Help Needed! My Bulldog keeps getting hives then her face swells. PLEASE HELP

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kxeddie

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Lexi
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I have never heard of giving a bath in Purex, but that's me. As suggested, Get a food with one protein and start there. There could also be some kind of knats outside in the grass, and they would likely get her face,neck, and chest. There are also little bees here that you can hardly notice. Peas and potatoes are also and allergen to some. As for treats, get some with less ingridients. Was her beds and blankets in hypo-allergenic soaps, and give benedryl as soon as you see any sign of welts. 1 per 25 lbs.

I washed her bedding in Purex not Lexi. Her food is a single protein pork
 

helsonwheels

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I don't have the bag for the ones she is eating now but i think it was the bacon and cheese here are the ingredients Pea Flour, Tapioca Starch, Chickpeas, Bacon, Dried Cheese, Ground Flaxseed, Potatoes, Natural Smoke Flavor, Mixed Tocopherols (Preservative).

Iā€™m in the food industry and when ever you see ā€œnatural smoked flavourā€ .......well, liquid smoke = carcinogens.. Even the words ā€œnatural flavoursā€ itā€™s chemicals. Just make sure you read all ingredients as all you need is that one ingredient will cause issues for her.
 

Cbrugs

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As stated, it will be a process of elimination to figure out the allergy. A few months ago, Louie kept breaking out in hives all over his body for a couple of weeks. He sleeps in the bed with us and they always seemed to go away over night and then the next day they would be back so I thought it was something downstairs or outside. We mowed the lawn and whacked the weeds, I washed all of the blankets and bedding, cleaned the carpet (twice), fed all kibble for a few days, fed all raw for a few days. It might have been the raw rabbit although he had eaten it plenty of times before. The hives just went away and have not returned so I am not 100% sure the cause. He has gotten rabbit treats but not rabbit for a meal yet.
 

Zedsded

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All i can do is echo what has already been said, Dudley has had plenty of problems in the past and you really do have to be extremely strict with the diet so you can eliminate each individual ingredient until you find a trigger.
Dudley gets hives in the summer ever time he runs in long grass and he definitely had a reaction to household chemicals such as air freshener and the washing liquid we had, now all the cleaning products in the house have switched to natural products and he hasnā€™t had any flares ups for months.
 
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kxeddie

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a y update?

The weekend only streak has been broken. Lexi had hives allover her body this morning (Thursday). I'm going to call the vet and see about an allergy test. there has to be something in her room where I keep her cage as it happens only in the morning.
 

Dollys Owner

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I agree with everything posted before. I would say Lexi is a highly allergic dog and it could either be something in the food, something in that room, or something outside. I would put her on frozen raw, switch to natural cleaning products, start her on cetirizine 10mg twice daily, wipe her paws and belly down with an unscented baby wipe every time she goes outside, steam clean her cage and room thoroughly or move her cage to a different room, and hopefully that will solve your problem. There's no reliable way to test for food allergies other than an elimination diet, although lots of members here have had some success with a blood test for allergies. And for environmental allergies the gold standard is skin testing by an allergist which is quite expensive. So if you do get the vet to do a blood test for allergies it may not be very accurate. And try starting her on some fish oil once things settle down and if she tolerates it then continue it as that is good for allergies as well. I used to give my allergic dog coconut oil, but she was gaining a lot of weight, so I stopped that, but I still continue the fish oil ( and vitamin e once a week since fish oil depletes vitamin e). I also give her frozen smelt from the supermarket as a treat since her frozen raw food diet has no fish.

And definitely stop giving those treats. The only treats I give are natural- fruits and vegetables, frozen smelt and freeze dried beef liver treats from Costco.

If you don't switch to frozen raw make sure you freeze her kibble to avoid mites, and only buy it in bags you can use up in a month. And make sure you add probiotics since you won't be getting the bacteria in the frozen raw.
 

helsonwheels

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Iā€™ve re-read the whole thread. I doubt itā€™s the food if this happens once a week. Definitely stop them treat anyway as grains n potatoes isnā€™t good for inflammation. From what youā€™re saying in here sounds like environmental issue. Did you notice if she breaks out in hives after you wash her beddings, floors, YOUR clothes, does she sleep in your bed, is your sofa material or cloth? Has it gone very cold where you live?

Purex should be switched to organic, fragrance free detergent. Floors should be washed with ONLY vinegar/water, stainless steel bowls, if she has a bed, put it into a garbage bag n squeeze the air out. Leave it seal for a few days. If any mites or bugs they will die. Is her bed Filled with cedar? As Costco beds are. Cedar can be harsh on dogā€™s skin. Also Iā€™m asking if itā€™s gone cold in your state as we here already gone to -22 n I know Pittsburgh sure can get cold too. Hives can also break in harsh weathers.
 

2BullyMama

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The weekend only streak has been broken. Lexi had hives allover her body this morning (Thursday). I'm going to call the vet and see about an allergy test. there has to be something in her room where I keep her cage as it happens only in the morning.

Damn!! Keep us posted.... this is so frustrating. Hope the vet agrees to the testing


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kxeddie

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Lexi
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Iā€™ve re-read the whole thread. I doubt itā€™s the food if this happens once a week. Definitely stop them treat anyway as grains n potatoes isnā€™t good for inflammation. From what youā€™re saying in here sounds like environmental issue. Did you notice if she breaks out in hives after you wash her beddings, floors, YOUR clothes, does she sleep in your bed, is your sofa material or cloth? Has it gone very cold where you live?

Purex should be switched to organic, fragrance free detergent. Floors should be washed with ONLY vinegar/water, stainless steel bowls, if she has a bed, put it into a garbage bag n squeeze the air out. Leave it seal for a few days. If any mites or bugs they will die. Is her bed Filled with cedar? As Costco beds are. Cedar can be harsh on dogā€™s skin. Also Iā€™m asking if itā€™s gone cold in your state as we here already gone to -22 n I know Pittsburgh sure can get cold too. Hives can also break in harsh weathers.

The hives don't seem to be connected to when I wash my clothes or washing her bed or cleaning the floor. Lexi sleeps in her own bed in her cage I'm thinking of getting a new bed though. My wife won't let her on the sofa (although the chihuahua's are allowed)but its leather. it is just starting to get cold here fluctuating between 30 to 50 degrees.
 
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kxeddie

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Lexi
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Damn!! Keep us posted.... this is so frustrating. Hope the vet agrees to the testing


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Frustrating indeed... My trip to the vet was pretty much worthless except to empty my wallet. He has no idea what it can be he mentioned putting her on a special food (Ultamino) although he really dosen't think it's food related. He also mentioned giving her an allergy med called Apoquel. I asked about an allergy test but he thought the where pretty much worthless as she would just end up on the med anyway. I think i'm just going to start giving her 25mg twice a day although he wants me to give he a full dose of 50mg of Benadryl twice a day to see if that helps.
 

cefe13

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Frustrating indeed... My trip to the vet was pretty much worthless except to empty my wallet. He has no idea what it can be he mentioned putting her on a special food (Ultamino) although he really dosen't think it's food related. He also mentioned giving her an allergy med called Apoquel. I asked about an allergy test but he thought the where pretty much worthless as she would just end up on the med anyway. I think i'm just going to start giving her 25mg twice a day although he wants me to give he a full dose of 50mg of Benadryl twice a day to see if that helps.

I don't know much about those medicines but Apoquel is pretty strong stuff, is it not? To me it seems very odd that a vet gives meds without knowing what causes the allergic reaction. Is this a vet specialising in this area? If not, I would seek a second opinion, for instance at a university vet hospital.
 
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kxeddie

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I don't know anything about the med... This wasn't my normal vet as she is out of town until Monday I'm waiting to talk to her before I proceed.
 

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