is it possible to be allergic to snakes??

I feel kind of stupid for even asking this question. But is it possible??? I'm going through a health crisis right...I haven't been able to swallow solid foods for quite some time now. I'm dropping weight, and am really weak. I have an ensoscopy scheduled for Tuesday morning to see what's going on...but in the meantime I have a friend that is convinced that I'm allergic to our little Sand Boa. This only started happening about a month after we got him and I do handle him a lot. Of course I always thought reptiles were the perfect allergy free pet???...

I don't think you can be allergic to the snake, but perhaps the bedding? I know of quite a few people who have allergies to certain beddings. So changing that up might be a good way to rule it out. Good luck! I'm sorry to hear you're having health problems :(

I'm super allergic to aspen and any kind of plant material (found out the hard way) so by default he is on sand although it's not the very best for him.

Why haven't you been able to swallow foods? And for how long exactly?
"Quite some time" translates to "weeks or months" in my head.
Does it hurt? Does it upset your stomach? Do you throw it up? You gotta be more specific.

I wanna say its probably not from your snake though. They're allergy free to my knowledge.

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Originally Posted by Mike41793

Why haven't you been able to swallow foods? And for how long exactly?
"Quite some time" translates to "weeks or months" in my head.
Does it hurt? Does it upset your stomach? Do you throw it up? You gotta be more specific.

I wanna say its probably not from your snake though. They're allergy free to my knowledge.

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I've been having trouble swallowing for about 6 weeks now. It doesn't usually hurt...food just won't go down. I dont throw up or get an upset stomach. Hopefully the endoscopy on Tuesday will help figure out what is going on. It could possibly be food allergies although I'm 36 and have never been allergic to any food....who know though!

My old boss randomly developed a nut allergy when he was about 30. It can happen. That's what I would guess.

6 weeks? Thats a long time lol. I'd make a doctors appointment and have blood work done. Shot in the dark here but, have your thyroid and levels checked out.

So, if it has been six weeks, I would guess you have tried a number of different foods? Soup or jello have the same issue? Or is it mainly more solid foods? Because although I don't want to scare you, trouble swallowing that is that severe make me think tumor or growth in your throat. You say it doesn't really hurt, and you don't get an upset stomach. Those are really ringing alarm bells hon. I hope with all my heart I am wrong, but that is what it sounds like to me. My dad had the same thing.

Gale

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Originally Posted by Naomijoy

I feel kind of stupid for even asking this question. But is it possible??? I'm going through a health crisis right...I haven't been able to swallow solid foods for quite some time now. I'm dropping weight, and am really weak. I have an ensoscopy scheduled for Tuesday morning to see what's going on...but in the meantime I have a friend that is convinced that I'm allergic to our little Sand Boa. This only started happening about a month after we got him and I do handle him a lot. Of course I always thought reptiles were the perfect allergy free pet???...

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Well, about 7 months ago I had the same kind if symptoms with dull stomach pain here and there. I went from 170 lbs to 150 lbs. Was told it may be a ulcer, so I started taking four Tums a day and I slowly got my apitite back and I could swallow foods without feeling sick. Could be a lot of things.. A endoscopy will probably solve it for you


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Generally people are not allergic to reptiles (but I guess it couldn't be impossible). The main concern with snakes (and other reptiles and amphibians) is zoonotic infections and diseases. Zoonotic diseases/infections are those diseases/infections that are transmittable to different species, namely from our pets to us humans. There's a pretty good article that goes over some conerns regarding zoonotic conditions that our reptiles can pass to us here:
http://www.exoticpetvet.net/reptile/zoonoses.html

Unfortunately your symptoms don't sound like they are related to any of the diseases listed, but it's still good for reptile keepers to be aware of these things as they can be pretty deadly to us (especially kids). This is why it's such a good idea to wash our hands after handling our reptiles and have high standards of disinfection and sanitation.

I hope your endoscopy went well, and you have some favorable answers to your concerning symptoms.

Truly,
A Certified Veterinary Technician with a fascination for zoonoses and parasites!