Please take a minute and read this.

[stickfigure]

in my experience

Over the years I have seen very few cases of alergies to "tarantulas". In all cases it turned out to be an alergy to the substrate that was being used. In one case the substrate was peat moss and the child was allergic to the mold and spores generated from that. The second one was due to something in the "eco earth" product that we all know so well. So maybe you can try a different method, I would reccomend though possibly having your t's stay at a friends for a while.

FH

 

[cricket54]

We have been through this simular experience with our daughter Laura, Xanadu 1015. She developed pnuemonia the first time when she was less then 3 weeks old. Turns out she is very alergic to many things, the most being foods. She was breastfed till after she was 2 because of her alergy to milk. When I started to introduce solid foods to her around 5 mos. she seemed to react to everything. It started out with eczema, but she had a cough and cold like infections often even before this. She had asthma by the time she was 3. When she got old enough to have alergy tests, she was not alergic to dogs, cats, or birds at all which seemed weird. Lots of times the alergies are tree and flower pollen and food related. Laura was and still is alergic to milk, wheat, barley, rye, and oats and all things that have these in it. she used to be alergic to eggs, but outgrew that. She has an alergy to all citrus fruits and citric acid and tomatos. There are so many products that have all these things she was (and still is, but tolerates them more now) alergic to, that it was very hard to feed her anything she wouldn't react to.
We also found out that a Phizer Co. plant near us that had lots of corn fields near us, sprayed citric acid on their fields and made citric acid there at the plant. We think this was one of her major causes of illness. She did much better when we moved out of NC to NJ, but it didn't last long. Every so many yrs here body would cycle from severe eczema to asthma. Then as a teenager it became both. Interesting enough, her symptoms mostly go away when she is pregnant. She is now on constant steroids because of severe asthma. Actually, I never thought she would live this long, let alone be able to safely and easily have babies as she has done. My heart goes out to you and your wife. I agree, I do not thing these alergies are related to your collection at all. Its most likely food or another alergen. And yes this is a terrible experience for you and your family to go through. I guess you have already taken the baby to an alergist if you find he can't be tested yet. Its that because he is so young, the tests won't be conclusive or show any real answers yet at the younger age.

Sharon

 

[Natco]

Thank you.

I want to start out by taking a minute to thank everyone for their sound advice, and opinions. They are appreciated by my family and me more than you know. You are all such great people, and this entire community is incredible. I will try to respond to most of the questions and comments in this one post unless someone else has already addressed an issue in another post. My son has had extensive testing from many many different medical fasilities, including the University of Michigan, who are widely considered to be the best. All testing has come back completely normal. According to these tests his immune system is working fine. Although all evidence strongly points to allergies, he can not be tested until he is two years old (another year of this!):wall: I would also like to put your fears at rest, no professional has suggested any possible allergy to spiders or anything else, and there are just far too many possibilities. We are systematically eliminating any probable causes from our home (regrettably my orchid collection went in the garbage last night, ) and keeping a food journal. We have also considered mold/mildew, and insect frass. We have a forced air furnace, but I change the filter bi-weekly. The spiders have been here longer than my son has.

I had not considered the possibility of peat moss. This is very interesting, and I will promptly remove it from my substrate mixtures, although I am going to have some very unhappy animals when I have to redo 23 cages (like my adult female C. crawshai!);P I do keep NW and OW species, and will be moving all NW spiders to a friend's house for a few weeks if my son does not show signs of improvement.

I hope I have covered about every thing. I want to thank you again for your time and patience. I appreciate every response, so please do not hesitate to post anything you guys have heard of pertaining to people/spider allergies! Thanks again everyone.

Nate

 

[esotericman]

I swear...

I'm very sorry for your son's health. But the ONLY info you provide is "but all evidence strongly points to allergies".

You did not even indicate any of your son's symptoms.

Uriticating setea would not cause deep lung problems. If that is even a problem.

You should email Stan Shultz, who has been doing T's for like 40 years, AND very importantly was a researcher in a MEDICAL lab for his whole career.

schultz@ucalgary.ca

The rest of the "information" here is just guesses at best.

This shot gun approach to removing everything, including your plants really will not answer the question at hand. I would suggest a week or two in another's home, as it could simply be your detergent or dryer sheets!

 

[Becca]

Hello,

Just like to make a quick post... A friend of mine who used to keep tarantulas had to get rid of ALL OF THEM because he was just too allergic. I know he spent many times in hospital due to respiratory problems and a few times it was VERY serious. He personally thought it was from the urticating hairs, which I could understand so he got rid of all of his nw's but to no avail. In the end he got rid of all of them and this soon solved the problem. Not sure why he was allergic to them, but from what he's said I don’t think it was the u hairs... I also seem to think he had asthma... link between the two??
Another note: He did try changing the substrate but that didn't work either, coming to the conclusion that it was the t's. Shame really, but ceraintly wasn't worth risking his life for.

 

[cricket54]

Oh yesm detergent and dryer sheets can contribute to this. So can and room deodorizers, things you put in the vacume cleaner to make the room smell better, Fabreeze products especially the sprays for carpets and furniture. Laura is and was also very alergic to any nuts or products including nuts like walnuts, pinyon or just "pine nuts", cashews, any nuts but those that are legumes like peanuts. Peanuts are a very major reaction agent. As you try to identify what food he could be alergic to, you go away from it for a month, then try it again. We have a lot of mold problems in this house lately because we can't seem to get leaks under the kitchen sink to stop and wonder if that is a contributer to her alergies. Can he eat rice and rice products (some people are alergic to this too)? I fed Laura baby rice cereal and made her bread from rice flour and soy flour for yrs. Sometimes all she could eat was grits (corn) and Cream of Rice cereal. She got tired of eating baby rice cereal. She drank Prosobee formula once I weaned her which was difficult because I worried about how I would feed her and get her to survive. She was also alergic to bananas for quite a while, but outgrew that one. Laura now has a little boy who has had simular alergies, but they haven't been as serious. It seems he is outgrowing them. The Dr's kept telling me Laura will outgrow her food alergies, but she is still alergic to most of them. Her 2nd grade teacher at school called her "the little girl that can only eat tree bark". As Laura got older, she had problems with her eczema and people teasing her. At this stage, all you are hoping for is find out what things are causing this so you can avoid them, but unfortunately its going to take some time.
I am sorry you threw out your orchid collection. Not sure if that or the peat moss could really be the problem. Put the things you are worried about being the cause in a room and keep the door closed. Try that before you get rid of stuff. Please use the private messaging system on here to talk to me and my daughter just for you and your wife to vent your frustrations! I had no one to talk to when Jon, Laura, and I, were going through this, and I wanted to just jump off a bridge! Drs are only slightly helpfull. Most of the investagation is going to be on you and your wife's shoulders! Thank God you are both working on this together!

Sharon

 

[apopli]

The odds of the child being allergic to the tarantulas specifically are so insanely slim... From what you described, the T's and the baby can hardly even be considered to be in indirect contact. Allergies to the substrates used is much more likely than an allergy to the T. Especially if the substrate is kept moist, or damp.

Most likely cause? Mold. Especially if most of the illnesses are respiratory related. Hire a professional inspector. Someone that specializes in it. Have your house checked top to bottom for mold. If they find any, write down the types they've found for research purposes (some types of spores can actually live and thrive inside the lungs), and hire someone to get rid of it properly.

Meanwhile keep track of everything. What kinds of soap you use (shampoo, conditioner, hand soap, bar soap, shower gel, face soap, dish soap, laundry soap, cleaning supplies), food diaries, houseplants you have, types of clothes worn, etc. Then start eliminating things one at a time every week or so. Switch to hypoallergenic everything. 100% cotton clothes, unscented soaps, use white vinegar as your primary cleaning agent (instead of harsh household cleaners). Keep journals of each thing you eliminate and whether or not you feel there's been an improvement.

If you start tossing things nilly willy you may never pinpoint the source and could be causing a lot of hassle and paranoia for nothing.

In utero, the last thing to fully develop on a baby is the lungs. Children born with low weight to age ratio, born early, or born premature often have frequent respiratory related illnesses in the first year or two of life while things catch up. Has it been considered that his lungs were under developed?

Your description of his illnesses have been vague. Does he get respiratory infections that go away with antibiotics? Were they viral infections or bacterial? Were they labeled as something like pneumonia, bronchitis, croup (whooping cough) or something else that he simply may have caught?

But I still have my bets on mold. Before you start tossin the T's, get your house inspected. It has nothing to do with how spotless you keep things or how sealed up you think everything is. Mold is a horrible sneaky thing.

 

[Chris_Skeleton]

You do realize this thread is from 2006 right?

 

[apopli]

haha nope! browsing forums after being plagued with insomnia for 4 days = fail

 

[aquaArachnid]

Sorry to hear about your son dude.. Like people have been saying it could be mold growing somewhere.. fungus is a no bueno. Or maybe he could have an allergic reaction to roaches like your wife.. Again I give my condolences to your wife and son dude.. Hope it all works out for you

 

[curiousme]

haha nope! browsing forums after being plagued with insomnia for 4 days = fail

Bumping old threads like this is wonderful in my opinion. I haven't read this one and am glad that I have now, so thank you.

I am allergic to all things Febreeze and it will close off my windpipe. I find it interesting that someone was allergic to peat moss dust too. I have read that urticating hairs can be dangerous if they get into the lungs as well. (but nothing besides anecdotal evidence) I do wish the OP would have updated, but I do hope his son is doing better.

 

[Stan Schultz]

You do realize this thread is from 2006 right?

But the important questions haven't been answered! Was the boy allergic to tarantulas or not?

And, what finally happened to him? If he survived (gulp!), he'd be four years old or more by now. Is he still sick? A "bubble boy?"

 

[Fingolfin]

But the important questions haven't been answered! Was the boy allergic to tarantulas or not?

And, what finally happened to him? If he survived (gulp!), he'd be four years old or more by now. Is he still sick? A "bubble boy?"

I browsed his posts, his last comment in this thread is all he has had to say on the matter. Though in the months following his question he received an order for other inverts, and then another order a few months later including tarantulas. I can only assume the Ts were ruled out in his case..

 

[Musicwolf]

But the important questions haven't been answered! Was the boy allergic to tarantulas or not?

And, what finally happened to him? If he survived (gulp!), he'd be four years old or more by now. Is he still sick? A "bubble boy?"

I guess he didn't follow one of the good pieces of advice and e-mail you . . .

I browsed his posts, his last comment in this thread is all he has had to say on the matter. Though in the months following his question he received an order for other inverts, and then another order a few months later including tarantulas. I can only assume the Ts were ruled out in his case..

Good investigating work Fingolfin. Good to know that Ts apparently weren't the cause.

haha nope! browsing forums after being plagued with insomnia for 4 days = fail

lol - - well, rest assured, you weren't the only one that didn't notice the original thread date

 

[Dani87GN]

I just read this and I really hope his son is okay!! I hope they found out what was going on and were able to correct it whatever it may have been. I know what it's like to not know what's wrong with you. I had trouble swallowing food since June 2008. Never knew what was wrong with me even after seeing a few doctors. I was finally diagnosed with Achalasia in February 2010 and had surgery in April 2010 (Heller Myotomy) to relieve the symptoms. I'm happy to I'm feeling great. I really do hope his son is, too.