Itchy eyes every time you clean out the hutch? Rabbits are one of the most popular pets in Europe, and their proteins travel just like cat allergen does. Our test checks your blood for IgE sensitisation to three rabbit proteins as part of 300 allergens and allergen components, so you can see rabbit next to hay pollen, cat and dust mite in one result.
Rabbits shed allergen-carrying proteins from their fur, skin and saliva, and in urine. When a rabbit grooms, these proteins dry on its coat and come off as fine dust. Cleaning a hutch or changing litter puts a lot of it into the air at once.
Indoor rabbits spread allergen through the whole home, much like a cat. Rabbit allergy is also a long-known problem for people who work with laboratory animals.
Typical reports are sneezing, a runny or blocked nose and itchy, watery eyes after handling a rabbit or cleaning its cage. Some people get red, itchy welts where a rabbit has scratched or licked them. People with asthma may notice a tight chest or cough.
Rabbit owners also handle hay every day. Hay carries grass pollen, dust and mould, so a reaction at the hutch is not always about the rabbit. Testing rabbit, grass pollen, storage mites and moulds on one panel helps you separate them.
Ory c 3, a major rabbit allergen, is built much like the main cat allergen Fel d 1. Even so, research found no IgE cross-reactivity between the two. A rabbit result and a cat result are separate findings.
Many people with one furry-animal sensitisation have others too, often because they have met several animals. The panel lists rabbit, cat, dog, horse, guinea pig, hamster, mouse and rat separately, so you see the whole picture.
From your finger-prick sample, the lab measures IgE to three single rabbit proteins (molecular components) and to rabbit meat, as part of 300 allergens and allergen components. Each gets a measured value and a class from Negative to Very high.
A positive result shows sensitisation, not a confirmed allergy. If you are deciding whether to keep or adopt a rabbit, the result is a useful data point to talk through with a doctor.
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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. Rabbit proteins from fur, saliva and urine are known allergens, and they behave much like cat allergen in a home. A blood test shows whether you have IgE to rabbit proteins. Whether that explains your symptoms is a question for a doctor.
It can be either, or both. Hay carries grass pollen, storage mites and mould. Our panel tests rabbit proteins, grass pollen, storage mites and moulds in the same sample, so you can see which ones your blood reacts to.
There is no good evidence for hypoallergenic rabbit breeds. All rabbits make the same types of allergen proteins. Amounts vary between individual animals, so spending time with a specific rabbit before adopting tells you more than a breed label.
Not necessarily. The main rabbit allergen Ory c 3 is shaped like cat's Fel d 1, but research found no IgE cross-reactivity between them. The panel reports cat and rabbit separately.
