Help Needed! Allergic reaction - when to seek help

[astreaav]

Hi My BFF Sheldon 5 month old bully spent the weekend at his godparents and their big yard while I was out of town.

Since he came back he started itching at his ears the first day, then last night he woke up covered in bumps, (I noticed his hair standing up a bit), his face red and eyes swollen. His breathing however was not affected thank god. After reading several posts on here I gave him 25mg of benadryl (he ways 26lbs), and a cetirizine 10mg. The redness is a bit better, however, bumps are still there and he is still itching a bit. Its been 5 hours. How long do I give it before I take him to the vet… He has no breathing issues at this point. But I'm not sure when to see a vast improvement on the bumps and itching.

I think it came from him playing in their back yard. He is mostly inside with me. Although it could be a plant I have on the patio that he insists on playing in…

Thank you so much!

 

[nycbullymama]

Call your vet and find out if you can up the Benadryl dosage to 1 and 1/2l. I've given Wellie 3 pills at once before and my vet said it was fine. But he weighs over 60lbs.

For now, I'd wait another day. Give the Benadryl every 8 hours and see if the hives are gone by tomorrow. If they're not, I would take him in for a steroid shot.

 

[2BullyMama]

UGH... hives! [MENTION=7457]nycbullymama[/MENTION] has you covered. Good look an keep us posted.

Side note... watch house plants, some are toxic to dogs. Training him not to touch them. I have a 5 month old as well, and the plants are his fixation so 'LEAVE IT' is the to training right now - along with rubbermaid tubs blocking the plants :D

 

[Vikinggirl]

Hi, Ellie gave you great advice. Anything from grass, plants, ants or bees outside can cause an allergic reaction in your dog. 2 summers ago Dozer got hives from something outside, I still don't know what caused them, but I gave him Benadryl for the hives and itching. It took 3 days before all the hives disappeared. You can continue to give him the Benadryl for a couple of days, and continue to watch him, as long as he isn't having trouble breathing, and his eyes aren't too swollen. If it hasn't cleared up in a couple of days then I would take him to the vet to be checked out. Also you can try giving Sheldon a bath with a soothing shampoo for the itching, and it may take some if the allergens off of his skin. I hope he feels better soon. Please keep us posted.