Hives / Allergies

JoeV · 08-31-2009, 01:36 PM

Lucky is broken out in hives all over her body. Has anyone dealt with this before? She actually broke out several weeks ago and was given "Temaril-P" which was a 15 day treatment and slowly tapered off. It worked to reduce her hives, but they never completely went away. Now that she's been done with the medicine for a couple of weeks, they are back full blown. Taking her to the vet tonight, but just wondering if anyone has ideas of what it could be from. (we switched food thinking it was something in there, but she's been on new food for about 5 days now and no difference). Also, we've limited her outside and supervise she doesn't go anywhere near plants, dirt, etc. Other than that, nothings changed except for the special shampoo and conditioner they gave us to help relieve itch. Thanks for any input.

Brian J. Sabel · 08-31-2009, 01:52 PM

There could be all kinds of things flying around in the air. If you have had a lot of rain recently it could be mold. Some dogs seem to be particularly sensitive to mold. Scout has had been showing signs of seasonal allergies but no hives. Our vet told us to give her 25mg of Benadryl once a day until what ever is in the air goes away.

I hope you can get to the bottom of this. I'm sure there are few sadder sights than a one year old boxer with hives. Poor thing!

JoeV · 08-31-2009, 02:07 PM

Thanks, I never thought of mold. I heard today on the radio that, like you said, b/c of all the rain lately there will be a lot of people suffering. I guess it could be that. I was thinking of giving her benadryl, I'll see if the vet recommends it. And yep, it is so sad to see her... she looks like a toad.

boxingBabe · 08-31-2009, 02:13 PM

Babe really gets some welts from bug bites when I take her walks but if I spray her hind end and back with bug spray it really helps . So I can imagine what Lucky looks like ,poor thing must be miserable .

AussieGirl · 08-31-2009, 08:11 PM

Poor thing

, hope it clears up fast.

Spyglass Sally · 08-31-2009, 08:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JoeV

Lucky is broken out in hives all over her body. Has anyone dealt with this before? She actually broke out several weeks ago and was given "Temaril-P" which was a 15 day treatment and slowly tapered off. It worked to reduce her hives, but they never completely went away. Now that she's been done with the medicine for a couple of weeks, they are back full blown. Taking her to the vet tonight, but just wondering if anyone has ideas of what it could be from. (we switched food thinking it was something in there, but she's been on new food for about 5 days now and no difference). Also, we've limited her outside and supervise she doesn't go anywhere near plants, dirt, etc. Other than that, nothings changed except for the special shampoo and conditioner they gave us to help relieve itch. Thanks for any input.

Be aware that Temaril-P, like all corticosteroids, will suppress the immune system. It will also increase urination so if Lucky goes back on it, you might want to be aware of those issues. Quercetin (nature's Benadryl) and Saventaro (Cat's Claw) are both natural remedies that may give Lucky some relief while you try to figure out what's going on.

Did it come on suddenly? Is there anything that you've noticed makes it better, or worse? Are there other animals in the house with symptoms? Is he taking any other meds - heartworm, flea, etc?

JoeV · 09-01-2009, 08:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Spyglass Sally

Be aware that Temaril-P, like all corticosteroids, will suppress the immune system. It will also increase urination so if Lucky goes back on it, you might want to be aware of those issues. Quercetin (nature's Benadryl) and Saventaro (Cat's Claw) are both natural remedies that may give Lucky some relief while you try to figure out what's going on.

Did it come on suddenly? Is there anything that you've noticed makes it better, or worse? Are there other animals in the house with symptoms? Is he taking any other meds - heartworm, flea, etc?

Thanks for all of your responses. Sally thanks for the warning with the meds and those alternative remedies... will look into them for sure.

Well... here's an update. Went to the vet last night. She's on prednisone for 10 days, slowly tapering off towards the end. We are trying a new vet (various reasons) and he was great. He said the reaction is full blown and this is the only thing that will work quickly to get rid of the hives. He is hoping that after that, her immune system will then keep them from coming back. If however, this is not the case, he will try a different route, suggesting a prescription anti histamine or something like that (he said benadryl was too weak for her at this point). We tried to narrow down what the culpret was, and ruled out the foods. He thinks it is something she is in contact with... so that is really hard to pin point. We'll just keep doing what we're doing (watching where she goes, what we're using in the house, keeping everything simple, no harsh cleaners, etc.). So today is her first day on the prednisone and we'll see what happens. I'll keep you guys updated!

daisy'smom · 09-01-2009, 08:45 AM

I am glad you found a better vet. Poor Lucky must be miserable. I hope the meds help.

JoeV · 09-08-2009, 08:04 AM

Just an update - Lucky's hives almost completely went away, but now that the medicine is being tapered off (two pills left to take, and will end on Thursday), they are starting to slowly appear again. I'm hoping we can eventually figure this out.

Doreen · 09-08-2009, 04:25 PM

I just heard of someone else having the same problem here in NJ yesterday. Her dog is on Prednisone and benedryl now. She said it was easing up some. I didn't know that benedryl wouldn't be strong enough.