Off to the emergency room

[bustermom]

If your dog has a history of extreme allergic reactions you should ask your vet to prescribe an epi-pen (single, self-injecting dose of epinepherine) to keep on hand. If Mason does react to the point where he's going into anaphylatic shock (the doctor will give you a list of symptoms which would indicate the injection is necessary), the epi-pen would stabilize him and give you time to get him to the ER.

I would definitely discuss this with your doctor - if nothing else then for peace of mind.

Prosas: Benadryl is simply an antihistamine, no relation to antibiotics. It's designed to suppress your body's reaction to the allergens not actually interact with the allergens themselves. Unlike antibiotics which kill bacteria, except for those bacteria which are developing a tolerance to certain antibiotics thanks to (in my opinion) both the overuse and inappropriate use of antibiotics.

 

[SuzanneC]

Cookie had an allergic reaction like that one morning when she was about six months old. She was stung by three or four wasps, and actually came up and nudged me until I woke up and could see her face. I watched her eyes swell shut right in front of me, and just about had a heart attack when I realized what was happening. Fortunately, she did not go into anaphylaxis, and we got her to the vet for treatment. She hasn't had any reactions in the ten and a half years since then, but she's TERRIFIED of wasps!!

 

[BrazilBoxer]

Antibiotics have nothing to do with antihistamines, but antihistamines do tend to be less effective over time if used frequently - the body develops tolerance.

Tolerance to antihistamine therapy may develop in a patient whose symptoms are previously under control. This tolerance cannot be overcome by increasing the dosage or by changing to another antihistamine. The cause of tolerance is thought to be due to the down regulation of the H1 receptors. Ketotifen and sodium cromoglycate can be tried and responsiveness to antihistamine may return. Hospital admission may be required for alternative therapy in difficult cases.
from: http://www.hkmj.org.hk/skin/urticari.htm

Look into the epi-pen!!

Mariah.

 

[NFBoxerMom]

Both Belle and Copper had instances with allergies as pups.
Belle had a reaction to a vaccination, and also to a sting or bite of some sort, and Copper also had a reaction to a sting. I'm pretty confident that wasps were the culprits in both cases.

Thankfully we haven't had that problem since, but I always keep benedryl on hand just in case.

I have an epi-pen for my own allergies...never crossed my mind that there would be one for dogs, but does make a lot of sense to me! Definitely worth checking into for your Mason.

I hope everything's ok and you can get a handle on whatever's causing the reactions

Lori

 

[Cosmic]

Poor Jazzy will break out into mega-hives if she eats turkey or anything that has turkey in it. We have to be very picky about the foods we feed her. Absolutely no by-products. Do you think this may be your babys problem also?

 

[LeahR]

Thanks everyone! I am definately going to ask my vet for that epi pen thing!

 

[Thomas Liggin]

Our first Boxer, Rocky, had some allergies. The one that affected him the most was contact with ground mold, the black stuff that you can see on the ground in late summer and early fall.

Benedryl wouldn't provide much relief, so our vet gave us prednisone to give him when the benedryl just wouldn't cut it.

He'd be given a prednisone, then a maintenance dose of benadryl for a few days. This worked quite well.

If your dog has many allergies, you might speak to your vet about prednisone and the epi-pen. Each serves a different purpose depending on the type and severity of the reaction. If your dog suffers from many allergies, your vet can tell you when to use each.

I would prefer the epi-pen for hives since they can pose a serious threat to your dog. For the allergies that cause them to scratch and lick or bite at themselves, the prednisone might be better.

Whenever any of our dogs has had hives, we got them to a vet immediately. Rocky got stung once, and didn't break out in hives, but he was panting as though in distress. His gums were pink, but his lips were swollen. It was an allergic reaction. An injection from the vet worked quickly to counteract the reaction, and he was back to normal in minutes. Anaphylactic shock can occur without the warning of hives.

Get as much education from your vet as possible so that you know all the symptoms of serious, potentially life threatening reactions.


Tom

 

[MizBev]

This type of thing has been happening since he was a pup so I immediately gave him 50mg of bennedryl (SP?) but it didn't help. I have him another 25mg 4 hours later but still the hives and swelling would not go down.

Is this adult benedryl or children's. My sweet Five has been waking up with swollen watery eyes the past couple of days and I am not sure how much to give her.

Bev

 

[LeahR]

MizBev,

I give Mason adult benedryl. Normally I would only give him one (25mg) pill ( Childrens dose). You have to be very careful b/c dogs especially larger ones metabolize drugs differently and more slowly from humans so using the childrens dosage would probably be best. Check with your vet, I only started giving mason benedryl after the vet told me it was OK ( i.e. unneccessary to bring him in EVERY time) and instructed me on the proper dosage. He is up to two pills now on the onset of a bad reaction as his tolerance has built up and the vet feels that he metabolizes the drug well.

*** I also will use the creme to put directly on the hives. I had to buy one of those neck cones so he wouldn't lick it. I leave the cone on 10-15 minutes so that the creme will soak in!

 

[MizBev]

Leah,

Thanks so much for the info. Five is having a heck of a time this spring, poor baby.

Bev