Allergies

[Stasia]

I posted a message about thinking about getting a bird, which sort of leads me to a new topic that I would love some opinions on if anyone has some. I am allergic to cats and dogs, but have never had a bird so I don't know if I'm allergic. I also so have asthma, so I am hoping they wouldn't make that worse. Anyone here know much about how likely it would be to allergic to a bird? Anybody allergic to dogs and cats, but found birds don't bother them? Thanks for any advice!

Stasia

[BirdzRmylife]

Hello Stasia,
I AM allergic to cats, occasionally dogs, and come from a gene pool filled with air related allergies.

I however am not allergic to birds,...yet lol. Although, I do not have asthma, my sister does however, and she does not react to any of my five fids(two are cockatiels) .

To be on the safe side, I would stay away from birds who produce a fine dust like dander in which helps keep them self clean. The three main parrots that produce this dust are cockatiels, cockatoos, and African greys.

There are some things you can do to keep your allergies to a minimum, with owning birds. Keeping things clean, and disenfected is a biggy. Clean any noticable droppings daily. Change your birds cage lineing papers daily. When changing the paper, spray the papers with a diluted mixture of Grape fruit seed extract- a disenfectant. This will not only make the bird dander/ bird droppings dust stick to the paper, you'll also help clean the bottom.

Bird droppings, along with bird dander are going to be the greatest causes in my opinion of a allergic reaction.

Another purchase you can make is a HEPA air filter/s. These filters will help create a cleaner air filled environment lessing an allergic reaction.

After all this, the only last point I thought I'd mention is in owning a large amount of birds(accumulating over the years), you can obtain a SERIOUS condition where you will become severely allergic to bird dander. I'm assuming this condition would be greater for a bird person with asthma.

However in saying this, if you take all the right precautions, you can MOST LIKELY live a healthy, happy life with a featehred companion. I would recommend visiting various bird breeders, and petstores, seeing if you do obtain a reaction to bird dander.

Steven

[Stasia]

Thanks for all the helpful information! I really appreciate it :)

Stasia

[BirdzRmylife]

Your Welcome :icon_smil

[danforth3]

I have asthma and air borne allergies. Birds have never bothered me like dogs and cats can.

[Merkuri]

If you are really in doubt, you may want to go to an allergist and get a prick-test done. Basically they draw a grid on your back and then prick you with different allergy-causing substances. It doesn't really hurt, it's like being pricked with a sewing needle a few times, your back isn't sensitive enough for it to make a big impression. Based on which parts of your back get bumps they determine what you're allergic to, and how serious it is. That way you could determine whether you're allergic to birds or not. I had this done a while ago. I'm deathly allergic to cats and dogs, but not at all with birds.

[BirdzRmylife]

Merkuri,.... do they have a prick with "bird" in it? I know that they have pricks with dust mite, fungi, cat, and dog init but I wasn't aware that bird was part of the prick test...

[peeker]

They don't have a "prick" test for birds, but your doctor can do a blood draw and have it tested. I have allergies and asthema, but I am not bothered by my birds. I have noticed problems at bird shows and specifically around the dusty 3-'toos 'teils and greys. My doctor sent a blood sample to Johns Hopkins and had me tested specifically for the birds I have and I came up negative-Halelluyah!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!