Pet Forum / Mammals / Rats / October 2004

Another allergy sufferer here.  We find that bathing ours in
Allergroom shampoo does help a bit (which may be found at pet supply
stores, or online ... see link below).  And for a topical remedy for
the skin welts, a little hydrocortisone cream helps speed up the
disappearance and decrease the itchiness of those.  

http://tinyurl.com/6mb6t

I'm surprised that you can be so violently allergic to one specific
allergen. Some people are very allergic to one thing (eg: Cats), but
you're showing these problems from just an additional chemical present
from Male rats.

I'm not disputing that this is the case at all, but am suggesting that
you have just started with an allergic response you were doomed to anyway
- allergies are funny things: People find that allergies sometimes come-
and-go over their lifetime, and no two people seem to be the same. So,
you might have been about to develop these problems about now anyway.

There's only one way to be sure - have the rats stay at a friends for a
week, and see if your symptoms clear (clean the room they were in
thoroughly before the start of your trial week). The other thing to try
is to find friends with female rats, male or female cats, dogs etc... and
see if you have a response to them, too. Knowing if you are only allergic
to male rats, or that you now show a response to all mammals, will be
vital information for you. Maybe later experiments could try and narrow
it down to fur or urine - for example, washing the rats every other day,
or cleaning out and washing the cage down every day may help - according
to whether it's the rats themselves or the urine which is the problem. IF
YOU EXPERIMENT WITH OTHER PEOPLES PETS, PLEASE BE VERY VERY CAREFUL.

Final word: Asthma is potentially a very serious condition: Indeed, in
some cases it can be fatal. Make absolutely sure that your asthma is
under control with the drugs provided to you: If it's not, then you
really do have to rethink your position on keeping your rats - sorry, but
I think your health has to come first. Even if it is totally under
control, you still have some issues: Steroid inhalers are great news for
Asthma sufferers where the allergens cannot be avoided - indeed, they
save lifes, and can prevent the later onset of Emphysema. However, if you
can stop the Asthma by the removal of a simple factor like male rats,
then you are still risking your health for their sake. To start with,
your Asthma may get worse, and fail to respond to your current dose-rate,
and in addition to this, you are going to be feeding your system with
steroids every day.

Good luck in the land of the wheezing (I've been living there for 34
years!).