can you be allergic to skunk dander?

i was at a party this evening and a girl who was a vet showed up.  she had a skunk in a cage.  At first i ddin't think much of it, but after an hour of being in the same room wth it; my nose started to itch terrible and one kind of started a little twitch and itch.  so 'm just wondering if this s possible.  the reason i worry is because I stated a new medication today and am wondering if it had anything to do with that ... the skunk ... or the fact that she has cats.  i did grow up with a cat, so i find it hard to believe that i'm just now allergic to cats.  this is weird, help!

[Bhupinder Kaur, MD]

Hello,

Allergy is caused by an oversensitive immune system, which leads to a misdirected immune response. Symptoms of allergy include itching, swelling, mucus production, muscle spasms, hives, rashes, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, cramping, diarrhea and wheezing.

Yes it is possible that you can have allergy to skunks. Skunks give an offensive odour when sensing danger from a predator and you can have allergy to its dander also.

Diagnosis of allergy can be done by skin ***** tests and patch tests. In this a little amount of allergen is injected into the skin of the forearm by a doctor. The skin is closely watched for signs of a reaction, which include swelling and redness. Confirmatory diagnosis is by blood tests (RAST).

What sort of medicine sre you taking and for what symptoms? Pls elaborate.
It is possible that the symptoms that you are having are due to the new medication that you have started. But as it started after 1 hour of the party, so chances of allergy to skunks are more.

Just stay away from the skunk and take OTC antihistaminic like benadryl or zyrtec and you should be fine. But if the symptoms still persist then pls stop the new medicine and contact a doctor.

Take care and do keep us posted on how you are doing.