Max & hives...(again)

[jmb9101]

Well this morning Max woke up with hives. I have no clue what he got into this time. They were huge! I was kind of worried, because the only thing that had caused him to get hives before was his shots. And he is all done with those, so I dont know what caused them, maybe a spider bite? No clue at all. I almost stayed home from work, but they were almost gone by the time I left, I gave him some benedryl about 2 hours before I left, and he was looking better. I guess its just wierd when they get hives out of no where!

Here is a pic of him this morning at about 7.
http://www.boxerworld.com/photo/showphoto.php?photo=17815&password=&sort=1&cat=500&page=1

Im glad they were going down though. He scares me when he gets those!

 

[jmb9101]

Well I feel like a bad mom now. I went to work this morning because they were going down and seemed almost gone. Josh just called me, and I feel horrible, he said they were alot worse than this morning. I just called the vet, and she prescribed him some Prednisilone (sp?) for when he has a reaction from his shots last month, and she said just to give him two of those, and if they dont work then to bring him in. I guess I just feel really bad now because I stuck him in the crate and left, thinking they were about gone, and all day he sat in there itching like crazy im sure!:( Im sure he will forgive me, but I still feel bad! 5 is going to take forever to get here now!

 

[SC's Mom]

You are not a bad mommy! If you just put him in the crate and didn't care what his problem was--well, that would be different. You did your best and you know you never would have left if you had thought there was a problem. Don't beat yourself up over it.

Anyway, does Max sleep in bed, on a blanket, dog bed or something else? Did you use a different laundry detergent? Maybe he could have been bit by something through the night. Common house spider maybe? Truthfully, you may never know the cause and it may never happen again.

Remember, I'm sure Max won't hold any of this against you. Especially after he gets all that extra attention because you already feel guilty.

 

[jmb9101]

I know I'm not a bad mom, but I just feel like one since the benedryls didnt help him. I shouldnt have assumed that they would completely be gone from them. Well what the vet gave us she says should work. I just hope they do. And Max sleeps with us sometimes and in his crate sometimes. It all depends on how much of the bed hubby wants to spare each nite. Last nite he slept in the crate with Harlie (its a big one) and there werent any toys in there since it was sleep time, and no we havent used a different detergent since we have had him, the only other thing we use around his cage is Febreeze, and I know some dogs get reactions to it, but he has been in contact with it ever since he was 8 weeks old. Could it cause hives all of a sudden? I wouldnt think it would, but I guess you never know. The only things we can think it could have been is maybe a bug bite, or else he found something in the backyard when he went potty before bed, but too, we dont have a clue what he could have found in our backyard...its just grass. We probly will never know. Harlie got hives once out of no where, and we never figured out what caused them either, but hers werent nearly as bad as Max's.
Well hopefully he will be back to normal soon!

 

[Rott N Box]

I'm pretty sure Prednisone is what you would have been prescribed last time. It is a steroid which will help control the swelling. Maybe try giving him a different antihistimine next time, not all dogs respond to benedryl. How much did you give him and how much does he weigh? It may be that he didn't get enough of the benedryl to make a lasting difference. Also, if it was a bug of some kind maybe he got bit or ate a second one while you were gone at work, causing a second reaction. And yes, sometimes dogs can just get allergic even when they've been exposed to something all their life. Hope this isn't a recurring problem and your guy feels better soon.

 

[jmb9101]

Well last nite when I got home his hives were lower but still there...by 8 they were gone, and I was relieved. Well then it figures this morning when we woke up he was covered in them again!! Its so horrible! He saw the vet this morning at 7:30, and she doesnt seem too worried. We gave him 2 more Preds this morning when he woke up, and when she saw him, she said not to give him any more of that unless its not going away at all, but only to give it to him every 12 hours if we need it. She said for us to keep giving him benedryl every 4-6 hours even if he doesnt have hives, just to keep them away. So after the vet, we dropped Max of to Joshs mom, and she is going to watch him today for us, since we both have to work, and our bosses would not be sympathetic of a dog with hives. (Darn bosses!) So she is watching him, and she called me around 9 and said his hives were almost gone, but he still had some on his back. He is still just as active as he always is so I guess thats a good thing. He stops to itch everyonce in a while. She is going to give him another benedryl in 4 hours. The vet says just to watch him, and keep him on the benedryl (it has worked before so I assume it should work some...) She also said some dogs just get them and grow out of it, so I guess well see what happens. Wish Max some un itchy luck!

 

[jmb9101]

What other kinds of antihistamines can you give dogs? I guess I'm just not really familiar with any allergy medicines because neither me or my husband has allergies.

 

[jmb9101]

Can you give them any other antihistamines? His hives seem to be gone this morning, I gave him benedryl before we went to bed last nite. He went to Josh's moms again this morning to be safe. But I was just wondering what other antihistamines you could give dogs, incase this happens again?

 

[AUNatalie]

Maybe you should think about having him allergy tested. It can cost a good bit of money but my Lillian improved so much after being tested. You will have to give injections but it keeps them from having and suffering with the allergies. Good luck.

 

[jray]

Poor thing! I hope you can figure out what's causing the hives. Keep us posted.