Anaphylactic shock

[LilPeanut]

Hi guys! My 9-month old pup is a magnet for disaster, we are at the vet's every darn week! Yesterday Kaya got into something/got stung/got bitten (???), and went into anaphylactic shock. She vomited, stopped moving/reacting to me, her gums and tongue turned almost white, and she was panting. I ran her to the ER, where they treated her with fluids and allergy shots. She is OK now, but I'm so afraid it will happen again! She has had massive hives before, and massive facial swelling too, most probably from bee stings/spider bites. But yesterday, the whole shock thing really scared the socks off of me! (Not to mention how EXPENSIVE these ER trips are!!)

My question is, does anybody else have a super-sensitive/allergic boxer, too? I'm thinking of ripping out all my groundcover, to get rid of all these pests/insects! Left alone inside for more than 5 hrs, she chews & rips our furniture. What to do???? Is there training to teach dogs to stay away from insects? (I know there is snake shock-training) Any help, any ideas??? Help me brainstorm!! Silly or far-fetched ideas, anything is welcome!! PLEASE!!!??

 

[Vela]

Shock training to stay away from snakes??? Thankfully I have never heard of that....

 

[matilda8255]

I suggest getting your baby a crate. For the insects outside the only thing I can think of is buying a bug zapper. Hope she is feeling better.

Stephanie

 

[Karen J.]

Both of my boys are allergic to bee stings. After Apollo's first experience (which was very similiar to what Kaya went through), we keep Benadryl on hand at all times. Ajax decided to eat a bee last week and we gave him Benadryl right away and it worked. They'll never stop being intrigued by flying, stinging insects so we just watch closely while they are outside.

 

[Zannie]

i think you need to keep her in a crate when you can't be with her and yes you can train her to stay away from things the leave it comand is a good one take her to a good training at 9 months old she can get in alot of trouble better to train her now than later

good luck ann

 

[DixieDiana]

Get some Benedryl and keep it handy at all times.
At the first sign of an allergy thing going on....give a dose, then follow up with additional doses as needed every 8 to 12 hours.
I have to keep it on hand ALL the time. Mabelline had hives a week and a half ago and Maggie had them last Friday :rolleyes: .
I don't know what I would do without Benedryl!!

 

[Layla's Mom]

I have a question regarding this post-Layla my 9 mo old was just in the ER this past weekend as she experienced her first allergic reaction and had the face swelling as well.

I now will keep benedryl on hand at all times, but I did not know of anaphylactic shock before reading this. My question is, I was going to give the benedryl once I saw the reaction beginning, but now I am afraid not to take her to the ER as I am sure her potential next reaction will also have the face swelling and how do you know when to just give benedryl and when to seek medical help, other than waiting for difficulty in breathing to begin, which of course I would not want to wait for.

Thanks,
Taryn

 

[LilPeanut]

Thanks so much for the replies!!! I have to speak with the vet again (I pay him enough, I deserve some serious conversations!), and find out if anaphylactic shock just gets worse and worse each time she "gets into" something. From what I understand, once a dog gets exposed to an allergen, like bee venom, they are sensitized to it, and may go into shock next time around. ? I think? Doc also said Kaya could be a super-allergic dog.

Layla's Mom, regarding being scared that Benadryl is not enough, I think it could work for hives or minor facial swelling. However, major facial swelling (like if their eyes close), or anaphylactic shock (white gums), the doc told me to bring them in ASAP. No fooling around with the shock thing. It means their heart is not pumping the required oxygen through their body, and that's why they start to pant. PS, I do have an Rx for an Epipen, I am going to fill it & keep it around, but will plan on taking her to the ER if she ever goes into shock again.

We do have a crate, but that was a nightmare when she was little. It was a screaming, crying, pooping, peeing, ugly mad affair. She refused to be crate trained. We do have a cement doggie area/run on the side of our house, approx 20x20, with 5' fence all around. I may get a doggie house, any recommended brand or type?? But where do they pee/poop if it's all cement? Oh, I don't know, I am at my wit's end. This silly girl is such a handful. But I love her like a child. Thank you guys for your help & suggestions!! I only want the best for the lil' peanut.:D

 

[DixieDiana]

Last Friday morning I came home from work to find Maggie all bumpy and her eyes nearly swollen shut. Even her ears were swollen.
Since she was breathing normally, and was not panting, I decided to give her a Benedryl and watch her carefully for a half hour or so and see if the Benedryl would help once it had time to get in her system. It took about 30 minutes or so, but then the facial swelling slowly started getting better. I gave her a Benedryl every 12 hours for the next 3 days. It took that long for the bumps to completely go away, but the facial swelling went away totally after a couple doses.
I don't reccomend this course of action if there is any signs of difficulty breathing or if panting is involved. But I worked for a Vet for a long time, and she always said that facial swelling alone isn't a major reason for concern. It is when it is accompanied by other symptoms that it shouldn't be ignored.

 

[boxers4life2001]

When Chance was stung by a hornet/wasp???? a few years back he went into anaphylactic shock, gums white, flat out, unresponsive etc. I heard him yelp then he lifted his foot up. I checked him over and could not find anything. Within minutes he was on his side and in shock. I honestly thought I lost my baby boy. I grabbed 3 benadryl and shoved them as far down his throat as I could and tried to find a vet (we were on vacation) Since some time had passed since we found one, the vet said the only thing that saved him was the benadryl. He never did have any swelling with this reaction. A few hours later he broke out into hives but never had facial swelling.

I now carry an emergency kit for him that is filled with benadryl and injectable drugs in case it ever happens that bad again. I was told that every time he get's stung each reaction could be worse than the previous one. I NEVER NEVER let him outside without someone standing there watching him at all times. A few weeks ago while I was at work my hubby phoned to tell be Chance got stung, he saw the bee by him but it stung him before my hubby could get to him. He immediatly gave Chance his injections and everyting turned out ok (except he looked like someone punched him in the eye )

If I know we are going to be outside for awhile (if we go to the park etc...) I will give him some benadryl before we leave so he has some on hand in case he would get stung. I never leave home without benadryl or his emergency kit now. Could you possibly leave her in a room when you are not home so she would'nt have to be outside since the crate didn't work for her? I would just be really nervous leaving her in a run knowing she had the type of reaction she had!!

~Carrie~