Freaking out over allergies!

Ok, so I'm trying to stay calm and not jump to conclusions but I wanted to see what everyone thought. I do have allergies and take singulair and zyrtek. I have been able to live harmoniously with my two little dogs as well as my cag. She gets up near my face etc. no problems. Since they are a dusty bird I thought maybe this would mean that no problems with birds. I have had my green wing for almost two months now and my allergies are going crazy. I vacum, clean etc. constantly. I keep trying to tell myself that no if the cag doesn't bother me then it must not be Moses (green wing) What do you think have you ever heard of anything like this? I didn't think that a macaw was a very dusty bird and that most people wouldn't react to this. I am truly freaking out and would love any helpful tips that you might have to lessen my reactions if this is in fact what is causing this. I am having carpets cleaned as we speak, trying to address anything that might be causing this. HELP!

brianlinkles said:

Ok, so I'm trying to stay calm and not jump to conclusions but I wanted to see what everyone thought. I do have allergies and take singulair and zyrtek. I have been able to live harmoniously with my two little dogs as well as my cag. She gets up near my face etc. no problems. Since they are a dusty bird I thought maybe this would mean that no problems with birds. I have had my green wing for almost two months now and my allergies are going crazy. I vacum, clean etc. constantly. I keep trying to tell myself that no if the cag doesn't bother me then it must not be Moses (green wing) What do you think have you ever heard of anything like this? I didn't think that a macaw was a very dusty bird and that most people wouldn't react to this. I am truly freaking out and would love any helpful tips that you might have to lessen my reactions if this is in fact what is causing this. I am having carpets cleaned as we speak, trying to address anything that might be causing this. HELP!

Click to expand...

Do your symptoms become worse when you're in close contact with Moses? Or do you notice that they're worse when you're near him? Or have they just become worse in general?

Brian, you said it's been getting worse for the past 2 months. I know that's when you brought Moses home, but isn't that also around the same time period your heater would come on more regularly?

Clean your air ducts, perhaps the problem lies there and not with Moses at all.

My nose has been HORRIBLE since our heater's been on.

JerseyWendy said:

Brian, you said it's been getting worse for the past 2 months. I know that's when you brought Moses home, but isn't that also around the same time period your heater would come on more regularly?

Clean your air ducts, perhaps the problem lies there and not with Moses at all.

My nose has been HORRIBLE since our heater's been on.

Click to expand...

Great thought, Wendy!

I have asthma and when we got each of our last few dogs they would bother me up close for about a month.and then they were fine . I asked the dr. and he said that you can build up a tolerence to your own animals. Mine are all little and you tend to hold them close hug and kiss them, plus they were all velcro lapdogs. What about an air cleaner near the birds cages and whatever room you tend to have the birds out with you. I noticed to that when we moved to Fla from Mass my asthma got much better. Maybe no heat in the house helps or the slightly more humid air helps

aliray said:

I have asthma and when we got each of our last few dogs they would bother me up close for about a month.and then they were fine . I asked the dr. and he said that you can build up a tolerence to your own animals. Mine are all little and you tend to hold them close hug and kiss them, plus they were all velcro lapdogs. What about an air cleaner near the birds cages and whatever room you tend to have the birds out with you. I noticed to that when we moved to Fla from Mass my asthma got much better. Maybe no heat in the house helps or the slightly more humid air helps

Click to expand...

FWIW, I think the air purifier idea is very worthy of consideration. And I also agree that many times people can desensitize themselves to allergens through enduring exposure. Great thoughts!

Another idea... is there anything that Moses is getting that could make you allergic that Dorothy doesn't get? I.E nuts or different diet?

I'd say try the air purifier first as it is good for you as well as the pets. If that does not work, your doctor should be able to do an allergy test to pinpoint whether or not you are allergic to bird dander. Also, if you do get a air purifier, don't go for the cheap crap. You get what you pay for in this arena. MinusA2 Ultra Quiet HEPA Air Purifier

When I had the allergy tests many years ago at Lahey Clinic in Boston they told me that I was allergic to all my favorite things cats, dogs dust and dust mites plus a variety of trees all which grew in my yard but except for the last few years I always had cats dogs not to mention dust. Now I am down to my four birds and two dogs and still have dust. I do run an air cleaner in the bedroom plus the central air probably helps keep the air cleaner down here

I also have severe allergies and when I have to turn on my furnace they get so much worse. Dust is the culprit and hopefully down the line I can afford to get the system a full cleaning. Predisone has become my friend the past couple of months. I hate that drug.

Interesting that you can tolerate your Grey but not the dust. I can't have the dusty birds at all. At one time I wanted a Rose Breasted Cockatoo but this is a dream that will never come to be. I can have new world birds but not old world birds. You might want to check into your reaction to new world birds since that is what your GW is. I know a lady who can have cockatiels, budgies and greys but is allergic to new world birds. She was watching a conure and broke out in hives so badly she had to go to the ER. She was holding the conure in her hands petting and loving him up when it happened.

I need to invest in a good air purifier myself. Both for Valentino and me. It is so confusing with all the different brands out there though.

Please let us know how you are doing with your GW. I hope all is better.

Noblemacaw

plax said:

FWIW, I think the air purifier idea is very worthy of consideration. And I also agree that many times people can desensitize themselves to allergens through enduring exposure. Great thoughts!

Click to expand...

I'm talking from experience when I say that your idea of desensitizing actually WORKS QUITE WELL, Plax. My husband was EXTREMELY allergic to hairy animals, including the horse I had at the time we met.

To make a VERY long story short. He was NEVER allergic to my horse, but the shavings in the stable

He "appeared" to be in REAL distress when I let our first dog into the house. (Golden Retriever). I bathed him, and THEN exposed him again. And again...and again...He got better with each exposure - NO JOKE.

THEN he seemed to be allergic to my rabbit and guinea pig I bought while he was deployed. Changed the bedding, and exposed. Yes, it may sound cruel, but believe it or not, it worked! It wasn't pretty, and it was an experiment (but hey, we're married, I'm entitled to experiment)...but it all paid off in the end.

He's still allergic to cats though...hmm.... Nah..just kidding (about the "hmm" part)

Thank you all so much for your responses! I am just now getting on the computer because of, you guessed it allergies! I went out to meet my mom today and my allergies got increasingly worse throughout the day. I am hoping that since they kept getting worse when I was away from the house that it means that Moses isn't the culprit! (do you think that makes sense?) I finally was such a mess that I called the doctor to see if she would call in something additional, she did (eye drops) By the time I got home, my asthma was acting up, my nose was running non-stop (is this tmi?) I was beside myself! Took another shower and have been laying in bed ever since. I am still feeling horrible however my asthma is settling down a bit. So I am going to look into the air cleaner & hope that since my symptoms didn't get any better once leaving my house means that Moses isn't the problem. I feel so bad for Dorothy and Moses, I got home and I know they were so excited and wanted out of the cage however I have only fed them and then headed back to the bed.
Thanks again!

Good post from Birdchannel.com today. I think this is a very good one for you to read. Tips To Clean The Pet Bird Mess