ILiveInFlipFlops Posted August 24, 2016 Share Posted August 24, 2016 DH is allergic to both cats and dogs (but has had no trouble with our hamsters and gerbils), and we're thinking about trying a rabbit. The problem is that we don't have any friends or family with rabbits, and I can't bring one home to try it out because the kids (and I) will have a very hard time letting it go again if it turns out DH has trouble with it. So I'm wondering if anyone here can weigh in. Does anyone have experience with a bunny wabbit allergy? :D Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ktgrok Posted August 24, 2016 Share Posted August 24, 2016 Yes. At least, my son and I are. I used to be allergic to cats, but over time it got better. But rabbits, ugh. (guinea pigs too). 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arcadia Posted August 24, 2016 Share Posted August 24, 2016 The pet stores here have rabbit adoption days so your husband could go to one and see how bad it is. I am slightly allergic to some cats, dogs and other furry animals. My hubby does the cage cleaning when we had hamsters and guinea pigs. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prairiewindmomma Posted August 24, 2016 Share Posted August 24, 2016 Yes. Hands down, yes. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Plink Posted August 24, 2016 Share Posted August 24, 2016 yes 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Junie Posted August 24, 2016 Share Posted August 24, 2016 I'm allergic to animals with hair -- everything from gerbils to horses. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Catalytic Posted August 24, 2016 Share Posted August 24, 2016 Yep, I'd hazard a guess that if there's a cat allergy, there's a rabbit allergy. (Funnily enough, *most* cats don't make me break in hives, but rabbits and guinea pigs *always* give me hives.) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ktgrok Posted August 24, 2016 Share Posted August 24, 2016 Yep, I'd hazard a guess that if there's a cat allergy, there's a rabbit allergy. (Funnily enough, *most* cats don't make me break in hives, but rabbits and guinea pigs *always* give me hives.) That's pretty much me as well. Some cats bother me, all rabbits and guinea pigs. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
luuknam Posted August 24, 2016 Share Posted August 24, 2016 (edited) I'm allergic to animals with hair -- everything from gerbils to horses. Me too. And ones with feathers too. FWIW, even if he's not allergic to rabbits *now*, people with allergies quite often develop more allergies over time when exposed to a potential allergen. So he might be able to snuggle up to a bunny all day long today, and be quite allergic to it a year from now. Edited August 24, 2016 by luuknam 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ktgrok Posted August 24, 2016 Share Posted August 24, 2016 Me too. And ones with feathers too. FWIW, even if he's not allergic to rabbits *now*, people with allergies quite often develop more allergies over time when exposed to a potential allergen. So he might be able to snuggle up to a bunny all day long today, and be quite allergic to it a year from now. That's what happened to me with guinea pigs. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carol in Cal. Posted August 24, 2016 Share Posted August 24, 2016 Our allergist told us that cat and rabbit allergies are the same thing. Just in time--we knew DD was allergic to cats so I thought I'd let her get a rabbit instead. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted August 24, 2016 Share Posted August 24, 2016 That's what happened to me with guinea pigs. Me too. I developed worse and worse allergies to our pet guinea pigs. Same with my rats - their nails started giving me more severe hives. I'm apparently most allergic to mice on the prick test, and not at all to dogs, rabbits, or horses. Only mildly so to cats. Husband is severely allergic to cats but the guineas and rats didn't bother his allergies (they just bugged him for other reasons :D). No dog issues and rabbits are fine too. It's such a spectrum. People with asthma style allergies may be bugged by hair generally, but the more swelling/blood pressure/tingling symptoms aren't necessarily hair/fur based, but may be a dander or even urine issue, or only exhibit when the skin is broken (like my lovely hives). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ILiveInFlipFlops Posted August 24, 2016 Author Share Posted August 24, 2016 Well, durn it! That's what I was afraid of. I won't even bother to try then. It's better to just keep the status quo rather than risk his health and the kids' sadness if I even mention it. They're desperate for a larger pet, even though this silly hamster is almost like having a cat in the house. Thanks for the input, everyone. You've saved us some time and emotional effort here. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Catalytic Posted August 24, 2016 Share Posted August 24, 2016 May I recommend a shih tzu? I have always wanted to cuddle a pet and been unable to. My mom heard that poodles had human hair, and got me a cocker spaniel/poodle mix, but alas, I was allergic to her, too. My dog allergy has fortunately lessened quite a bit as I aged (though my cat allergy has worsened), and I can mostly tolerate long-haired dogs now. Anyway...shih tzu are supposedly *hypoallergenic (along with several other breeds), so I got a shih poo, and I sleep with her in my face every night, and no problems at all. *My caveat emptor* Some people do have issues with hypoallergenic dog breeds. My mother has been unable to tolerate ANY dogs since her 40s. When she found her shih poo at a garage sale, she fell in love, but was afraid she would have a reaction to him. She rubbed him all over her face and hands, and then waited an hour or two. When she had no reaction, she went back and bought him. Knock on wood, that was November 2012, and she has yet to have a problem with him. We got ours in summer 2014, and at Christmas 2015, we went to visit her. She had never allowed her dog to sleep in her bed, just in case. But...my rotten mutt wouldn't let anyone get any sleep if she wasn't in bed with my mom, so....now my mom's dog sleeps with her all the time, since it wasn't fair that my dog could get up there and he couldn't, LOL. And, I don't recommend anything mixed with poodle, because while my mom's shih poo has gorgeous shih tzu hair, my darn dog has some crazy mix of both, like super tight curly shih tzu hair, and she's a nightmare to keep groomed. Next one will be just shih tzu lol. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RoughCollie Posted August 24, 2016 Share Posted August 24, 2016 I am allergic to cats and rabbits. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pippen Posted August 24, 2016 Share Posted August 24, 2016 (edited) Yeah to the rabbit, but I will say allergy shots took care of my fairly severe cat allergy problem. And once the allergies overall settled down, I was able to have a rabbit even though it wasn't part of my shots. I suspect the rabbit allergy would have gone haywire if the rabbit were inside, though. Edited August 24, 2016 by Pippen 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hjffkj Posted August 24, 2016 Share Posted August 24, 2016 Not always. My dh is allergic to rabbit and rodents but not cats or dpgs 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mom2scouts Posted August 24, 2016 Share Posted August 24, 2016 Yes. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Valley Girl Posted August 24, 2016 Share Posted August 24, 2016 Yep, cats, dogs, rodents, and bunnies. Stuff with fur and dander. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spryte Posted August 24, 2016 Share Posted August 24, 2016 Yes, and chinchillas, too. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Catalytic Posted August 24, 2016 Share Posted August 24, 2016 Yeah to the rabbit, but I will say allergy shots took care of my fairly severe cat allergy problem. And once the allergies overall settled down, I was able to have a rabbit even though it wasn't part of my shots. I suspect the rabbit allergy would have gone haywire if the rabbit were inside, though. How long ago did you have the cat allergy shots? I read an article several years ago that allergy shots were making huge strides, but that cats were still extremely hard to deal with. (I took years and years of allergy shots as a child, they never helped with my animal allergies, but they either worked for most of my food allergies, or I outgrew them.) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kbutton Posted August 24, 2016 Share Posted August 24, 2016 Not always. My dh is allergic to rabbit and rodents but not cats or dpgs This is how I always thought it was classified in the most precise terms, though it's kind of moot for me because it's all a problem. I do think that there are people who are widely allergic to dander, fur, urine, etc. like me, but theoretically, I always thought it's more based on type of animal. Allergies also creep for some people--one allergy turns into whole categories of them! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dirty ethel rackham Posted August 24, 2016 Share Posted August 24, 2016 Allergic to cats (can't pet them, but visit a home with cats as long as it isn't a Russian Blue.) Very, very allergic to rabbits. My eyes swell up and I get very hoarse within an hour of just being in the same room - not touching or anything. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ILiveInFlipFlops Posted August 25, 2016 Author Share Posted August 25, 2016 (edited) May I recommend a shih tzu? I have always wanted to cuddle a pet and been unable to. My mom heard that poodles had human hair, and got me a cocker spaniel/poodle mix, but alas, I was allergic to her, too. My dog allergy has fortunately lessened quite a bit as I aged (though my cat allergy has worsened), and I can mostly tolerate long-haired dogs now. Anyway...shih tzu are supposedly *hypoallergenic (along with several other breeds), so I got a shih poo, and I sleep with her in my face every night, and no problems at all. *My caveat emptor* Some people do have issues with hypoallergenic dog breeds. My mother has been unable to tolerate ANY dogs since her 40s. When she found her shih poo at a garage sale, she fell in love, but was afraid she would have a reaction to him. She rubbed him all over her face and hands, and then waited an hour or two. When she had no reaction, she went back and bought him. Knock on wood, that was November 2012, and she has yet to have a problem with him. We got ours in summer 2014, and at Christmas 2015, we went to visit her. She had never allowed her dog to sleep in her bed, just in case. But...my rotten mutt wouldn't let anyone get any sleep if she wasn't in bed with my mom, so....now my mom's dog sleeps with her all the time, since it wasn't fair that my dog could get up there and he couldn't, LOL. And, I don't recommend anything mixed with poodle, because while my mom's shih poo has gorgeous shih tzu hair, my darn dog has some crazy mix of both, like super tight curly shih tzu hair, and she's a nightmare to keep groomed. Next one will be just shih tzu lol. Well, here's a funny coincidence. We actually spent all of last night with a shih tzu puppy! I'm not terribly fond of small dogs, but he was pretty cute. BUT four hours in, DH's lips and eyes were burning :( So I'm pretty sure we've written larger furry pets off entirely *sigh* Every once in awhile I lose perspective and start wishing and hoping and investigating again, but I don't see how it will happen. It looks like hamsters are going to be it for us. Fortunately our current hamster is great, interactive pet, so she'll have to do! Thanks again, everyone. Edited August 25, 2016 by ILiveInFlipFlops Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThursdayNext Posted August 26, 2016 Share Posted August 26, 2016 How bad is his allergy? Could an outdoor pet work, with the kids putting on special animal jackets and removing them to come indoors? And washing hands well? There are a lot of homeless cats that would like to be someone's outdoor pet. It just makes me sad when kids really want a pet and can't have one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Myeightkiddies Posted August 26, 2016 Share Posted August 26, 2016 Based on my personal experience and that of others that I've known, yes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Catalytic Posted August 26, 2016 Share Posted August 26, 2016 Well, here's a funny coincidence. We actually spent all of last night with a shih tzu puppy! I'm not terribly fond of small dogs, but he was pretty cute. BUT four hours in, DH's lips and eyes were burning :( So I'm pretty sure we've written larger furry pets off entirely *sigh* Every once in awhile I lose perspective and start wishing and hoping and investigating again, but I don't see how it will happen. It looks like hamsters are going to be it for us. Fortunately our current hamster is great, interactive pet, so she'll have to do! Thanks again, everyone. Well, I think I'd give it a few weeks and (without telling the kids) try a miniature poodle. (We aren't little dog people either, but my mom's shih poo convinced us they aren't all little barking a-holes. We have no idea how we went 20 years without our baby girl now, she's awesome LOL) I have soooo been in your kids' shoes, except it was my allergy, so i didn't even get to visit with friends' dogs. I'm guessing most of the other hypo breeds would be a similar reaction to a shih tzu, but I feel like *maybe* a poodle could work, because their hair seems very different from shih tzu/maltese/etc. If he reacts to a purebred poodle, I'd definitely give up on the dog idea. Poor guy! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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