Miss Virginia has broken out in what appears to be a case of hives. Deadhead Girl’s dachshund is allergic to pineapple (don’t ask how he got a hold of pineapple; it’s a long story) and he broke out in hives from it. Her bumpiness looks just like the hives he had minus a swollen nose (DHG’s dog developed a huge schnoz when he scarfed up those pineapple tidbits). I’ve been giving her benadryl for a couple of days, one pill in the morning and one in the evening, with mixed results. Lew thinks the bumpiness is the same; I see some improvement.
I recently bought a new dog treat for Miss Virginia that has mint in it. I think it is the culprit, as it’s the only change in her diet. I’ve stopped giving her these treats the same day I started the benadryl.
Any advice to share is welcomed.
Filed under: Miss Virginia, health
I am looking in my Caring for Your Dog: The Complete Canine Home Reference manual. The manual says that insect bites are the most common cause of hives, but they can also be triggered by oral or injected antibiotics, insecticides, or even soaps. It lists papules and pustules and pimples separately from hives. According to the manual, a diagnosis of hives is based on the time of occurrence because hives usually develop within 30 minutes of exposure. For hives, an antihistamine drug is the most common treatment.
Can you describe the bumps more and also where they are located and if Miss Virginia is licking and/or scratching certain areas?
The bumps are small, raised but lacking any type of head (like a pimple would have). They’re actually kind of flat on top of the bump. They’re located on her nose bridge, around her eyes, the top of her head and down her backbone.
The bumps showed up after I’d started giving Miss Virginia two doggie treats a day– one before breakfast and one before dinner. She really liked them and they made a big improvement on her breath LOL, not so doggie smelling.
She’s not licking any areas, but she is definitely more itchy than usual. She’s rubbing her back up against furniture; over the weekend she’s walk over to me and place her back near my hand. Then she’d move back and forth, encouraging me to scratch her back. She’s never done that before.
Since starting benadryl she’s definitely less itchy, but the bumpies are still somewhat present. I see an improvement– they’re smaller.
Are the bumps noticeably colored differently than normal skin?
I don’t believe so. They’re more skin colored, but do not appear to be something under the skin, like a cyst or tumor would appear.
Okay, I am not a veterinarian and this is not medical advice yadayadayada (just in case anyone wanders in here on an internet search or something). This is just my thought processing of your descriptions and what I’m reading in the book I cited above. The book has this to say about hives:
URTICARIA
Also known as hives, urticaria is an intenslely itchy allergic condition consisting of raised red areas, often appearing on the face. Insect bites are the most common cause of urticaria, but the condition can also be triggered by oral or injected antibiotic drugs, insecticides, and even soaps. The skin of the eyelids, in particular, becomes puffy and itchy.
DIAGNOSIS AND TREATMENT A diagnosis is based on the time when urticaria occurs, because it usually develops within 30 minutes of exposure to the cause. An antihistamine drug is the most common treatment. If urticaria occurs as a result of a substance applied to the coat, an affected dog should be rinsed thoroughly.
So I’m not sure what to make of this- they’re not red, but you do say that they are around her eyes. However, I would have guessed that the antihistamine would have cleared this up by now if it was something she ingested.
So I skimmed through the other allergy topics in the skin and hair section of the book. The book defines pimples as small, raised lumps. It classifies pimples into two categories- pustules and papules. It defines a pustule as a small, elevated pimple filled with pus and a papule as a small, elevated pimple filled solidly with inflammatory cells. I’m guessing these are not pustules from your description, but could they be papules? Here’s what the book has to say about pimples:
PUSTULES AND PAPULES
Pimples result from inflammation. Within the skin, specialized cells called mast cells, part of the immune system, act as “gatekeepers,” regulating the skin’s response to threats. Mast cells produce chemicals that are very efficient for disease and parasite control but trigger inflammation. Another class of defense cells, called memory T-cells, monitor the skin surface for dangerous microbes that they have met before.
Inflammation is part of natural repair but it leaves the skin prone to infection. Skin infections start as pimples, but within a day these erode and change to scales and crusts, then erosions and skin ulcerations. Bacterial skin disease is, overwhelmingly, the most common cause of pustules and papules. Most bacterial diseases are listed under erosions and ulcerations (see pp.198-200).
DIAGNOSIS AND TREATMENT Minor, superficial bacterial or fungal infections are relatively harmless; the affected skin will be lost as cells are constantly sloughed off and replaced by new, healthy cells. The dog will help the sloughing process by licking the skin.
So that doesn’t sound like the problem either, but maybe something to watch for in case it is the problem or her scratching causes some secondary problem. It sounds to me like short of going to the vet, the things to do would be to continue on the antihistamine and maybe just give her a good bath in case it wasn’t dietary but rather something that she came into contact with externally.
I feel like I haven’t been particularly helpful, but if you notice any other symptoms I’d be happy to look them up in the book and see if that gives any more information.
Thank you for the information and advice. Miss Virginia’s bumpies are definitely subsiding. They’re pretty well gone except for one. I think the benadryl really helped.
BTW, I’m so happy to read that Pepper is doing so well. What a major improvement, reaching her pre-illness weight!
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We have Schipperkes and one of them has developed a similar hive. Do you have any pictures of what you are describing. We plan to take our dog to the vet tomorrow.
He has multiple areas where it appeas either he lost hair of the skin is swollen. It does not apear to be itching and it is concentrated around his mouth and nose. I think it might be where he digs. Thes dogs tend to sniff out critters in the ground.
Iam not sure if he got bit or is allergic to something
I’m sorry, Ed. I don’t have any photos. Besides, it would have been difficult to see the hives in a photo, as they were under Miss Virginia’s fur.
What you describe does sound like hives, but it would be best for your vet to evaluate your dog. I wish you well, and hope your dog is feeling better soon!