Kat and Adeline
New member
Hello. I am really sorry for my very first post here being one in need of advice. I have been reading over this forum and have found a real wealth of knowledge. I really wish that I had been as informed as I am now of all of the possible issues that could arise with my poor girl when I adopted her. Not that I wouldn't have taken her home; but at least I could have been better prepared! With that said - it seems that my girl is having a bit of a crisis. I noticed a few bumps on her yesterday morning that I now know are hives. I really had no idea what they were before - I just decided to keep an eye on them. This morning they have spread and she is acting kind of weird. She is hyper - like she was really going crazy running in circles on my bed and rubbing her face on the blanket. Also, she refuses to urinate. It is like she is afraid of going onto the grass at all. She had a bm outside last night okay, but she refused to urinate both last night and this morning. Her face does not have any hives on it, and her face does not seem to be swelling, nor does her tongue. She has not been particularly lethargic. From what I have read on here, the absolute best thing for me to do is take her to the vet asap, and I plan to as soon as I can. The problem is that I am stuck here at home without a vehicle or any way to get to the vet, or even to a store to get any benadryl. When my husband gets home for work we will be taking her straight away, but that will not be until this evening. I guess my main question is: what, if anything, can I do to make sure that she is okay between now and then?? I am really afraid. I have only had this girl for two or three months but she is the light of my life.
Secondly, I would appreciate any advice or speculation on what has caused this. There seem to be many possible culprits at this point:
1. Cheap food. I had NO IDEA how important high quality food is for bullies. I have always fed her Benefuls, and have had no real issues until now. Though actually, she has always been a bit itchy - there is an ongoing struggle to get her to stop chewing on her front legs. I have the suggested foods page open and will be looking over it in a few. Her food will get an upgrade immediately. This seems likely to be a contributor but probably not the main issues as I have been feeding this to her regularly and she is just now breaking out into hives, correct?
2. New shampoo. I gave her a bath three days ago with a shampoo I had not used on her before. It is actually one meant to help with dogs who shed a lot.
3. I noticed a little red splotch near her privates post-bath and after I dried her off I put a little medicated powder on it and her belly. Her belly is covered in hives. This is my main suspect at this point.
4. Something in the grass bit her? This would account for her being afraid of going into the grass (it is not particularly long grass). If this is the case I had no knowledge of it when it happened. When she is outside she is always on leash so you would think that I would know that it happened.
*edited*
and 5. I bought a new ear flush from Petco a couple of days ago because I saw a bunch of gunk in her ears. I have only used it on her once, but I suppose this could also be it?
Anyway, thank you so much for reading and for any advice that you could share. Adeline thanks you as well!
Secondly, I would appreciate any advice or speculation on what has caused this. There seem to be many possible culprits at this point:
1. Cheap food. I had NO IDEA how important high quality food is for bullies. I have always fed her Benefuls, and have had no real issues until now. Though actually, she has always been a bit itchy - there is an ongoing struggle to get her to stop chewing on her front legs. I have the suggested foods page open and will be looking over it in a few. Her food will get an upgrade immediately. This seems likely to be a contributor but probably not the main issues as I have been feeding this to her regularly and she is just now breaking out into hives, correct?
2. New shampoo. I gave her a bath three days ago with a shampoo I had not used on her before. It is actually one meant to help with dogs who shed a lot.
3. I noticed a little red splotch near her privates post-bath and after I dried her off I put a little medicated powder on it and her belly. Her belly is covered in hives. This is my main suspect at this point.
4. Something in the grass bit her? This would account for her being afraid of going into the grass (it is not particularly long grass). If this is the case I had no knowledge of it when it happened. When she is outside she is always on leash so you would think that I would know that it happened.
*edited*
and 5. I bought a new ear flush from Petco a couple of days ago because I saw a bunch of gunk in her ears. I have only used it on her once, but I suppose this could also be it?
Anyway, thank you so much for reading and for any advice that you could share. Adeline thanks you as well!