Skin like Bubble Wrap!

[lexismum]

My girl Buffie has developed hives. They were so bad today that her body felt like bubble wrap. When it started out of the blue 2 weeks ago, I had her to the emerg. vets twice and then to our regular vets for a followup. She has been on prenisone and benedryl for 10 days and we just started to ween her to one prednisone every other day and it started again. This morning it was so bad that even her eyes were swollen with welts. These aren't little hives anymore.

I called the vet yesteraday when it started to flare up and even though I love my vets, I felt brushed off by them... I have never felt this way before. They told me to continue with the benedryl and last of the prednisone and I have an appt on Monday AM.

I just feel so bad for her. They welts went down a bit about an hour after I gave her the pills this morning, but were still pretty bad.

We have gone over everything in the house - no changes in food, soap, no live Xmas tree or wreaths....I just don't get it. We've had Buffie for 7 months and never had any allergy like this.

 

[newark]

Just a thought

When Jersey was swollen up like a huge balloon with tonnes of hives, she let us wrap her in a cool towel and it seemed to bring some relief from the heat and itchiness of the hives. Didn't do anything to lessen them, but she relaxed a bit which made us feel a bit better.

Good luck with your baby!

 

[lexismum]

Jeanne - We cleaned EVERY piece of bedding in the house, including our own bed with allergy free laundry soap (even though we didn't change soap before the hives), we watch her when she goes to the bathroom outside, we check the yard daily to make sure there is nothing out there - like rabbit poops and such- we have a fenced in yard with neighbours only on 2 sides - who love the girls. Carpets we got new in the summer and have not had cleaned, I do not use any carpet freshners etc. The cleaners I use have not changed, no change in our own personal shampoos and such either!!

I have a vet appt. on Monday -- but I don't want to just keep her on steroids.

I was wondering that maybe her food formula had changed. We are going out tomorrow to get something else.


Also 1 and a half hours after I gave her the last prednisone and 2 benedryls she was getting better, about 2 hours later the hives/welts were almost gone!!

Hmmmmm - I just feel frusterated and more than anything, sorry that my girl is going through this.

Newark - thanks for the hint on the towels, I will especially try this around her eyes if she flares up again!

 

[Scrapper's Mom]

When this happened to Scrapper last year, my vet said he thought it was some sort of mold or pollen in the air - a seasonal thing because he was seeing other dogs with hives as well. Maybe they will ease in time after whatever is the "offender" goes away. Scrapper suffered with the hives for about five weeks last year. *Ugh* Poor baby! I am keeping my fingers crossed that they don't return!

 

[Chewy's Mom]

Isn't it possible for a dog to *develop* an allergy to a food even though the dog has been eating that food for quite a while? I know that humans can suddenly become allergic to a food that they weren't allergic to before.

Definitely try a food switch. One excellent food that is good for allergies is California Natural. It's on the WDJ Top Ten List, and is made specifically leaving out all ingredients which are known to be common allergens for dogs. I know they sell it in Canada. Here's their website: http://www.naturapet.com/display.php?d=home-tab If you click on Stores, you can find a place near you that sells it.

Good luck!
Monique

 

[lexismum]

Thanks Chewy'sMom. I found 2 stores in town who sell it and will go and check it out.

Woke up this morning 7am and she was covered again. Mind you not quite as bad as before. I think I am also going to get the carpets steamcleaned - I use a regular company and have had them in before so I know the dogs aren't allergic to their soap. Gave her benedryl and by 11am they were almost gone.

Hopefully the food change and the carpets cleaned will help.

:rolleyes:

 

[loulou12571]

christmas tree??????

you said you didn't have a real x-mas tree...could it be the fake one? maybe she's allergic to something it's made from?? or maybe after being stored all year it's got some mold, mildew etc. on it??? can you try keeping her away from the tree for a day and see what happens??? seems a likely cause if it just happened out of the blue and the tree might be the only thing different in her environment right now!!! just an idea...let us know what the vet says!!!
Lisa and crew

 

[Sabrina Jay]

I'm not forsure what your girl weighs, but you can safely give 1 mg of benedryl per pound of body weight, every 8 hours, if needed.

I went through something similar last year. Hubby left the gate open one evening, and Laci, Jr, & Jasmine were out running on our property (we have 10 acres) for about 15 minutes before I realized it. It wasn't until the next day (when I came home from work), that 2 of them were covered in hives. Laci was fine, never developed any hives, but Jasmine & Junior did. They must have run through something they shouldn't have or were stung. Junior's hives were so bad his face, eyes were very swollen also. His body has hives on top of hives, all sizes. He had several HUNDRED hives covering his body! I immediatly called the vet, and it was almost 6pm when they were due to close. I had them send home the dex injections with one of the girls and drove to her house. (she lived 30 minutes away from me, but it was closer than the clinic). She about died when she seen how bad Junior was. We gave them the injections, I waited in town (incase we had to run Junior over to the vets house - which lived 3 blocks away). They started to get better within 10 minutes. I went back home and gave them benedryl, and continued to do so during the night. Jasmine's hives went away and stayed away, Junior's didn't and started to come back, but not as bad as they originally had been. The vet told me to bath both dogs to make sure whatever they had gotten into was washed off, incase it hadn't been stings by something. I took Junior into the town vets office for observation the next day, while I was at work. I went over at lunch and checked on him & took him for a walk. He was fine after that.

Hives can be caused by a variety of things....including bites, stings, etc.

 

[lexismum]

The Saga continues.....

So we go to the vet who honestly can also not figure this out. The vet thinks this is weird because for the most part when Buffie becomes covered with welts and hives she is NOT itchy!!! When she had them around her eye the other day she was plowing her head into the carpet but other than that she hardly fusses. You wouldnt know by her actions , only by looking at her. Also these welts/hives can crop up in 5 minutes and last hours or they can pop up and go away within an hour frame. Doesn't matter if I give benedryl or not. They either go away or stay! There is no rhyme or reason for this.

She woke up this AM and was covered, 2 bendryl and an hour later, no real change....take her to the vet, in the hour we were there they went down 50% but then within an hour of leaving she was covered again from head to toe!!!

Ah well, maybe we will never know - I am thinking of seeing if my parenst will take her for a few days and see if the welts/hives come up while she is at someone else's place.

Sally

 

[ssleighter]

Originally posted by Chewy's Mom
Isn't it possible for a dog to *develop* an allergy to a food even though the dog has been eating that food for quite a while? I know that humans can suddenly become allergic to a food that they weren't allergic to before.

It is VERY possible! Constant exposure is what causes most severe allergic reactions. I know firsthand because I am an allergy sufferer! I got hives about 3 weeks ago and could not for the life of me figure out what it was (by the way, mine didn't itch either). This type of reaction is almost always caused by something ingested, and I couldn't think of anything since I am so careful. But guess what? It turned out to be ibuprofen, and I have been taking Advil for YEARS! Can't do that anymore! :( Take a long look at anything you are feeding her and good luck, I hope you find the culprit soon.