Hives!

[Kayllisti]

My doggy woke up this morning with quarter-sized hives all over her. I was freaking out, and because it was Sunday I rushed her to the emergency animal hospital. My doctor gave her an injection of steroids and an antihistamine.

I am concerned about what could have caused this allergic reaction. Has anybody else had this happen to their dog? What caused it?

If this happens again should I take her to the doctor? Or is it not that big of a deal?
Any extra info is appreciated. Thanks.

[mirrasmom]

If you can get the correct dosage of antihistamine from your vet, you can administer that on your own if it happens again. In my experience, the steroid injection isnt absolutely needed unless she seems to be having trouble breathing (throat closing, tongue swelling, etc)

Maybe bee sting? Food allergies?

[Angelfire]

We have been struggling trying to figure out what our husky is allergic to. He is on Vanectyl-P and Clavamox. We have change his diet to holistic brands and have him on a coat and skin supplement. Hard to tell right now what is working but when the meds are done we will be able to see how he does on the new food.

[Kayllisti]

Her hives went away in a matter of 30 min after they gave her the shots. We continued the Benedryl at home and she seemed fine.
This mornin I woke up and she looked okay, but within an hour I noticed she was getting hives again! She just had her Benedryl only an hour before-hand. I don't know what to do. Medical things make me freak out a lil...okay a lot. I called my boyfriend home from work to come stay with her and keep an eye on her to make sure her throat doesn't swell.
I wish I knew what she was allergic to. I don't think it's a bug bite since it's happened twice. Our apartment is small and she's nvr really out of my site, so I don't know what she could have gotten in to. We have not brought anything new into the apartment, nor have we changed laundry soap or anything like that. We changed her food two weeks ago to an organic allergen free brand, so I don't think it could be her food.
I am very worried...any ideas??

[tiffers]

...you'll need to watch her like a hawk to see what she's doing when they pop up. I doubt it is the food as well, as it's been two weeks. Does your A/C run? It may be bringing in something from outside. A new budding plant/bush/or flower?

[Kayllisti]

No A/C in the building, and no new plants indoors except some flowers the b/f brought me...we are watching her carefully to see what's causing it. We're also removing anything that can possibly be an allergen: her wool blanket, the cat's plastic food dish, the fresh-cut flowers, air-freshener...
The only good news is that the hives this morning were much smaller. Dozens of them, but only a centimeter or two in length. The ones on Sunday looked as if golf-balls had been chopped in half and stuffed under her skin. It was very disconcerting.

[ferJenna]

Could there be some kind of infestation of something? Maybe she got a bee that was hiding in your window or a spider..

[Kayllisti]

I guess it's possible, but I've never seen any kind of bug in our apartment except a few gnats. No flies, no bees, no spiders that I can remember. The vet. seemed to think it was a spider bite, saying that it's the most common thing to cause that kind of reaction...I only dispute this because it happened again this morning.
Is it possible the hives were still being caused by the same bug bite and I just had to wait for the benedryl to kick-in again?

I just got a report from my boyfriend that the hives have gone down a bit, but she still has a few on the top of her head. Her breathing is clear, no swelling of the tongue, no vommiting, normal energy level.

[ferJenna]

That's good! Maybe you have a bee's nest somewhere. Spiders and bees are the most common insects to cause reactions. It's unlikely that it could be a delayed reaction. She probably found another one, and the reaction wasn't as bad because she has the Benadryl on board. Who knows.. anythings possible.

[SteveAR]

does she go out a lot? is she just an indoor dog?

hives aren't really common in huskies (so ive heard) so its probably a bug or something shes eating. how old is she?

[Kayllisti]

does she go out a lot? is she just an indoor dog?

hives aren't really common in huskies (so ive heard) so its probably a bug or something shes eating. how old is she?


She's going to be a year old this month. She is an indoor dog, I guess you could say. We live downtown, so she is only outdoors when she goes on her nightly walks with us to the park and bathroom breaks.

I've read on other websites that hives are common in bully breeds. Is this really true, or is it just because the hives are easier to see because of their short coats?