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Victor the polar bear gets tested for pollen allergy

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Every hay fever sufferer know how much of a struggle it has been this summer, but what if youre an animal with pollen?

Workers at Yorkshire Wildlife Park believe their polar bears Victor and Nobby may be sufferers after discovering painful abscesses on their feet.

They believe the allergic reaction happened after they moved them from a concrete bear pit enclosure to the more natural setting at the attraction near Doncaster.

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Victor, a 620 kg polar bear, is given an allergy test at the Yorkshire Wildlife Park near Doncaster after he and a smaller bear, Nobby, began suffering from abscesses on their feet. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Picture date: Wednesday August 15, 2018. A team of three vets, a nurse, three dermatologists and five more park staff were on hand to carry out tests while the bear was under sedation as experts suspected it was caused by an allergic reaction to pollen after moving from concrete bear pit enclosures elsewhere to the more natural setting at the attraction in South Yorkshire. See PA story ANIMALS Polar. Photo credit should read: Danny Lawson/PA Wire

Victor, a 97.6st polar bear, is given an allergy test at the Yorkshire Wildlife Park near Doncaster after he and a smaller bear, Nobby, began suffering from abscesses on their feet (Picture: Danny Lawson/PA Wire)

Victor, a 620 kg polar bear, is given an allergy test at the Yorkshire Wildlife Park near Doncaster after he and a smaller bear, Nobby, began suffering from abscesses on their feet. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Picture date: Wednesday August 15, 2018. A team of three vets, a nurse, three dermatologists and five more park staff were on hand to carry out tests while the bear was under sedation as experts suspected it was caused by an allergic reaction to pollen after moving from concrete bear pit enclosures elsewhere to the more natural setting at the attraction in South Yorkshire. See PA story ANIMALS Polar. Photo credit should read: Danny Lawson/PA Wire

The bear was under sedation as experts suspected it was caused by an allergic reaction to pollen (Picture: Danny Lawson/PA Wire

A team of three vets, a nurse, three dermatologists and five park workers were on hand when 97.6st (620kg) Victor was given an allergy test.

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The operation was so big that even Press Associations photographer Danny Lawson was asked to help manoeuvring Victor into a comfortable position after he had been anesthetised.

Dermatologists from Liverpool University were brought in to carry out tests on Victors skin to verify the theory.

Victor, a 620 kg polar bear, is given an allergy test at the Yorkshire Wildlife Park near Doncaster after he and a smaller bear, Nobby, began suffering from abscesses on their feet. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Picture date: Wednesday August 15, 2018. A team of three vets, a nurse, three dermatologists and five more park staff were on hand to carry out tests while the bear was under sedation as experts suspected it was caused by an allergic reaction to pollen after moving from concrete bear pit enclosures elsewhere to the more natural setting at the attraction in South Yorkshire. See PA story ANIMALS Polar. Photo credit should read: Danny Lawson/PA Wire

A team of three vets, a nurse, three dermatologists and five more park staff were on hand to carry out tests (Picture: Danny Lawson/PA Wire)

Victor, a 620 kg polar bear, is given an allergy test at the Yorkshire Wildlife Park near Doncaster after he and a smaller bear, Nobby, began suffering from abscesses on their feet. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Picture date: Wednesday August 15, 2018. A team of three vets, a nurse, three dermatologists and five more park staff were on hand to carry out tests while the bear was under sedation as experts suspected it was caused by an allergic reaction to pollen after moving from concrete bear pit enclosures elsewhere to the more natural setting at the attraction in South Yorkshire. See PA story ANIMALS Polar. Photo credit should read: Danny Lawson/PA Wire

They believe the polar bears have suffered an allergic reaction to pollen after moving from concrete bear pit enclosures elsewhere to the more natural setting at the attraction in South Yorkshire (Picture: Danny Lawson/PA Wire)

Victor, a 620 kg polar bear, is given an allergy test at the Yorkshire Wildlife Park near Doncaster after he and a smaller bear, Nobby, began suffering from abscesses on their feet. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Picture date: Wednesday August 15, 2018. A team of three vets, a nurse, three dermatologists and five more park staff were on hand to carry out tests while the bear was under sedation as experts suspected it was caused by an allergic reaction to pollen after moving from concrete bear pit enclosures elsewhere to the more natural setting at the attraction in South Yorkshire. See PA story ANIMALS Polar. Photo credit should read: Danny Lawson/PA Wire

Just like humans, animals can also suffer a lot of misery and irritation from pollen allergy (Picture: Danny Lawson/PA Wire)

The results will be known in the coming days.

Animal manager Debbie Porter said: It has been a bonkers day. Victor was shaved and there are about 50 test sites on his side.

Fingers crossed we can find out which allergies he has and we can set about making life more comfortable for him.

Victor, a 620 kg polar bear, is given an allergy test at the Yorkshire Wildlife Park near Doncaster after he and a smaller bear, Nobby, began suffering from abscesses on their feet. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Picture date: Wednesday August 15, 2018. A team of three vets, a nurse, three dermatologists and five more park staff were on hand to carry out tests while the bear was under sedation as experts suspected it was caused by an allergic reaction to pollen after moving from concrete bear pit enclosures elsewhere to the more natural setting at the attraction in South Yorkshire. See PA story ANIMALS Polar. Photo credit should read: Danny Lawson/PA Wire

Victor was in a lot of discomfort due to abscesses on his feet (Picture: Danny Lawson/PA Wire)

Victor, a 620 kg polar bear, is given an allergy test at the Yorkshire Wildlife Park near Doncaster after he and a smaller bear, Nobby, began suffering from abscesses on their feet. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Picture date: Wednesday August 15, 2018. A team of three vets, a nurse, three dermatologists and five more park staff were on hand to carry out tests while the bear was under sedation as experts suspected it was caused by an allergic reaction to pollen after moving from concrete bear pit enclosures elsewhere to the more natural setting at the attraction in South Yorkshire. See PA story ANIMALS Polar. Photo credit should read: Danny Lawson/PA Wire

They are trying to find the best serum to help Victor and Nobby (Picture: Danny Lawson/PA Wire)

Ms Porter said it was often the case that bears which had previously been in sterile, frequently disinfected enclosures developed pollen allergies when they were moved to more natural quarters.

Antibiotics have previously helped, while antihistamines have not, but Ms Porter said finding the right serum for Victor and fellow sufferer Nobby was the best idea long term.

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And he seemed none the worse for the experience on Wednesday, with Ms Porter saying: Hes come around nicely, hes very calm and seems settled.

Signs your pet has pollen:

Licking or biting their paws
Lots of scratching
Red and sore looking skin, especially around eyes, ears and between paws
Shaking their head
Rubbing their ears or muzzle
Tired or lethargic, particularly on days when the pollen count is high.

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