Wednesday, April 3, 2013

Spring Health Report: Allergy Patterns

I am owned by a horse with allergies.

Harley started coughing last winter at the end of his thirteenth year.  After ruling out illness and infection, my vet recommended allergy testing.  His blood work came back with a long list of offending allergens and a short list of things to avoid (like apples, sorry Harley).  My horse's number #1 persistent allergy symptom is coughing.  Thankfully, he does not suffer from itching, irritated eyes, sneezing, hives, or whatever else allergies can plague us with.  As an allergy-sufferer myself, I can attest that my horse is lucky to have a short list of symptoms, however, any knowledgeable horse owner or riding enthusiast will tell you that a horse coughing is a big problem.  There is also the fact that there is no cure for allergies.  My vet tells me to think of "escalation" when I think of allergies.  Symptoms tend to worsen over time so speedy intervention is key to keeping an allergic horse comfortable.

Allergies are frustrating, because the onset of symptoms can be unpredictable, but I am well aware of the things that trigger my allergies.  When I was growing up in northern New Jersey, I had terrible seasonal allergies.  I was also allergic to dust and my two beloved cats.  I had to wear a dust mask to clean stalls or dust furniture in my bedroom or I would become a raging-sneeze machine with watering eyes and an insatiable need for tissues.  I worked on a 400-acre produce farm with hundreds of acres of sweet corn.  My allergies exploded on the days when the corn was pollinating, making it almost impossible for me to survive a work day.  When your work environment harbors offending plant-reproductive cells in the very air you are breathing, working in an open-air facility is not a good thing.  Did I mention that all of these symptoms arose while on a daily pharmaceutical for allergies?  When you have strong allergies, nothing can prevent a serious allergy attack.  Benadryl remains the only medicine that can truly halt an allergic reaction for me, but it also puts me to sleep.  Once I had to warm up Harry, the Haflinger stallion, at a horse show while in a Bendryl stupor.  I had made the mistake earlier of visiting the beautiful and immaculate show barn on the grounds.  As clean as it was, the histamine still flowed freely in veins.  I was not a happy camper.

By college, I discovered that my allergies were not limited to pollen and cat hair.  A steady diet of cafeteria food supplemented by much tastier fast food, culminated in full-body hives.  That was horrifying.  I have since discovered that sulfite preservatives were most likely the cause and I now avoid them like the plague.  Oddly my husband suffers from the same sensitivity, so we scour food labels together looking for any additive including the word or suffix "sulfite" or sulfur dioxide, which is what your body produces by metabolizing sulfite (Since sulfites are not proteins, my reaction is not a true allergy, but I describe it this way, because the suffering is the same!  Chemistry Note: "Sulfate" and "sulfite" are not the same polyatomic ions.)

Potentially Interesting Allergy Fact #1:
Sulfites are found naturally on all types of grapes and in pretty much every wine, although you can find a couple labels in liquor stores which claim not to have sulfites.  My body shows some warning signs when I have ingested sulfites (in lieu of hives) and this occurs if I eat raisins or fresh, washed grapes.  So, no more grapes for me (and I rarely drink wine).  Too bad.  Grapes and raisins are some of nature's candies.

Potentially Interesting Allergy Fact #2:
There is no such thing as a hypoallergenic dog (or cat, if those exist).  This is a hugely false assertion made by those who breed and sell poodles, Bichons, and the like.  So-called hypoallergenic dogs have hair that grows like human hair and must be groomed and trimmed regularly.  The hair sheds very little and what does shed, has to be brushed free of the rest of the dog's coat.  This might be enough to prevent an allergic response in those with mild symptoms, but strongly allergic individuals will not be so lucky.  Those of us who are allergic to animals are usually (there are always exceptions in biology) responding to the skin cells of the animal.  The hypoallergenic dog will still shed skin cells even if he or she is not leaving much hair on your floor or furniture.  The dog's saliva is also full of epidermal (skin) cells.  I get (often immediate) raised hives on my skin from a friendly lick from a dog.  As another example, my eyes itch and water and sometimes I sneeze from my in-laws' Bichon and this is just from being at their house.  I rarely touch the dog.  Before I realized that the hypoallergenic dog claim was really false, I tried to be helpful and trim their dog's coat.  I had to leave the poor guy half-trimmed, because I literally could not continue to groom him.  My allergies were that bad.

Despite my apparent allergic sensitivity to dogs, I tolerated my cats for nearly fifteen years.  Living with them dampened my allergic response and I loved them enough to ignore the constant, underlying symptoms they created.  Even as a child, I refused to give them away.  Thankfully, I am not allergic to my birds or Harley.  I really appreciate not being allergic to my own home and horse.

I wish there was a magic pill for allergies.

Speaking of Harley, this post was supposed to be about him.  The difference between me and Harley is that I could tell quite easily what was contributing to my allergic reactions, especially after repeated episodes.  If I avoided or minimized my exposure, I was mostly okay.  Since moving to southern New Jersey (far less variety of trees down here and no pet cats any longer), I do not need prescription allergy medication and I do not even take over-the-counter meds unless I have a hive attack.  Oh right, and I was never allergy-tested.  Harley, on the other hand, was allergy-tested, but it is extremely difficult to tell what will trigger his coughing.  He is mostly allergic to tree pollen, but his symptoms are not limited to high pollen or dry days.  Sometimes he coughs outside, sometimes in the barn.  There have been times when I thought the gasoline or diesel fuel vapors from an idling vehicle made him cough and other times when he did not respond to them.  I thought the same thing about a pungent hoof dressing that was being used on another horse (coughing fit).  I keep him away from all of those things just in case.  Sometimes he barely coughs for an entire ride, other times he has persistent fits and we have to cut it short.  I have watched him eat hay many times and this does not seem to make him cough (so we do not wet it down), but yesterday I let him graze a bit on succulent, new grass and he had a coughing fit.  Was it the dry leaves he pushed aside with his muzzle?  I have been searching and record-keeping for patterns, but they are so difficult to nail down.

Until now.  I think I finally have a reaction timeline.  Harley needed to go on medicine (in addition to his regular immunotherapy shots) in September, January, and now this week, in April.  Those are about four-month intervals and approximately in line with seasonal climate change and the growth that ensues.  I know that fall and spring are high pollen and mold times, but the January one still makes me scratch my head.  He had coughing trouble right after the New Year.  It was very cold.  He also had a day of coughing here and there when we had a warm spell and then it would go away when the thermostat dropped.  Isn't that weird?  I thought his airway was sensitive to the cold.  Could it be the change in temperature that bothers him?

I rode him lightly from February until the end of March with minimal symptoms.  In fact, he seemed to be coughing less and less as we approached the end of March.  And then quite suddenly on Monday, he was having multiple coughing fits and I had to start a round of medicine to get his coughing under control.  The temperature was 60 degrees and we had absolutely beautiful weather, but the pollen was high.  Grooming sent him into coughing fits on Monday and Tuesday.  I certainly hope my horse is not allergic to himself.  I am only half-joking.

What do September, January, and April all have in common that could make a sensitized airway upset?

22 comments:

  1. I have a dog with horrible allergies. The poor old guys has suffered with them his entire life. Much like Harvey, he has to go in medication anytime the seasons change, but they do not help completely. He still has really scary coughing fits.

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    1. Oh dear. Your poor pup. He and Harley are in the same boat.

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  2. Dealing with any sort of consistent medical issue - diabetes, allergies, ulcers, etc. - is really difficult, for both critters and humans! I feel for you and Harley both and I hope that this allergy season won't be too bad for either of you. I also hope that Baby Horsegirl won't be plagued with allergies!

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    1. Good point! Hopefully early exposure to a farm and animals will prevent her from developing allergies. :)

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  3. I don't think the calendar months matter as much as the weather / climate conditions in predicting allergy issues. Too many variables.

    In my area, the pine pollen is just now coating every surface. Last year it was a month earlier. And happened during a rainy period so it got washed away every few days. This time it's dry, so more bothersome. As much technology as we have, mother nature can always throw us the curve ball.

    I also can't tolerate sulfate/sulfite preservatives. They lead to giant headaches. (ate = 3 O's, ite = 2)

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    1. The changing climate does make it even more difficult to predict an already unpredictable medical issue.

      Only "sulfites" or "sulfur dioxide" are used as preservatives, not sulfates (to my knowledge at least).

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    2. The ates are in body care products usually...

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  4. no - that would be 4 O's and 3! Chemistry was a long time ago... ;D

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  5. Cassie has sweet-itch and she's prone to hives, I have hay fever and not just to grass but tree pollen too. Allergies are a drag. We've lots of sympathy for you guys!

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    1. I feel for you as well. Hives are the worst!

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  6. I feel your pain. I have to go on a steroid during Spring/Summer in order to continue working around horses. An allergy attack will put me out for a day or two. Its just plan miserable.
    Luckily dogs don't bother me if they are clean, but I can't even LOOK at a cat without having an attack.
    Poor Harley. Poor you.

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    1. Allergies are exhausting and I know what you mean about them costing you days. People who do not suffer from them really cannot relate. Prevention is the best strategy, but often impossible especially if you work with animals or on a farm.

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  7. This is so perplexingingly maddening, (I don't think that is a word) Fred is allergic to grass, to be more exact, freshly cut grass. I know this and there is no doubt that is what it is. I guess I am glad I know, but we are now coming into the miserable months, and if I don't catch it in time, the itchy rash comes. I can manage it for the most part, it just takes some planning ahead. Wiping his feet and coat off with a damp rag as soon as he comes in helps a lot.

    Not knowing and trying to unlock this awful riddle must be so frustrating. I am pretty sure with your analytical and scientific mind and careful observations your are going to be able to unlock this mystery. Hopefully soon.

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    1. Poor Fred! Being allergic to grass must be very difficult to manage. I am impressed that you are able to deal with it effectively.

      I am trying to keep careful records, but it is difficult to measure an allergic response when you are not the one suffering. Sometimes other people tell me that they saw him coughing, but I do not know if they saw normal, everyday coughing (he always has a little) or a real attack that warrants medicine. This is just one more reason that I wish I had my horse at home with me and that I could be around to keep an eye on him.

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  8. I know it's frustrating and hard to deal with allergies in both people and animals. All my children are prone to allergies, especially my son. He can't even be a in a house where they used to have cats. My husband and son both take allergy shots and they do help. The girls don't need them.

    As I mentioned before my daughter's horse Nate is in the same boat as Harley. Next week the vet will be doing allergy tests on him and see if there is something that could possibly help him. He coughs too. We've taken him to lots of places for lots of tests but no one has a solution. He seems worse in the summer with the humidity so rarely gets ridden then. I hope someday there will be a way to help their allergies that works. Good luck with Harley.

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    1. I do remember you mentioned Nate. Did you try the Cough Free?

      Harley has been taking Cough Free for months and I think that it helps under mild conditions, but cannot prevent the type of trouble he is having this week. Oddly, Harley was his best last summer during the hot and humid days. I think the humidity was nice for his airways, even though most do not enjoy it. Dryness seems to be his nemesis.

      Yet one more reason that allergies are difficult to manage. Each person/horse responds differently. I hope Nate has a better time this year.

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    2. She did try the Cough Free a while ago and said it didn't work but she's going to try it again and see what happens. We'll see what the vet has to say next week when he checks him over. Hang in there.

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  9. What you are describing in Dee does sound like a seasonal allergy. Thankfully, it also sounds very mild.

    Nothing was growing in January and it was dry. You are right; he is out 24/7, so it was not "stable cough". The only thing that stands out is temperature fluctuations and winter dryness. Those are things that can aggravate an asthmatic, I just didn't think that applied to my horse!

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  10. Ohhh, I feel your pain. My horse is also an allergy sufferer (most types of grasses, oats and some different pollens and molds) and a hard keeper. It's a management challenge that seems to be never ending. This is the time of year when I start to cringe.

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    1. This is true. I hope your horse has an easy season. Hang in there.

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  11. Allergies are VERY annoying and interesting aren't they? I just read about Spirulina helping with allergies..I give it to Laz but random and more as a power green but it's inexpensive and maybe worth looking into???? maybe?

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  12. I have looked it up and see that spirulina is actually cyanobacteria. Unfortunately, I have maxed out my supplement budget at this point.

    I have been plagued by allergies for too long to find them interesting, if you know what I mean. I wish that I knew less about them. Having a strong immune system is excellent, but an overactive immune system is not fun.

    Random science fact:
    Cyanobacteria are the number one oxygen-producers on our planet, which is yet another reason to keep our oceans and water ways clean and hospitable for them.

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