[Gpdd] [Misc] the Allergic to Guinea Pigs controversy

[Susi Eastin]

Hi All -  PLEASE forgive me for not posting for so long, but have
  been very limited on time online at work the past month or so,
  still not online at home (I know, I know!)
  But this post came to me via another piggie group (members of
  the ACBA who also show their cavies), I thought you might
  find it interesting, considering how much it has come up.  Just
  a different twist . . .
  Susi & the Okie Piggies
   
  "This is interesting, so I thought I'd pass it on, and see if anyone 
  had any thoughts on the subject...
My neighbor is allergic to cavies, but not quite the way you would 
  think. She had a cavy growing up, but she had a reaction to it so 
  she had to give it away. At that point, everyone thought it was that 
  she was allergic to the pine shavings that was used in its cage. 
She has 2 daughters, who want cavies, but can't because of the 
  mother's reaction to them. Her daughters come to my house to 
  be with my cavy crew (there are certainly enough of them!). The 
  mother has been over too, and she's even held them. I told her 
  that I don't use pine, I use either the karefresh bedding (recycled 
  paper), or recycled cardboard pellets (I was using the pellets at 
  the time). She didn't have any kind of reaction until she was
  holding my youngest male aby (him and his brother are the "true" 
  abys. My others are handled often enough that they are calm 
  while being handled). What I noticed afterwards is that the place 
  where she got hives, with swelling too, was where he had scratched her.
So she must be allergic to something else in the cage that gets 
  under my abys nails, could even be their urine or feces. Even 
  when a cavy bites her, she doesn't have any kind of reaction.
She's a substitute teacher at an elementary school, where there 
  are many cavies. When she subs, and there are cavies in the 
  room, she doesnt have any kind of reaction to them. Her daughters 
  have brought home their class cavy over holidays, and the only 
  time the mother has a reaction is when she is scratched by the 
  cavy. I cut the cavy's nails down as far as I could, which cut back 
  on the amount of times she was scratched, it seemed to help her a little.".
   
   

       
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