how to handle pet allergies?

[MowMow]

Originally Posted by praline

I am not thrilled with this nose spray. It works but OMG does it burn
I think sticking a red hot poker up my nose would hurt less. LOL

I could gladly deal with the pain but I was really upset when I realized I couldn't smell the scented candle I had lit. I kept thinking it was the candles and burned a LOT of them right in a row. I had company stop by and they commented that my apartment stunk to high heaven of candles..... it did?

I stopped using it right then and haven't gone back.

[praline]

I was reading about candles just a little while ago. I love LOVE Yankee Candles (lavender lemon is my fav) it seems for allergy sufferers regular candles are bad news. They release chemicals in the air that can make allergies worse. Beeswax candles are the way to go for allergies. They actually clean the air with the whole negative ion factor.

I haven't tried it yet but there are lots of google sites explaining the use of beeswax for cleaning the air.

Something else I read on was those Himalayan salt lamps. They are really cool looking and the salt naturally filters the air. I haven't bought one but I am thinking about it. If nothing else, they put out a nice warm glow lol

[doodlebug]

You might just want to hold on a bit and not go crazy with this. When I brought Kobi into the house...going from 2 to 3 cats...the first few months my allergies really went crazy. But I eventually adjusted to having the extra hair/dander in the house.

I do take a Claritin every night (before bed works better for me than morning). Zyrtec is even better, but I didn't like the way it made me feel (lack of energy).

[spockally]

Thank you for attaching the sites for the light bulbs and air purifier. Let us know how you like these so I can try them as well! I agree with changing the environment first to avoid medication. If you can control your symptoms by changing the air or environment, it is much better than being on that nose spray! I will definitely try the beeswax candle! I read that air refreshner or strong smell, of course perfume, are not good for allergy suffers, especially if one has asthma (my son has mild one as well). However, if this beeswax does such a good thing to the air, that sounds great! Oh, one more thing.... combing kitties' hair will help but please let somebody else in your house do it, instead of you doing it allergy suffers should not do that, I read. Hope you do not rely on the nose spray

[spockally]

I agree about Zyrtec. It helped my son's nose to keep dry but he was not himself. He was not in good mood and easily irritated. As Doodlebug mentioned, maybe he felt tired due to Zyrtec. I stopped giving him any medication and changed the environment to see how he will be. so far so good! Of course, once he goes back to school and pollen season start next spring, who knows.....

[praline]

Originally Posted by doodlebug

You might just want to hold on a bit and not go crazy with this. When I brought Kobi into the house...going from 2 to 3 cats...the first few months my allergies really went crazy. But I eventually adjusted to having the extra hair/dander in the house.

I do take a Claritin every night (before bed works better for me than morning). Zyrtec is even better, but I didn't like the way it made me feel (lack of energy).

Its not just the kittens. I have suffered for years with allergies. I always thought they were due to outdoor stuff such as pollen and spores. In New Orleans we have oak pollen that is yellow that covers everything outside ...every car is yellow lol Most people in my area have outdoor allergies so I never got tested on what exactly was giving me problems. I just took the allergy meds. I am getting older and I don't want to live on meds as everyday you hear something else bad about some script or another.


The only thing I have bought were the 2 air purifiers as they got really high reviews from sites I looked at and are cheap for purifiers. The other stuff I am looking into but haven't gotten yet. I am more or less educating myself as to what is out there along with areas that I might need to cover in the house, cleaning a bit better. I am pretty OCD when it comes to cleaning but there is always room for improvement

[praline]

Here is one of many of those salt lamps.

Amazon.com: Salt Lamps - Four Pack of Fire Bowl Lamps: Home Improvement

Amazon.com: Salt Lamps - Four Pack of Fire Bowl Lamps: Home Improvement

Though they have about a billion different sizes and shapes if you google it.
They have a nice warm glow to them and are rather relaxing. They have carved ones like that bowl and natural shaped ones. They give off such a pretty light ~ like a candle but are safer and clean the air with that pretty glow.

[Braxen]

My SO is super allergic to cats. If we haven't vacuumed recently or Finnick lays too close to her face, her throat begins to close up and she wheezes. We did research on what to do about it. Most allergy websites state to get rid of the animal, but a few stated that you will eventually get accustomed to your pet's dander. They also can produce an allergy shot that you take once a month that eventually gets rid of your allergy for good, but it only works for your certain pets as they mix in their oils or whatnot. I'm not sure how it works, but perhaps you can look into that if your allergies get worse or nothing is working.

My SO and I both take the Zyrtec. It does make me tired as well, but it's the only thing I can take thanks to a heart condition. It doesn't work as well for my SO though, so I'd just suggest something else. Cleaning, too, is always good and trying what everyone else said. We also don't let Finnick come into our room a lot so that she has a "safe haven," so to speak, from all the cat allergens. You might give this a try, but I could see how this wouldn't be very possible (or practical).

Good luck! Tell us if that such works. I'd love to know too. I feel bad for my SO and would like alternative options besides medicine.