Doubling up on allergy meds?

[Michelle & Dusty]

Hi all you lovely people of FDMB! I hope you are all well and enjoying beautiful spring like weather. (And produce! Bought some local asparagus today. Mmmmmm.)

I have a question. Dusty has had allergies since I've moved to my current town (eastern WA, with lots of agriculture around). The allergies manifest in her eyes and, when they're bad, she rubs and scratches at them throughout the day. Normally I can control it pretty well with 5 mg of zyrtec a day. But with spring in full force, that 5 mg a day is just not cutting it. It may help her for a bit but by the evening she's back to rubbing and scratching. I've tried halving the dose and giving her 2.5 mg twice a day and that's also not really helping. I just bought some claritin and it looks to be working just about like the zyrtec. Effective for a while but definitely not for a full day.

I know we aren't supposed to give more than 5 mg of either medicine a day. I can imagine it may be hard on her organs, which are already being strained by the diabetes. But would it be terrible to give her 5 mg of zyrtec in the morning and 5 mg of claritin in the evenings? Since they're different medicines, I'm hoping that this could perhaps be the solution to her itchy eye problem. But I don't want to do something that could hurt her, either in the short or long run. Any thoughts? Or have there been other types of medicine that have helped your kitties with allergies? (FWIW, steroid medications are out. She's got a longstanding fungal infection that may flare up with steroids and it's not really worth the risk for something like seasonal allergies.)

Thanks!
-Michelle

 

[Hillary & Maui (GA)]

you could try using chlorpheniramine maleate - the smallest it comes is 4 mg and give 1/2 a pill. you may need a scrip for it, check with the pharmacy and your vet if this is a good alternative.

 

[BJM]

If you've had windows open, stop, as it lets in pollen.
Damp mop any smooth surfaces to remove allergen which made it into the home.
Vacuum using a HEPA filtered bag (if youa HEPA vacuum, so much the better).
Damp wipe the cat to get any allergen off of her.
Sterile, moisturizing, preservative-free eye drops (ex Systane), may help rinse the goo from the eyes and secondarily from the nose.
Maybe ask the vet for Rx eye drops.
Wash bedding and drapes in the hottest water they can take to denature any allergen proteins.
Use slip covers or allergy covers for pillows, bedding, etc. This will reduce the accumulation into these.

 

[Michelle & Dusty]

Thanks Hillary and BJM!

Hillary - I've got an appt with my vet at the end of next week (for routine bloodwork and such) and will mention it then and, if I need a prescription, I'm sure she'll be happy to give it to me. Thanks for the recommendation!

BJM - thanks for the reminder of how to get rid of some of the allergens that are entering and settling in the house! I've tried to keep things pretty closed up and clean. It's near the end of the semester for me and once classes actually end (middle of next week) I plan to do a proper spring cleaning once it gets over and grades are turned in. (FWIW, I have a Dyson. Not sure if it's HEPA, but it is a canister that I empty into a bag outside (to prevent all that dust from just blowing back up into the house). It *does* work amazingly, though!)

 

[Hillary & Maui (GA)]

if you have a furnace/central air unit that uses a filter - change the filter now and get one that is the highest possible to catch all allergens, etc.

 

[Michelle & Dusty]

Good call! I rent, so normally that sort of thing is taken care of by my landlady...but I can probably venture down into the dark and slightly creepy crawl space to check out the type of filter I'm using. I don't have central AC, so pretty soon this won't be too much of a problem...but the furnace does still kick on at night sometimes, so it will be worth changing out regardless.

 

[Hillary & Maui (GA)]

typically it is recommended to change the filter every 3 months. However, depending on how many units your furnace is servicing, it may need to be changed more often (like monthly). Those things can get really dirty really fast and then you are breathing that dirt in daily. And when I rented, I found that my landlords only changed my filter twice a year and they used the cheapest filter out there that had such huge holes in it, I was surprised it was considered a filter. When I realized what they were doing (or rather not doing), I started buying them and the better quality ones (1500 as compared to 800) that captured nothing, and changing them quarterly.

Another thing you may want to look for is an air purifier. It comes in all sizes and price points and will help to filter the air within your apartment and further help to keep it clean. And the good thing about these units, they are portable, so you can hook it up in any room and take it with you when you move.