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Post by dreamsome on Apr 22, 2011 12:41:02 GMT -5
so i wasn't sure where to post this question, but re-direct if need be! for anyone that may (or may not!) remember, i have 2 ferrets. i'm allergic to most animals with fur. i say most because some cats will bother me and some won't, some dogs will make me itchy (mostly the really short-haired ones) but some won't. i've had vienna since january of 2010 and have never had any sort of allergic reaction from her.... on the other hand, london is our newest addition since this past november and my allergies towards him started soon after. i'm just now starting to clear up from a really horrible case of contact eczema (i'm on an oral steroid). if i kiss him or snuggle him to my face, spots of my face become really flaky and itchy- chin, lips, eyes. on my body, the itch will start first and then it becomes an itchy, burning rash. has anyone had any experience with this?! i'm afraid once i finish the course of the medicine, it will all come back. i wash my hands now after i touch him but not really being able to hold him and love him the way i want is driving me insane (and i know he misses being snuggled... ) does anyone have advice or personal experience?
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Post by fearless on Apr 22, 2011 12:48:12 GMT -5
Hmmm... could you try taking Benadryl around him? Maybe it's the laundry detergent you use? I'm stumped... I feel for you though... that would drive me batty.
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Post by Heather on Apr 22, 2011 13:10:09 GMT -5
Is he eating anything different? Did that occur as soon as you got him? later? when? ciao
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Post by miamiferret2 on Apr 22, 2011 13:13:03 GMT -5
OMG i have the same exact problem!! no exaggeration. same EXACT problem!! i first developed it around 1994 when one of my ferrets was a baby. i had never had a problem like that before. the skin is itchy dry and flaky (sometimes a burning sensation) on my eyelids and on my upper lip and chest. it went away using corticosteroid creams (one called elocon prescribed by my dermatologist). according to the dermatologist i went to back then, he thought it was either eczema or he said "contact dermatitis." i have had ferrets for a looooong time (my own ferrets i've had since high school and i am in my mid 30's now ). i had some kind of test done with an allergist where they stick you with some needles and i did not have any allergies. so, i think if it is the ferrets, then i am more inclined to think that it is an issue with baby / young ferrets. i guess they secrete more oils or different oils? who knows. it is mysterious. anyway, i did not have this problem again for many years. i had other baby ferrets after him and it did not happen again. but NOW i have a young ferret named Sonny (he's 9 months old) and it is happening again! i have it on my upper lip again (underneath my nose) so i'm back to using the corticosteroid cream. for me, it clears it up right away. it doesn't come back right away either. of course, i won't stop giving him kissies (can't live without my ferret kissies ) so i'll just have to use the corticosteroid cream again. try making him a big rice dig box and maybe that will get some of the excess oils out of his fur. btw i don't know if their diet has anything to do with it bc Sonny eats freeze dried raw and my ferret back then was on a crappy purina cat kibble. my brother can't pet my ferret and rub his eyes if he does that his eye gets red and swells up and he looks like a monster. seriously, it is such a relief to hear someone else that has this problem.
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Post by muncharoo223 on Apr 22, 2011 15:10:19 GMT -5
My brother had a similar reaction when I first brought Sneakers home but onc I gave him a bath and brushed him my brother is fine with him. He just can't lay on the floor where all the ferret hair is lol
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Post by Sherry on Apr 22, 2011 19:53:14 GMT -5
Are you also allergic to dust? My husband had the same problem, we assumed he'd developed an allergy to the ferrets. Turned out I hadn't vacuumed/dusted QUITE as much as I should have been It was dust from under the sofa, etc, collecting on their fur.
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Post by dreamsome on Apr 23, 2011 15:55:44 GMT -5
thanks for the input everyone! i'd love to say that it's not him, but the spots show up only where he touches. if it was laundry detergent the spots would be everywhere! if it was dust, then vienna would make me itchy too. she's just as much (if not more!) a carpet shark as he is. i've tried benadryl with no such luck- i've also tried a prescription strength antihistamine which didn't make me tired OR make me less itchy! i have read online where contact eczema can't be helped with antihistamine pills or even with allergy shots, so i guess this would really only further support this theory. he's on raw except for the times when he occasionally steals vienna's kibble. i noticed an actual allergic reaction just a few weeks after we got him- and then the eczema started soon after. miami- i was agreeing with everything you said! the dermatologist said contact dermatitis too- but the word dermatitis and eczema are actually interchangeable. the spots only arise where actual ferret-to-skin contact has occurred and it becomes itchy, flaky/scaly, and at their worst points actually burns. when you mention the fact it has only happened with baby boys, it makes me wonder if this has some validity to it, as london will be 9 months old in may! he does smell a lot stronger than vienna does (even his pee). at what point (or age, rather) did the boys stop making you itch?! this gives me hope! i'm going to attempt to attach a picture- it was taken this past monday after i went to the dr's for a THIRD time. i was finally correctly diagnosed and the spots are pretty much all gone now. it's not pretty and felt much worse than it even looks!
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Post by Sherry on Apr 23, 2011 16:32:53 GMT -5
OMG I can't even imagine how horrible that must feel!
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Post by Deleted on Apr 23, 2011 17:12:55 GMT -5
Oh no! That looks incredibly painful
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Post by miamiferret2 on Apr 23, 2011 19:32:36 GMT -5
That is exactly what I get. Girl, I'm still itching with Sonny every so often! I did not have this prob with Sonny when I first brought him home (late september of 2010). It started after he was 6-7 months old maybe (I brought him home at about 8-9 weeks). and i usually get it under my nose. With Al, I got him in November 1994, he was about 7-8 weeks. The issues started in the spring (approx) and got worse during summer. i had a total panic attack at work one day because of it. i was so miserable. I remember that by the time he Al was 1.5 years (or 2 yrs old) I did not have the problem anymore like before. i hardly ever got it. when i did get it, it was mostly in spring or summer, on the eyelids and under my nose and i always used the cream and it went away. BUT i would also give Al a bath once a month (i know that is not recommended but i had to do it and it seemed to help). with Al, I looked like your pic in the beginning (only it was also on my face and eyelids). with sonny, every few days I take a washcloth, wet it with plain water and rub him down to take some of the oils off of him. It has only happened to me with a few of my ferrets. that is the mysterious part of it. BTW I think some ferrets are just more oily than others. i def think its their oils or something. My Sonny is an oily little boy! Do the wet washcloth rubdown every day & tell me if it helps. Question: does he lick you? i notice that when Al licked me it felt tingly and i had like a burning sensation where his saliva was. Sonny does the same thing and it feels the same way. his saliva has a weird reaction on my skin. again, i have had many other ferrets (even babies) and this has not happened. i have had boys too. Did you ever have it on your eyes? With my ferret Al it was so bad is wake up with severely puffy swollen eyes. i would also not use the oral steroids. the creams work better IMO. it clears it up immediately. the one i use has mometasone furoate in it. its a steroid cream. they use it on people with psoriasis. that stuff works great. @ Jackie yes it is painful and it burns. Then your skin flakes off. Sweat/heat makes it worse.
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Post by Sherry on Apr 23, 2011 19:47:06 GMT -5
Dreamsome- how old was London when this started to flair up?
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Post by Deleted on Apr 23, 2011 21:24:34 GMT -5
holy cow!!! I would try some extra (salmon) oil and a daily brushing to keep the dander down.
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Post by miamiferret2 on Apr 23, 2011 21:43:13 GMT -5
I always thought ferrets didn't have dander?
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Post by Sherry on Apr 23, 2011 21:55:23 GMT -5
Depends on what they are being fed. The drier the skin, the more dander.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 24, 2011 14:57:36 GMT -5
Depends on what they are being fed. The drier the skin, the more dander. so if they are not getting enough fats in their diet they will in turn have drier skin, be itchier (if that is even possible) and have more dander...
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