Your Bunny and Your Allergies

by Michelle Nephew, MCRS Member
originally published December 2003

Do you feel sick all the time? Starting to suspect all that fur floating around the house might have something to do with it? Or worse yet, has your doctor given you the dreaded directive: "You'll just have to get rid of that rabbit." Here are some ideas for identifying and managing rabbit-related allergies, as gleaned from my own extensive personal experience with both allergies and asthma.

The House Rabbit Society web site describes allergies as "part of the body's normal response to fighting infections. Sometimes the immune system becomes hyperstimulated and reacts to agents that normally are ignored. Common allergens include dust mites, cockroaches, and plant pollens. Allergies to animals are often caused by the saliva proteins left on the fur after licking and not the fur itself. Touching the fur transfers these proteins to our fingertips, and then to the face, eyes and nose. In turn, these entrances into our body are lined with immune cells ready to respond to any invaders."

Allergies can manifest suddenly in adults, and chronic allergies usually manifest as some combination of watering eyes, dripping nose, trouble breathing, rashes, congestion, sore throat, and puffy or itchy eyes. Allergies can also trigger asthma attacks in some people, in which the airways of the lungs become inflamed. Allergic asthma can cause coughing, shortness of breath, wheezing, tightness or pain in the chest, and fatigue. When these reactions are to household irritants, like pets, they often become more noticable in the winter, since people spend more time indoors, and windows and doors are sealed against the cold.

If you suspect you might be allergic to your rabbits, the first step it to confirm this, either through allergy testing or trial-and-error. Consider that summers can be very bad for air quality in the Twin Cities: wildfires on the west coast dump residue on us, and ozone levels skyrocket because of it. It could be the pollution spikes that are causing your trouble, so you owe it to yourself and your bunny to verify your rabbit allergy before forcing a tragic separation. Your regular doctor should be able to refer you to an allergist, who will prick your skin with several dozen needles, each containing a different allergen sample. He'll then examine the swelling that results from each prick, and rate your allergies on a scale of 1 to 4, the higher numbers being the most severe reactions. This testing is often covered by insurance plans, and can quickly cut the culprits down to a manageable list. However, you'll need to specify that you want to be tested for rabbits and the particular type of hay you use (another common allergen), since they may not be included in the standard testing.

If medical testing isn't an option for you, try the trial-and-error method by containing the rabbits and their hay in a limited area. Make your bedroom a no-rabbit zone, and keep hay and litterboxes in another room. Hay, especially, should be stored away from living areas, and kept in containers that limit the spread of dust; I keep mine in a plastic trash can with a lid. Many times it's actually the dust mites in the hay that rabbit owners are allergic to, rather than their furry friends or the hay itself. Try taking a cardboard box, tipping it on its long side, and putting the litterbox inside it. We all know how hay can get all over the place; this just contains the mess a bit. And if you're using a clay cat litter, try switching to a paper- or wood-based litter like CareFRESH by Absorption Corporation; the dust from the clay litter could be irritating your lungs, throat, and sinuses. Also, invest in one of the cylindrical Holmes "Family Care" air purifiers available at Walgreens for your bedroom – they only cost about $20 and use a layered fiber filter to remove floating dust and fur from the air. I have one for my bedroom even though the rabbits are on the second floor and my bedroom is on the first, but it helps a lot when I'm having allergy trouble since the fur can still get into the rest of the house through the heating ducts. I just run it for an hour or so while I'm reading a book before I go to sleep, and then dream peacefully. If all this does anything to reduce your ailments, you most likely have allergies to either your rabbit or his hay.

If you do decide you are, in fact, allergic to your bunny, all is not lost! The following precautions can be taken to reduce your reactions, and make life with your rabbit bearable.

• Wash your hands after handling your rabbits. The dander and saliva proteins transferred to your hands could be getting into your eyes and nose when you rub your face later
• Use disposable face masks when handling hay, changing litter, or doing messy jobs like cutting rabbit toenails if you can't convince someone else to do it for you.
• Put a window air conditioner in your bedroom or living area if you don't have central air, especially if you might have seasonal allergies, too. The air conditioner filters the air coming in, and takes the floating particulates out of the room, too.
• If the window air conditioner or Holmes air purifier seem to help, invest in HEPA freestanding air cleaners to go in the rabbits' area and in your bedroom. (HEPA stands for High Efficiency Particulate Air Filter.) Also, do your research. Consumer Reports' March 2002 edition had a run-down of the most effective air cleaners on the market – the winner by far was the Friedrich model C-90A for $475. FYI, the Image SI637 Ionic Breeze Quadra Silent Air Purifier barely worked at all, though it has a price tag of $350. Though they can be expensive, remember that buying HEPA air cleaners used or on the internet can bring the price down considerably – I got my Honeywell QuietCare 17400 HEPA cleaner for $50 on eBay, and bought a second one for my office. It works great!
• Also consider buying an electrostatic or electronic precipitator filter for your central air conditioning unit, which will take care of allergens throughout the entire house. The same edition of Consumer Reports did a run-down on central air conditioning filters, as well. This information is also available at www.consumerreports.org for one month's subscription fee of $3.95.
• Try products such as AllerPet and AllerPet/C, which are sprays that, when applied to your rabbit's fur, claim to neutralize pet allergens. Although they don't seem to work well for me, everyone's allergies are different. They may be worth a shot.
• Ask your doctor or allergist whether over-the-counter or prescription allergy nasal sprays or eyedrops, antihistamine/decongestant pills, bronchodilator inhalers, or desensitizing shots are right for you. Remember that many allergy medications need to build up in your system over the course of several days or even weeks to be effective, so be sure to take all medications as prescribed by your doctor; don't take them sporadically and then say they didn't work. Your allergist might also prescribe corticosteroid nasal sprays or inhalers that reduce the incidence of attacks, rather than just treating symptoms. These do have some side effects, though, like lowering the body's immunity to illness, and aren't recommended for long periods of time.

In the end, the trick is to figure out what works best for you and stick with it. You can control your allergies without giving up your furry friends!