There have been quite a lot of posts lately about ferret allergies, so I'm
going to try and say only those things that AREN'T redundant!  We've had
ferrets for 4 years, even with my husband's allergic-asthma; we haven't done
all the things I'm about to suggest, because we haven't needed to, but they
may help people worse off than we were.
 
1.  Allergies to animals will be worse when other allergies are worse.
People are rarely allergic to one thing, and this is the case where the
whole is much greater than the sum of the parts - 2 small allergens can
result in a case of allergies that is far worse than double what either one
alone would cause.  Because of this, getting rid of even a lesser allergen
can make a HUGE difference in symptoms.  My husband was living in Delaware
for awhile (a horrible place for allergy sufferers!), and his allergy to
just the one ferret we had at the time was so bad that was on some VERY
heavy-duty inhalents 8x/day.  Now we're in Buffalo, and although its only 2
years later, we have 3 ferrets and a dog, and Dave never has to use his
inhalent unless we're visiting a friend with cats.  This info probably isn't
much of a help to someone who's currently having trouble, but its something
to remember for people who are currently living with ferrets and allergies
and may consider moving in the future - you could find that a move across
country makes a HUGE difference, and the ferrets you happily are living with
now may become close to impossible to live with somewhere else.
 
2.  There are lots of allergy medications out there, if you don't mind being
on medication.  They are amazingly helpful, and can completely get rid of
many symptoms.  Don't be afraid to see an allergist, and don't be afraid to
stand up and refuse to give up your pets.  But antihistamines require time
to build up - while you can take things like Benadryl when you have trouble,
most antihistamines work better when you've been taking them for several
days first.  Thus, they work better as preventatives, taken regularly, than
they do as treatments, taken occaisonally.  This means you may need to be
prepared to take medication very regularly, even when you're not suffering
symptoms - and whether you're willing to do that is something only you can
say.
 
3.  Washing the ferrets' bedding is probably more helpful than washing the
ferret.  Furthermore, the ACT of bathing the ferret can set your allergies
off, since you're releasing lots of dander at once - if you have a
spouse/significant other/roommate/friend who can do the bathing when
necessary, ASK.  And if they can do the vaccuuming, too, even better.
 
4.  Get a vaccuum that gets the dander; most simply fling it into the air.
There are specially made vaccuums, but for far less money you can just buy
specially made vaccuum bags for your regular vaccuum - these bags simply
trap more of the dander.  They cost more than regular bags, but can be a big
help.  You probably need to order these from an allergy supply place - there
are companies that specialize in these products!  Also, there are filters
you can put in your heater to prevent it from throwing around dander.  And,
has been already mentioned, HEPA air filters make a huge difference.  Also,
if at all possible, make your bedroom a FFZ.  If you have a decent sized
house, you probably spend more time in there than in any other room.  If
your ferrets run all over the bed, you're sleeping with your nose in their
dander.  I know its wonderful to be able to sleep with your ferrets, but
having at least 8 hours of the day relatively free from dander makes a huge
difference.
 
5.  While its true that there are no commercial allergy tests for ferrets,
any allergist worth his salt can test for it.  All that those little needles
have are the allergen itself and a liquid thats carrying it.  It isn't as
sophisticated a test as the commercial ones, but if you bring a snippet of
ferret hair in, your allergist should be able to use that to test you.
[Remember, though - you could be allergic to the ferret shampoo you use, for
instance, and since this would be on the ferret hair, you'd still react.]
Also, if you can find an allergist who is an animal lover himself or
herself, you're far better off.  Many will refuse to help you find a way to
live with the animal; you may need to search to find one who is accepting of
this.
 
6.  Treat any other types of allergies you have.  For instance, if you're
allergic to dust mites, get new pillows and wash the sheets more often.  Or,
get those bed sheets and pillow cases that have a plastic coating on one
side - this prevents the dust mites' droppings (the true source of the
allergy) from getting to you from the mattress and pillow (where they live).
 
(NOTE - no, I don't have any connection with those companies that make
allergy- related products!  I just have a lot of literature from a time when
our allergies were much worse than they are now.  If anyone needs some
names/phone numbers for companies, let me know - but you can probably find
most of those things locally if you search for them.  Your allergist would
also have more current info than I would, I'm sure!).
 
-Rochelle Newman
[Posted in FML issue 1278]