Asthma and Pets?

Question

My husband has asthma which is made worse by my African Grey Parrot. I have had the parrot for 12 years and don't want to have to get rid of him. Has anyone got any ideas on how to combat the problem

Answer 1

allergies are common, but usually when exposed to the allergie for a lenght of time u can become immune

Answer 2

as you're no doubt aware birds give off a kind of 'dust'. I had the same reaction from my parent's parrot- felt like i had flu whilst looking after it for 2 weeks while they were away. Giving up the bird is obviously not an option so try a few simple changes. Don't keep the parrot in a room where you spend alot of time eg. the living room/ bedroom. anti-hystamine is also an effective way of controlling allergy related asthma. often people develope a natural resistance to a pet after a time anyway. good luck!

Answer 3

My brother is an asthmatic and after ten years his asthma has shown no sign of improving. He has been to several doctors but they didn't help much.

If you want a proven, all-natural way to cure your asthma, without having to pay for useless medications with harmful side-effects, then this is the most important page you'll ever read.

Answer 4

ive had asthma since i was 2, and you wouldnt believe the things im allergic to, cats dogs grass pollen etc. (and yes its put me in hospital a few times)

however, one does become desensitised to irritants over wekks or months. our dogs and cats (4dogs 4 cats) dont make me sneeze or wheeze, but when i got into someone elses house...im a bunged up snot factory in minutes...

how do you know its the bird causing this reaction? youve had the bird a while, and youve been married more than a few weeks... other things can cause the same reactions. try to identify whats new around the house, different airfreshener, different deodorant, ( aerosol polish really does me in)

my wife does the blind test. i close my eyes and she wafts different bunches of flowers under my nose, if im allergic of have a reaction its instant.. and she puts them back.. (if its grown from bulb im alright, but pollenating flowers..big No No.)

the fair rule of thumb says; if your still sneezing and wheezing away from what you think is the irritant, then its not what you think. (it take me no longer than 30 mins to get a clear head)

the triggers for asthma are many fold, and its a game to find out what it is.. but once yo0u have a sysyem or method, which works for you it can save awful lot of grief.

good luck.

Answer 5

I am both an Asthma sufferer and I have done research on asthma. Your bird is giving off particles of either skin or feathers and they are being breathed in by your husband. You will make you husband sicker by keeping the bird around him. Your husband's lungs are already weak from the asthma and you will further increase his breathing problems by keeping the bird.

If I were you, I would give the bird away. If I were your husband and you did not get rid of the bird I would give you and your bird away - far away. You are hurting your husband and reducing his life span.

Answer 6

nicealban is right. I have 6 birds and four cats. I developed asthma at 24 (i'm 31 now). Its only recently that the animals have affected me. My doctor said sometimes it just happens. I was told to buy a "pet" hoover, which i have, and to clean birds out often and to spray them. I also use wooden pellet cat litter in both the cats AND bird trays, seems to help.

Answer 7

ask yourself which is more important, your husband or your parrot. Seriously its a miserable and dangerous condition to suffer from - we had to get rid of rabbit for same reason. Or if you must keep it, then do so in one room, not central to the house - perhaps the garage - and get a radiator fitted in it - that's what we did, until the rabbit ate the boiler cable!

Answer 8

first things first ,there are test to see what is causing the problem it could very well be something else.if you have someone you could get to keep the bird for about a week and you clean and disinfect the area where the bird was kept,that should give you so idea if it really is the bird;then you'll know what you have to do.

Answer 9

The fact is that his asthma will stay bad or get worse as long as you have the animal in the house. You have to make a decision, your husband's health or your pet.

Answer 10

It can be very very serious. Have a read of the story on this link that says of one girl's allergy to her cockatiel: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/manchester/5302092.stm

Maybe you could get a neightbour or a relative who lives close by to keep your parrot - that way it's out of the house so it doesn't affect your husband, but you can still see him.

Answer 11

try spraying the bird with water a couple of times a day. This will reduce the amount of dust given off his feathers which will help you. You could also try putting a bit of baby oil in the water to help keep the dust down for longer.