It is believed that the chinchilla is a hypoallergenic animal. Therefore, with a tendency to manifest the reaction of the body, people choose this particular animal. Can you be allergic to chinchillas? There are risks for the owner of this animal, which are described in the article.
Features
Is there an allergy to chinchillas? This phenomenon occurs but is very rare compared to other pets. Thick beast fur drops in small quantities, and also does not have strong volatility.
Because the wool is thick, parasites cannot start in it. Judging by the reviews, the advantage is the cleanliness of the animals and the regular adoption of sand baths. Rodents do not use their own saliva during daily hygiene activities. This is considered a plus for allergy sufferers, as the saliva of many pets leads to a negative reaction.
Many are interested: if you put a chinchilla in the house, is there an allergy to them or not? According to reviews, these animals are not very contact, so they are reluctant to go on hands, which reduces the chances of an appearance.allergies. But even with such minuses, an allergic reaction can still occur. It is not the animal itself that can cause symptoms, but its waste products, food, bedding, bathing sand.
If there is any doubt that the allergy came from the animal, you should change the bedding. Sawdust is allergenic. Hay can also lead to allergies. It is advisable to choose a granular filler. Do chinchillas cause allergies in adults? This phenomenon is rare, but it does happen.
Reasons
Before you get a chinchilla, you should consider a lot of nuances. This animal lives in a cage, so waste products accumulate in one place. It has no sweat and sebaceous glands, so there is practically no smell. The fur is dense, so it is uncomfortable for parasites to develop there. The causes of allergies are as follows:
- Urine soaks into sawdust that dries. During the cleaning of the cage, sawdust is changed, which causes wood dust to rise, with which the protein from the urine enters the body and leads to an allergic reaction.
- The epidermis of these animals is separated in the usual way, becomes part of the dust and enters the human body through the respiratory tract.
- Epidermis and urine, excrement gets on the wool, when interacting with which allergens affect a person.
Predisposition
Allergy is caused by a protein found in the urine, saliva, and epidermis of a pet. When in contact with animals and objects on which itis, a person is able to face a negative reaction. Some facts increase the risk of this problem:
- Weak immunity. When the immune system is not functioning properly due to long-term illness, medication, and other reasons, it will perceive proteins as foreign and dangerous components, so a negative reaction occurs.
- Children's age. This is due to the fact that the child's immunity is more susceptible to allergens.
- Bronchial asthma. Asthmatics are sensitive to things that shouldn't cause a negative reaction.
Symptoms
How does a chinchilla allergy manifest itself? It is usually observed in children under 12 years of age, since the child's immunity is not fully developed. This also applies to children who have had allergies or asthma in the past.
Allergy to chinchillas in adults can lead to serious consequences. Like other herbivores, these animals can harm the he alth of a person with an appropriate diagnosis. Pets (cats and dogs) can also suffer from allergies. Therefore, their owners should definitely take this fact into account.
What are the symptoms of a chinchilla allergy? Negative reactions can be detected:
- tear;
- conjunctivitis;
- rhinitis;
- dyspnea;
- cough;
- urticaria.
These are the main symptoms. According to reviews, in severe cases of allergy to chinchillas, the appearance is likely:
- difficulty breathing due to swelling;
- severe runny nose;
- Quincke's edema.
Symptoms may not appear immediately, but after a few days. There are cases of reactions occurring a year after the acquisition of the animal.
Diagnosis
Usually, before acquiring a pet, you need to properly equip the cage. If at this time no symptoms of the disease appeared, then the animal itself became the source of the allergy. But you should not immediately abandon the chinchilla. Even with the appearance of alarming signs, it is necessary to visit a doctor and establish the cause of the allergy. For this, several tests are performed - skin tests. An injection or scratch with an allergen is performed on the arm in the place of the forearm.
Before the event, the skin is wiped with an alcohol solution. In the scarification test, scratches are applied with a disposable scarifier. And with the prick test, injections are performed with disposable needles. The depth of immersion of the needle into the skin is no more than 1 mm. For 1 procedure put up to 15 samples. After each event, you need to wait a while to observe the reaction. If there was no redness or swelling, the test will be negative.
The test for reaction to Ig E antibodies, which cause serious complications, is considered difficult. For analysis, you need a blood sample from a vein. A provocative test is rarely performed. In this case, the allergen is applied near the nostrils and dripped under the tongue.
If the allergy does not appear on the animal, but on other means, then the allergen is easily eliminated. To do this, you need to change the feed, bedding oraccessories. If the cause is in the animal, then the decision must be made depending on the severity of the disease, the likelihood of its treatment or the simplification of symptoms. Usually parting with a furry pet can be avoided.
Treatment
How is chinchilla allergy treated? This disease is not completely cured. This does not mean that symptoms should be ignored. To alleviate the condition, antihistamines are used. New drugs are taken orally 1 time per day. The result of the action of the drug occurs in 15-20 minutes. Effective use:
- Loratadine.
- Claritina.
- L-Zet.
- Zyrteka.
According to reviews, sometimes doctors recommend the use of hormonal drugs to get rid of the symptoms of an allergy to chinchillas. They are usually prescribed in severe cases or when antihistamines do not help. Glucocorticosteroid agents can be used after consulting a specialist and under his supervision. This group of drugs includes:
- "Dexamethasone" - pills.
- "Azmakort" - spray.
- "Alrex" - drops.
- "Locoid" - ointment.
- "Prednisolone" - solution for injections.
In complex treatment it is desirable to use sorbents. They cleanse the body of toxic components. This can improve the general condition of a person, and medicines will act faster and more efficiently.
From sorbents often prescribed:
- Enterosgel.
- Filtrum.
- Laktafiltrum.
In addition to drug therapy, careful pet care is needed. The cage and all items in it should be kept clean to prevent the spread of allergens. To do this, the cage is wiped with a damp material. Daily minor cleaning and weekly general cleaning are required. This should be done with rubber gloves and a protective mask.
You still need to do wet cleaning of your home. It is advisable to buy an air purifier and humidifier. Such devices get rid of volatile allergens. Children and adults who are allergic to chinchilla should move the cage to an area of the house where family members spend less time.
Predisposition
If there is a slight suspicion of an allergy, you should contact an allergist to perform a scarification test. The procedure involves applying a likely allergen to the skin.
For this, a special injection or scratch is performed by the doctor. A skin test is considered negative if after some time there are no changes in the area with the applied allergen - redness or swelling.
Recommended owners
Another way to solve the problem is to purchase a new home for a pet - showcase cages. You can buy it in specialized stores. The showcase not only looks aesthetically pleasing and original, but because of the closed space, the spread of volatile allergens is not allowed. Males are more likely to cause allergies. The exception is during pregnancy.
An opinion about the hypoallergenicity of animals will appear ondue to the fact that there were few such cases. But when a problem is identified, it needs to be fixed immediately. If nothing helps and the symptoms worsen, it is better to find a new owner for the animal.
Prevention
Preventive measures are needed to reduce or eliminate the effects of allergens. If the negative reaction has an acute form, then you need to give the pet to your friends. If the disease is mild, then the following rules are required:
- You need to buy air purifiers that remove allergenic components from the space.
- Requires daily wet cleaning.
- Chinchilla cage should be cleaned often.
- The cage is periodically disinfected with boiling water.
- Every day you need to ventilate the room where the pet lives.
- Do not pick up an animal.
- Don't place a cage in the bedroom.
- Don't stay near your pet for long.
Conclusion
So we figured out that chinchilla allergy is rare. In this case, it is necessary to observe all effective measures to eliminate symptoms. But you should take any drugs only as directed by your doctor.
