Your child sneezes every time the guinea pig comes out of its cage? Guinea pigs are a classic first pet, and their proteins are a known allergy trigger at home and at work. Our test checks your blood for IgE sensitisation to Cav p 1, the major guinea pig allergen, as part of 300 allergens and allergen components, alongside hay pollen, storage mites and other pets.
Guinea pigs shed allergen in their hair, dander and urine. Research has found the same major allergens in both hair and urine, so a used cage is a concentrated source. Cleaning it, or shaking out bedding, puts fine particles into the air.
The best studied guinea pig allergen is Cav p 1, a protein from the lipocalin family. Despite being a rodent, guinea pig allergen behaves as its own allergen: in research, mouse, rat and cat extracts did not block IgE binding to guinea pig.
Typical reports are sneezing, a runny nose and itchy, watery eyes when handling the animal or cleaning the cage. Some people get itchy red skin or welts on the arms after holding a guinea pig. People with asthma may notice cough or wheeze.
Guinea pigs eat hay all day, and their cages hold sawdust and bedding. Hay carries grass pollen and storage mites, so a reaction near the cage has more than one suspect. Testing all of them on one panel shows which ones your blood reacts to.
Many families keep a guinea pig next to a rabbit, a cat or a dog. People sensitised to one furry animal are often sensitised to others, mostly because they meet several of them, not because the proteins are the same.
The panel reports guinea pig, rabbit, hamster, mouse, rat, cat, dog and horse separately, so you can see which animals show up in your result.
From your finger-prick sample, the lab measures IgE to Cav p 1 as part of 300 allergens and allergen components. Grass pollen, storage mites and other pets sit on the same panel, which matters because hay and bedding bring their own allergens into the home.
A positive result shows sensitisation, not a confirmed allergy. Your report gives the value a class from Negative to Very high. A doctor can put it next to your symptoms and help you decide what it means for living with the pet.
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One finger-prick sample checks IgE to 300 allergens and allergen components, from birch and peanut to cat and house dust mite. Post it to the lab, and about 5 days after it arrives you get a value for every one. Our plain-English guide shows you how to read them. €399 in total, €1.33 per allergen.
Yes. Guinea pig proteins in hair, dander and urine are known allergens, at home and in workplaces with animals. A blood test shows whether you have IgE to the major guinea pig allergen, Cav p 1. A doctor can tell you what that means alongside your symptoms.
It can be either. Hay carries grass pollen and storage mites, and bedding can be dusty. Our panel tests guinea pig, grass pollen and storage mites in the same sample, so you can compare them in one report.
No. The test measures IgE already in your blood, so you do not need to handle the animal or clean the cage before taking the sample. For a child, talk to your paediatrician first.
Not necessarily. The proteins are different, and the panel reports guinea pig and rabbit separately. People who keep both are often sensitised to both, through exposure to each.
