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MelB
MH
Posts:676
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| 11/08/2009 8:23 PM |
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Ok so about an hour ago Xara started breaking out in hives! She was fine all day, but she got up in my lap and I noticed that she had these weird spots in her fur. Tried to straighten them out thinking her fur was ruffled goofy,,,uh no....she is covered in hives!!!
The ONLY things that have been different is she went for a walk in the woods yesterday afternoon (but you'd have thought hives would have shown way before now), and she stole a piece of cheese from my grandson this afternoon (like around noon). Not one other thing has changed. I changed her dog food well over 10 days ago and you'd think if there was any issues with that we'd have seen hives before today.
She has only been in the fence and in the house today, no woods walk. I didn't change laundry soaps so her bedding should be fine. I did give her a new stuffed toy, but I can't think of anything that would be on that that she'd have an issue with. She hasn't ate any bird food off the floor that I know of, but it's possible I suppose for her to have got a small piece of something.
I just gave her a benedryl to see if that gives her any relief because now she's itching like crazy. Called my daughter in vet school asked her advice, she said give the benedryl and watch her and if they aren't gone by the morning take her in to the vet to see if they can give her anything better. Xara does have a vet appointment for tomorrow for her final shots but she was just going in the back, getting her shots and we were leaving. I'll have to change that to a doctor call if the hives haven't subsided by morning though.
Here are some pics:
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Texas Belle
Austin, TX
MH
Posts:3913
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| 11/08/2009 8:28 PM |
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| Only time I have seen a reaction like that was 1) when my brothers lab ate a caterpillar and had an allergic reaction and 2) when Belle got stung. In both cases the benadryl did the trick. Hope she is better by morning. |
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Bev Quarles, the Pointer Sisters (Belle and Halo) and the Outlaw GSP (Johnny Ringo)
Yellow Rose GSPs
   
"A dog has the soul of a philosopher." --Plato
"..It does not require a majority to prevail, but rather an irate, tireless minority keen to set brush fires in people's minds.." --Samuel Adams |
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MelB
MH
Posts:676
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| 11/08/2009 8:38 PM |
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| she could have ate a bug outside perhaps,,,and there were bees out today. Never heard her yelp, but I guess it's possible. Who the heck knows! LOL it's really weird though because it's her head, neck, and torso. Not her legs, ears, or belly. Well so far anyhow. |
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singltrak
Las Cruces, NM
MH
Posts:782
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| 11/08/2009 9:15 PM |
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Take a pair of old panty hose and cut off one leg (about 12 inches long). In this, place about 1/2 to one cup of oatmeal (not instant), put Xara in the tub and let the bag of oatmeal soak in some warm water for a bit til it looks really slimy. I'd turn the water on and get her wet down (be sure the room and the water is warm), maybe leave about 2 inches in the bottom of the tub. Now, you are going to slather this ooozy bag of colloidal mixture all over her body. It will be very soothing for the itches and help with the hives. Don't rinse, just pat her dry and keep her warm til she dries completely. Could be a reaction to a passing "no-seeum", but sure sounds like a food or detergent allergy, specially since its all over her face...poor baby, makes me itch to look at your pix.
Let us know how she does!
Phyllis and the singltrak furtribe |
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Look to the Past, Breed for the Future |
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MelB
MH
Posts:676
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| 11/08/2009 9:33 PM |
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| the benedryl seems to be working already. Looks like a few less hives and the appearance of the ones left looks a bit less puffy. Made her tired as heck though! |
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Texas Belle
Austin, TX
MH
Posts:3913
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| 11/08/2009 10:23 PM |
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| Glad the benadryl is working. At least, she will sleep tonight. |
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Bev Quarles, the Pointer Sisters (Belle and Halo) and the Outlaw GSP (Johnny Ringo)
Yellow Rose GSPs
"A dog has the soul of a philosopher." --Plato
"..It does not require a majority to prevail, but rather an irate, tireless minority keen to set brush fires in people's minds.." --Samuel Adams |
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MelB
MH
Posts:676
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| 11/09/2009 7:22 AM |
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she was up twice last night scratching and itching. She's COVERED with hives this morning. Have a 3 PM vet appointment to take her in for some relief. No shot for her today  Now they are in her ears, all over her face, her back, sides, tail, legs. None I can see on her belly though which is odd. She's also got the runs today a bit Could be the benedryl, but most likely whatever is bugging her has upset her tummy too. Vet said give the benedryl through the day today to keep her comfy until they can see her. Seeing the one vet I am not overly thrilled with, but the others are booked or on vacation. Any port in a storm I suppose. |
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everbell
Kanata, ON
MH
Posts:1532
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| 11/09/2009 8:13 AM |
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| Poor baby girl -- hope she's feeling better soon! |
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Joce and Rich
Bogart and Shiraz (GSPs)
Roxane (RIP: 1995-2009) and Tiger Lily (Cats)
The Everbell Adventures |
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TessaGA
Georgia
MH
Posts:1877
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| 11/09/2009 9:07 AM |
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My first guess was something in the woods that her entire body came in contact with but that is a major case of the hives! Good luck at the vet today. Stuff like that can be frustrating but let's hope they can figure out what it is.
What was the reason you switched food? What's the difference between the two? I would look into that as well.
Also, if I remember correctly, did Xara not have allergie issues before when she was really little? Can you think of anything she was exposed to both episodes? |
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To live without dogs would mean accepting a form of blindness. [Thomas McGuane]
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pixie bee
MH
Posts:2014
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| 11/09/2009 9:38 AM |
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Poor thing. I would think that as long as her appetite is normal she'l be ok.
What ever it is got worse over time. Are they pussy or scabby? In places where they have gone away is there a mark? If it was a warmer day could it have been buggies in the grass? Being a puppy her immune system is still not developed and shorthairs are known for being sensitive.
Wishing the itchies go away fast.
Francine
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Be the type of woman that when you wake up each morning and put your feet on the floor the Devil says -
"Oh Crap, She's Up!"
http://www.perfectpedigrees.com/4genedit.php?id=2229
http://www.perfectpedigrees.com/4genedit.php?id=2230
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MelB
MH
Posts:676
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| 11/09/2009 9:39 AM |
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I took her off the puppy food and put her on adult food. The puppy food was chicken based Eagle Pack Holistic Puppy. The adult food is still Eagle Pack, but it's the anchovy, sardine and fish diet. She's been on it for about 10 days now and has had no issues with it at all. I switched because Eagle Pack is changing their packaging and the place I get the food at has not been carrying the chicken formula anymore. I found out today that Wellness bought out Eagle Pack and is no longer making certain lines of the food. I wonder now if they changed the formula's too? Unfortunately I don't have an old bag to compare ingredients, although the bag I have been buying is still in the original packaging so I would think it's still the same formula.
Xara, we THINK, had issues with Purina Pro Plan Puppy food, which was chicken based, but has a lot of grains in it. Once on the Eagle Pack chicken formula she had no issues. My vet however thinks she did not have an allergy but rather had a lingering staph infection that stemmed from when she was weeeee tiny and would wet her bed and lay in it during the night. Andria was treating her for a staph infection when she was 3 weeks old so it's possible my vet was right about the rash she had then and the itchies. I had to treat her again for staph when I got her because it wasn't all cleared up. Her last vet visit a month ago vet declared it gone and all well.
I can't think of a thing she could have came in contact with in the house that would cause this. She does go under the bird cages and grab morsels of food the birds fling out, but that's stuff like papaya bits, pineapple bits, sunflower seeds, soy beans, mung beans, coconut etc., and she's done that since she got here and never had a problem with it. Like I said, she did snag a piece of cheese from Geoffrey yesterday at lunch time, and she's never ever had people food before, but I'd think if she had a problem with that I'd see it more in her stools than anything. She did have the runs last night, and once this morning but now seems perfectly fine, and I think that was from the benedryl not the cheese. I dont' see any raised areas on her body that look like a bite, or a sting mark either, nothing stands out more than the other spots on her.
The one area we let her run in in the woods was really tall grasses, and those did pretty much touch her entire body as she ran in them and she'd fall down and roll around to get back up. I wonder if there wasn't something sprayed on the grass to control insects, although it looked perfectly fine. On the road it was just leaves and logs, and we made absolutely sure she did not drank any standing water on the trail or even walk in it. Sniper went on the same trails and into the grasses too, and he's fine, course he has tons more hair to protect him also.
Next time we go in the woods she's coming home and immediately getting a bath to get any residual "things" off her. She has no fleas I checked her good for those thinking maybe she picked up a hitch hiker in the woods and was having a reaction to a bite from it. She never even ate anything in the woods. No sticks, or leaves or grass. She was too busy running. |
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MelB
MH
Posts:676
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| 11/09/2009 9:43 AM |
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| no pus or scabs at all, just red raised welts. Can't tell if there are still marks because she has so many of them I can't tell if any have left!! it's possible there were little noseeums in the grass that were biting on her although we didn't get bit by anything. |
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pixie bee
MH
Posts:2014
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| 11/09/2009 9:51 AM |
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| Can she be allergic to grass? I know poisons don't affect dogs.Can grass? |
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Be the type of woman that when you wake up each morning and put your feet on the floor the Devil says -
"Oh Crap, She's Up!"
http://www.perfectpedigrees.com/4genedit.php?id=2229
http://www.perfectpedigrees.com/4genedit.php?id=2230
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MelB
MH
Posts:676
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| 11/09/2009 10:08 AM |
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| when I google hives in dogs it says that they usually show the hives within 20-30 minutes of coming in contact with whatever they are allergic to, which would rule out anything in the woods, but would definitely make the cheese suspect as that timing is just about right. Trying to think what else the kids were eating she might have snagged when I wasn't looking. |
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MelB
MH
Posts:676
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| 11/09/2009 11:55 AM |
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Pixie you could be dead on with the grass thing. As I was standing out back with her just now it dawned on me that Dave cut the grass yesterday afternoon and it was after she'd been out in the yard running around that this started. I wonder if it wasn't an overload of grass pollens. First the dried weed/grass area in the woods, and now the yard with fresh mowed grass and dried leaves all over. She's always chewed her feet, since she was tiny, I wonder if it's the dang grass!!! It would make perfect sense. Until she'd rolled around in the woods grasses she'd only have been exposed to small amounts when the grass was mowed in the yard, but that day she got the pollens/spores from the woods, and then the very next she gets the cut grass exposure. With each exposure her symptoms would get worse. First her chewy feet constantly, and then overload causes the hives.
How do you keep a dog off grass?????? Good Grief |
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pixie bee
MH
Posts:2014
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| 11/09/2009 12:10 PM |
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That settles it. You'll have to get Italian grass - cement it!
Ok, I'm Italian - I'm allowed to crack a joke. |
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Be the type of woman that when you wake up each morning and put your feet on the floor the Devil says -
"Oh Crap, She's Up!"
http://www.perfectpedigrees.com/4genedit.php?id=2229
http://www.perfectpedigrees.com/4genedit.php?id=2230
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MelB
MH
Posts:676
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| 11/09/2009 12:14 PM |
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| HA!!!!! should I paint pretty dandelions on it too? |
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JLKShorthairs
Westport,wa
MH
Posts:143
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| 11/09/2009 1:59 PM |
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Ahh hope Xara feels better soon and sounds like the grass very well could be the culprit.
Jana |
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MelB
MH
Posts:676
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| 11/09/2009 2:11 PM |
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| ok, vet said she too thinks it could possibly be the grass, but without allergy testing who knows for sure. Either way she got a shot of benedryl and a shot of prednisone and I'm to continue the tablet benedryl for the next two days. Next week if the hives go away she can get her last distemper shot. She's 25 lbs exactly this trip. |
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TessaGA
Georgia
MH
Posts:1877
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| 11/09/2009 2:44 PM |
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| Another thing you may look at is your detergent, if you recently switched it, that could be it as well - because her whole body would come into contact with anything that has been washed in it (bed sheets, blankets, clothing). Also, sometimes it takes several exposures for an allergy to show itself, making a delayed reaction a possibility. As if things are not already complicated enough! |
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To live without dogs would mean accepting a form of blindness. [Thomas McGuane]
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