Bumps

[jennimon]

So we took our pup outside to potty last night and when he came back in we noticed he was starting to become covered in bumps. A close examination under his fur showed that they were red and obviously starting to become itchy.

We called the vet, they said to give him a cold bath and Benadryl. We did that and the bumps subsided slightly and he stopped itching so much.

This morning there is slight visible evidence of the bumps and he is still itching like mad. We called the vet and they said no Benadryl, but bring him in for an antihistamine. My husband asked how important it was and they said they could not tell us.

Anyway, what we're wondering is why he just now started this allergic reaction. We had taken him out in the grass in our backyard since we got him and this hasn't happened before. Could he have been stung or bit?

Has anyone else had this problem? Is it o.k. to give him more Benadryl? We can't take him to the vet because my car is completely dead. I can't even get in it in order for it to get a jump.

Poor guy is so frustrated by the itching, I can tell.


He is five months old. We have let the grass go a bit and it needs mowed, so it is long (will be fixed soon).

 

[BoxerRiggo]

I would take the advise from your vet, they are the professional here. From my experience Riggo had the same reaction when he was a puppy but it was due to new beef treats I was giving him. I thought they were "bug bites" because tahts what they looked like, then they would scab over and a little bit of hair would come out around the area.

Have you changed food or given any new treats lately? It does sound like an allergic reaction and by the way bendryl is an antihistamine! They will probably just give him a shot of benedryl and some steroids but make sure you follow up with your vet. It could be somthing more serious, you never know.

-Courtney and Riggo.

 

[jennimon]

We changed his food a week or two ago and he's been eating the same treats for a long time now.

His bumps or hives haven't scabbed over or anything. They were just raised, red bumps that itched him.

I know Benadryl is an antihistamine which is why I was confused when they forbade Benadryl in order to give him an antihistamine... I don't know.

If he isn't doing better by the time the husband gets off work we'll probably take him to the vet. He has definitely improved since last night, so that's good.

 

[BoxerRiggo]

What was the reason for changing his food, that really makes me think it is a food allergy. Glad he is doing a bit better

 

[j'adoreboxer]

I came home one afternoon to find Solomon covered in bumps and his face swelling. Right away I knew he was having a reaction to something. So I called the vet for a dosing of Benadry. Per my vet he was given 250mg of Benadryl and we were told to watch him. And watch we did. The hives went down and so did the swelling in his face. The only thing we could think of is he must of been stung by a bee. By the next morning the hives had returned and by this point I was thinking clearly and knew to give 1mg of Benadryl per 1lb of dog. So 50mg was administered.

Fast forward, Solo was stung a second time and it was much worse. He was rushed to the ER vet on Easter because he was going into shock. Stupid bees!

Needless to say I would say that the Benadryl is safe to give unless you notice the dog going into shock (white gums, lathargic, white haws, decreased heart rate, ect.).

We now keep liquid and capsule Benadryl in our doggie ER kit.

 

[LILYLARUE]

I would get the pooch to the vet as soon as you can. The first episode is always scary and until you have an answer to what set it off.....the vet is the only one I would rely on answers for.

Lily is terribly allergic to bee/wasp stings. Pics of her hives in our pic album. I give her benedryl as soon as I see any symptoms. Then a call to the vet and a quick drop-in for a steroid shot. Last year I got an exterminator in to dust the house inside and out. I have a few pine trees which the wasps love to hang around trying to outwit the locusts. Silly Lily will stick her nose in the hole the locust went into only to get stung on the nose by a locust killing wasp! Since the dusting and the hatching of the locusts last fall, we have had not one episode/sting. But this year wasps and bees are horrible, so thinking several visits to the vet are gonna be on the calendar. Sigh.....why won't they learn?

Bella, on the other hand has severe food allergies. She used to be covered in red bumps/rash and itch to no end. We eliminated all the symptoms by going raw fed.

I hope you find a simple and easy answer. Good luck.

 

[jennimon]

Mac is back

Well, we did end up taking him to the vet. He just wasn't getting better and he was so miserable. They're pretty sure it was a wasp/bee/hornet/whatever sting.
They kept him overnight and gave us some daily meds for a while. We didn't know what to do with ourselves when he was gone! So depressing.

But he's better now. The first thing he did upon entering home was attack the cat, just like his old self.

Thanks for the replies!

 

[korismom]

Great

Glad to hear he is better! Just the other night my husband came home and took Lori out of her kennel and she had the bumps too! Fortunately Benadryl and a cool bath worked and they were gone 24 hours later but glad to hear your guy is better now!

 

[BxrMommieNAZ]

Are mosquitos starting where you are yet? I know last year around late June when mosquitos started for us my boy had a good 40 mosquito bites on him (he's white so I could actually SEE the mosquitos) and they ended up swelling up to the size of a dime or so each. They lasted 36 hours or so and itched but went away. I now use doggie bug spray on him in the summer months when he goes out anytime after around 5:00 PM.

Just a thought, especially since you said your grass was longer, mosquitos LOVE longer grass.

 

[kezho]

Our Westley gets allergies every year during spring, summer and fall. I think his reaction is to cut grass and pollen. He gets little red bumps on his back. They don't seem to bother him too much and the Benadryl helps. We have just gotten used to them being a fact of life.