub water) but long term exposure can also cause respiratory problems. Ozone is also created by UV rays and during thunderstorms. I really don’t know “how much” is too much. I think it’s just one of those things to be aware of and avoid an item that you know will produce ozone, but don’t drive yourself crazy over it. If you’re wondering about your particular fan, check the box, or owners manual, do an online search, or call the company to find out about ozone production, if any.


                                                                                                                    • Monkeybun
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                                                                                                                        …wonder if that fan of yours is the cause of Mimzy’s woes MM.


                                                                                                                      • MimzMum
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                                                                                                                          No, MB…he was ill before…that’s why I got the fan, to help keep the air fresh in the room.
                                                                                                                          It’s a small tower, not quite two feet and I don’t have it on all the time. It’s only if the room stifles, which mostly happens in winter. Summertime we have windows open, so we get cool breezes.

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                                                                                                                      Forum THE LOUNGE Husband allergies… so bummed