keeps getting hives, dont know why, help!

My dog Syd just turned 5 Jan 1st. we have been lving at our current house for the last 8 months and she has been on Origins food for the last year and half and has been doing great on it.

About two weeks ago I came home to find she had a case of hives, my friend who is a vet told me to get some Benadryl so I gave her one, and by the next day the hives were gone. I couldnt figure out what caused it and thought it must have been a bug bite of some sort, since I have not changed the food or anything, she didnt even have any treats and none of them are allowed to have people food.

About 4-5 days later my friend came over to check on the dogs, and agian Syd had hives, my friend gave her a benadryl and the hives very slowly went away.

She was fine for 3-4 days, i went on a hiking trip, my friend who was watching the dogs ( she was instructed to give no food/treats and didnt) told me she broke out in hives, I came home the next day and she still had them and I had to give her 2 Benadryls this time and by morning the hives went away.

Then a couple days later she got hives so bad I couldnt recognize her, her face was twice the size, her eyes were swollen shut, she had the worse case I ever saw, her throat swelled so bad i had to take her collar off. (Agian nothing had changed, no treats, no extra food, nothing) I gave her two Benadryl and took her to the vet, by the time the vet actually saw her her hives were barely there and they just took blood and we left. On the way home I stopped at Petco with her to buy her a new crate, she picked up a little biscuit that had been on the floor and sure enough 5 minutes later sarted breaking out in hives agian, by the time we got home she was almost as bad as before, I rushed her back to the vet and they gave her a shot, her hives didnt clear up till the next day.

The vet said it could be food related or something in the enviroment, the blood came back the next day and she was fine.

She has been fine since, until this morning, lastnight we went to bed and she was fine, woke up this morning and she was getting hives agian, this was before she was let outside and before she was given food, so obviously it cant be food related right? They only get fed once a day in the morning. I was thinking about it and i am pretty positive that everytime she has broken out in hives it has been windy outside, lastnight I slept with both windows open in my room and I could hear the wind in the late evening and early morning right before we got up. The last 3 times I remeber it was really windy. Im wondering if it is something in the enviroment nearby somewhere, and the wind blows it over causing her to breakout? its the only thing I can possibly think of.

I keep giving her benadryl but i cant keep doing this, i dont think it can be good for her. What can I do? I have also notice she has been licking her paws but i think thats related to the hives. Do they have allergy tests for dogs? And if it is something i cant control, like something in the enviroment, how can I keep it from happening? I am at a loss, this has been going on for 2 weeks now maybe even longer, actually I think its 3.

Help!!!

 

also wanted to add she is an indoor dog, a 45lb mutt. I dont leave her outside, just let her pee and poop and thats it. The other day I took her and my other dogs on an hour walk outside and she didnt get hives but it wasnt windy that day, weird!

 

yes there is allergy testing for dogs. I have a friend who did that with her dog and it's very pricey. They can tell what is causing the allergic reaction.
If you think it's food you would have to fast her 24 hours and then feed only the food you are going to try - nothign other than that, including treats, for up to 6 weeks

 

I'm going to bet that this is an environmental allergy...but it's very hard to say. Dogs, as people, can develop allergies over time and then in that case it could be food related.

You could try fasting her, you could research feeding Raw which can sometimes have the affect of clearing up allergic reactions even if they're environmental (I've heard but not seen this).

Keep us updated on the poor pup...how very frustrating for you.

Sara

 

oh wow. What type of cleaners do you use and laundry detergent? There could be something in the chemicals in the cleaners, something as simple as the laundry detergent, or perhaps soething in your yard or carpet.

 

oh wow. What type of cleaners do you use and laundry detergent? There could be something in the chemicals in the cleaners, something as simple as the laundry detergent, or perhaps soething in your yard or carpet.

 

Thanks for all the replies!!! I think I figured it out!!! Since I havnt changed anything like food, cleaners, etc...I was thinking about it and realized that these episodes started around the same time I started dating this new guy, which had me leaving more often and for longer periods of time. And I hadnt had the time to take the dogs on walks and since its been so cold they havnt been swimming to release their energy. when i would come home I would see that syd peed on the carpets, and before she was never like this, and then the hives.

So Im thinking maybe it is stress, soooo since i am a runner/exercise freak, I started taking all the dogs out on runs/walks uphill for an hour or two, and sometimes 2 times a day, and she hasnt had hives since!!! This is the longest so far she has gone without hives and not to mention I can leave the house now for 12 hours if i really have to and there is no accidents when i get home!!! I feel dumb and know I should have been doing this from the begining. But Im pretty sure this means her hives were stress related!.

Please keep your fingers crossed I didnt just jinx it lol....anyways agian thanks for the suggestions and replies!

 

My first pit did that. I went away for a week for a wedding and my now hubby stayed behind to take care of the dogs... I was so mad at him for letting her get so messed up... Hives all down her back and her hair was falling out and she had lost weight. Poor guy...come to find out...the hives, hair loss and weight loss were stress related when I went off to the wedding. eeeesh... We figured it out and from then on she went with us on vacations etc... Did really well for her and no more hives or hair loss etc...

Let's hope you're right!!!

Sara