Is there an allergy to chinchillas and how does it manifest itself?

Until recently, chinchillas as pets were rare. Now these cute rodents are popular, and they are often bred for sale. But not everyone can keep an animal in the house: such an unpleasant disease as allergies cannot be ruled out.

Can you be allergic to chinchilla?

Many allergy sufferers, who are diagnosed with intolerance to fur, saliva, and particles of the epidermis of dogs and cats, believe that such problems will not arise with a chinchilla. There are some reasons for such a statement. Although the distinctive feature of the animal is its luxurious thick fur, there is no increased sensitivity to it. A chinchilla does not lick itself like a cat, which means saliva does not wet the fur. She has no sebaceous or sweat glands. The wool will not spread around the house, since rodents hardly shed.

The main allergens are proteins contained in saliva, excrement, skin particles, and chinchilla urine . When they penetrate the body, they begin to be recognized as foreign. An immune reaction is launched. Immunoglobulin E and the mediator histamine begin to be synthesized in increased quantities. As a result of increased vascular permeability, swelling, rash, hyperemia and other allergic symptoms appear.

Risk factors that increase the likelihood of a problem occurring:

• childhood. In children, chinchilla allergies are diagnosed more often. The immunity of young children is most susceptible to various pathogens, and therefore the reaction is more acute;
• respiratory diseases, in particular bronchial asthma;
• reduced immunity due to long-term illness, long-term use of medications, etc.

How to make sure you are susceptible to allergies

If, after acquiring a rodent, one of the household members feels unwell, we can assume that he is allergic to the new pet. When there are good reasons to suspect this, you should contact a specialized medical institution to conduct a scratch test.

The procedure is carried out as follows. The suspected allergen is applied to the skin. A medical professional gives a special injection or scratch. The test is negative if, after a certain time, no redness or swelling appears at the site of the applied test drug.

With the appearance of a new animal in the apartment, allergies do not have to be associated with the animal itself. Some types of food that are included in a chinchilla's diet can become irritants, for example, meadow grass hay. This is a collection of dried herbs, one of which may cause discomfort. Often they are timothy and wheatgrass. Sometimes allergies are caused by the filler in the cage, the plastic from which the tray is made, toys or other attributes for furnishing the animal’s home. This problem can be solved relatively easily.

It is necessary to change all items that caused a negative reaction. Meadow hay should be prepared only from one type of grass to which the chinchilla owner is not allergic.

How does contact with an allergen occur?

A person usually encounters an irritant when he picks up an animal or puts things in order in a cage. The animal's urine is absorbed into the sawdust. When replacing them, wood dust rises. Particles of the epidermis are separated in the usual way and also penetrate the human respiratory tract. Fur, as already mentioned, does not cause allergies, but urine, saliva, and epidermis can get on it. If the owner pets the pet or plays with it, a reaction is also likely to occur.

But chinchillas are potentially less dangerous than cats and dogs. They are kept in cages, which means their ability to move is limited. Only in one place does waste products accumulate. During the day the animal usually sleeps. In addition, although he has a friendly and cheerful character, he is not as attached to humans as other pets. He is unlikely to ask to be held, lick them, crawl under the owner’s blanket, jump on the table in the kitchen, etc.

Why is it worth getting this animal?

Unlike many other rodents, this animal has the following advantages:

• chinchilla is hypoallergenic in most cases, because it has a minimum number of elements that could serve as strong allergens for humans;
• the fur and waste products of this animal do not smell of anything;
• this is a fairly silent animal that loves to sleep during the day, and can be very uncommunicative;
• with a good attitude, the animal is quite affectionate, gets along well with both adults and children;
• A hypoallergenic chinchilla is purchased at a low cost and subsequent provision of living conditions for it also does not cost the owners too much.

Allergy symptoms

For most allergy sufferers, the disease is mild. Allergies usually appear within a couple of hours, sometimes two or three days after contact with the irritant.

Characteristic features:

• severe skin itching. Children, especially young children, may scratch itchy areas. As a result, it is possible that wounds may appear where infection can easily penetrate;
• redness on the skin, swelling, peeling, possible erosion;
• small rash, blisters, spots;
• swelling of the nasal mucosa, runny nose;
• sneezing, often paroxysmal;
• shortness of breath, dry frequent cough, sore throat;
• redness of the eyes, swelling of the eyelids, lacrimation;
• headache;
• nervousness, irritability, drowsiness, dizziness, decreased appetite.

Dangerous complications are angioedema and anaphylaxis. They are immediate type reactions and require urgent intervention.

Which people are more likely to have allergies - a risk group

Young children are most susceptible to allergic reactions. This is not surprising, since the immune system in children is not yet fully developed. If this is an adult, then it is worth noting that the presence of chronic diseases significantly increases the likelihood of developing an allergic disease.

Also, the main risk group is the category of people who may suffer from diseases of the respiratory system, namely asthma.

Allergic reaction to chinchilla

Diagnostics

If allergy attacks coincide with the appearance of a chinchilla in the house, the new pet may not necessarily be the cause. There may be a reaction to the animal’s food or to the materials with which the cage is equipped. To clarify the diagnosis, you need to contact an allergist.

The doctor will determine whether the painful condition is an allergy or, for example, a common cold. A blood test is done. High levels of immunoglobulin E indicate an allergic reaction. The analysis also makes it possible to determine the specific stimulus.

A skin test may be performed:

• application - a cotton pad soaked with an irritant is applied to the skin;
• prick test – a drop of allergen is applied, then the skin is pierced with a needle;
• scarification - small scratches are made on the forearm, where the irritant is injected.

Doctors then monitor the patient's condition for half an hour. If irritation, redness, and swelling appear during this time, it means the test gave a positive result.

Where to buy?

Hypoallergenic chinchillas are sold in standard pet stores. It is not recommended to purchase animals from someone else’s hands, because in this case you can purchase an animal that is sick with something. This is fraught with the occurrence of not only an allergic reaction, but also other diseases. In order to avoid such a situation, a hypoallergenic chinchilla should be purchased exclusively from specialized pet stores, because there the animals are carefully checked and receive all the necessary vaccinations.

Treatment

The usual advice when treating allergies is to limit or eliminate contact with the irritant as much as possible. If the reaction is strong, there is nothing left to do but give the chinchilla into good hands. But if allergic manifestations are minor, you should try to have less contact with the animal.

Drug therapy

The doctor may recommend:

1. Antihistamines - Loratadine, Telfast, Kestin, Fenistil, Zyrtec, Erius, Zodak, etc.
2. Skin preparations - Bepanten, Actovegin, Vundekhil, Lorinden, Fenistil-gel, Gistan, Bepanten, etc.
3. Agents that relieve inflammation of the mucous membranes - Allergokrom, Kronasol, Cromohexal, etc.
4. Vasoconstrictor drugs – Naphthyzin, Metazon, Irifrin, Nazol, etc.
5. Corticosteroids - Hydrocortisone, Beclamethasone, Prednisolone, etc. They quickly relieve allergic symptoms, but they should not be used for long.
6. Sorbents for removing toxins – Enterosgel, Polyphepan, Filtrum, Smecta, Polysorb, etc.

ASIT

The allergen is administered subcutaneously in a tiny dosage, constantly increasing it. The body gradually gets used to the stimulus and stops reacting to it. The treatment is long-term, can last several years, but is effective.

Traditional methods

They can provoke additional allergic reactions, so they must be used with caution. It's better to get your doctor's permission first.

Recipes:

1. 1 tbsp. l. birch buds, pour 500 ml of water, boil for 20 minutes. Drink in 4 doses throughout the day.
2. Combine 1 tbsp. l. string, St. John's wort, valerian root, celandine, chamomile. Pour a liter of boiling water, boil for 10 minutes. Leave for half an hour and pour into the bath. The infusion relieves severe itching.
3. 1 tbsp. l. Place lungwort flowers in a thermos and brew 500 ml of boiling water. After a quarter of an hour, pour into glass, close the lid and wait half an hour. Drink 100-150 ml 3-4 times a day.
4. Melt 100 g of beeswax until liquid in a water bath. Add mashed boiled egg yolk and 100 ml olive oil. Stir everything as thoroughly as possible. Apply the resulting ointment to the affected skin. The composition should be stored in the refrigerator and is good for a month.
5. Eat 1 tsp daily. zabrusa (lids of honeycombs). You need to add zabrus to your food or drink it with water.

Therapeutic measures

Allergies are very difficult to cure. To improve well-being, antihistamines are prescribed. Modern drugs Loratadine, Claritin, L-Cet and Zyrtec are taken once a day. They begin to act within 15-20 minutes.

In difficult situations, doctors prescribe hormones:

• tablets (dexamethasone);
• in the form of a spray (azmacort);
• in the form of drops (alrex);
• ointments (lokoid).

An effective glucocorticosteroid drug is prednisolone.

But no treatment will have a positive effect if you do not take a set of measures aimed at the overall health of the body. Taking vitamins, a trip to the sea, proper rest, and moderate exercise lead to rapid relief from severe symptoms. We must not forget about personal hygiene and mandatory hand washing.

Prevention

If you don’t want to part with your pet, the following measures can help:

• purchase an air purifier that helps remove volatile particles that carry allergens;
• It is advisable to wear a mask when cleaning animals. It is sold in pharmacies;
• It is better to restore order in the cages with the help of a vacuum cleaner, since dust will begin to rise into the air from the brush and dustpan;
• it is necessary to wipe the cages with a wet cloth more often and ventilate the room;
• It is safer to use wood filler rather than sawdust. The filler should be changed more often;
• cages with rodents should be located away from places where people sleep.

Allergies to chinchillas are rare. As a rule, it occurs in an uncomplicated form, so for allergy sufferers, the use of preventive measures may be quite sufficient.

What causes an allergic reaction

An allergy is an individual non-perception by the human body of certain components that the immune system cannot cope with. This could be saliva or hair from a pet, as well as household chemicals, pollen of some plant crops, food products, and so on. In a healthy person, such an irritant is eliminated. But if there are problems with the immune system, this does not work, which leads to allergies. The fur of this animal itself rarely acts as an allergen.

A similar phenomenon can be caused by the following allergenic factors:

• sawdust bedding;
• protein in the skin and feces of the animal;
• pollen from grass used for food.

Find out also how much a chinchilla costs.

Does a pet cause allergies?

As mentioned above, such a domestic animal as a chinchilla is highly popular and loved by household members. Currently, there is an increasingly common opinion that the chinchilla is a hypoallergenic animal. Unfortunately, this fact is true only under certain conditions. The fact is that all waste products of chinchillas contain a small amount of protein in their chemical composition. It is this factor that can cause allergies of varying severity.