Can anyone give me any info about hives. My dog is a pitbull and she has had hives for about 3 months. Two months ago i took her to the vet and they gave me antibiotics. The pills didnt work at all. The hives turned into big scabs all along both sides of her back. I was hoping it would just run its course but the scabs wont heal and now she is getting more bumps. Please help

[Corky/Max]

Originally Posted by pufffddady

Can anyone give me any info about hives. My dog is a pitbull and she has had hives for about 3 months. Two months ago i took her to the vet and they gave me antibiotics. The pills didnt work at all. The hives turned into big scabs all along both sides of her back. I was hoping it would just run its course but the scabs wont heal and now she is getting more bumps. Please help

Will quote from my Home Vet Handbook 1st, and keep in mind this book is 10 yrs. old----Hives are an allergic reaction characterized by the sudden appearance of raised, circular, itchy wheals on the skin of the face and elsewhere. The hair sticks out in little patches. Frequently you will see swelling of the eyelids. Hives generally appear within 30 min. of exposure and disappear within 24 hrs.
Insect bites are a common cause of hives. Hives can occur after a vaccination. Penicillin, tetracycline and other antibiotics can produce hives. Topical insecticides and soaps are other causes. Hives that come and go usually are caused by an allergen in the dog's environment.
TREATMENT: When possible, identify the allergen and prevent further exposure. When a food allergy is suspected, modify the dog's diet. When hives appear shortly after a shampoo or application of a topical insecticide, bathe the dog and rinse thoroughly to remove the chemical from the dog's coat and skin.
Hives usually respond well to an antihistamine such as Benadryl. (dosage= 2mg per pound (of dog) orally every 8 hrs.) Cortisone may be indicated to control a severe case. Consult your veterinarian. (end of quote)

Now think back to when the hives 1st appeared. Was there a change in diet,
just had any shots or on any kind of medication, just started using flea "stuff", Hartguard, etc,----and I mean stuff that you may have used last season but just started again for this year (sometimes it takes time to develop an allergy to something that might not of been a problem the year before!). Food can be a big culprit as far as allergies go--A lot of dogs are allergic to grains and some are allergic to certain kind of meats, etc. WHAT DO YOU FEED YOUR DOG?
An allergy doesn't go away by itself---you have to find out what your dog is allergic to and get it "away" from the dog!! Didn't your vet give you any ideas?? If not, I have to say--doesn't sound like a very good vet to me (which is not surprising--most aren't! Just give you something to try to mask the problem and take your money!) By the way, Dawn dish soap is suppose to be a good thing to use to wash your dog of any topical allergins.
How old is your dog? When did she get her last shots--esp. rabies?

she has had all her shots and her rabies shots already. i have fed her purina one lamb and rice all her life. she is now four. about two years ago i noticed one or two hives but didnt think nothing of it but my mom watched my dog all last year and just fed her cheap dog food and when i got back i put her back on the purina. my mom never noticed any hives when my dog was in her care. a month ago i switched to the healthy formula purina one brand. because the main ingrediant is turkey instead of lamb. do you think that i should switch dog foods all together?

[Corky/Max]

Originally Posted by pufffddady

she has had all her shots and her rabies shots already. i have fed her purina one lamb and rice all her life. she is now four. about two years ago i noticed one or two hives but didnt think nothing of it but my mom watched my dog all last year and just fed her cheap dog food and when i got back i put her back on the purina. my mom never noticed any hives when my dog was in her care. a month ago i switched to the healthy formula purina one brand. because the main ingrediant is turkey instead of lamb. do you think that i should switch dog foods all together?

How well do you "know" your vet?? Is he positive that this is hives and not some kind of skin disease? I definitely think you should find a much better dog food! Don't know what cheap dog food your mom was feeding, but the Purina isn't a whole lot better! I can't tell you what kind to get as I feed a raw food diet, but there are plenty of members in here that will jump in and give you some brands that are good (You will have to expect to pay more, although I think Purina is not cheap in price--JUST cheap in what you are getting for your money!) Most of the 'crappy' commercial dog food does not provide the dog with any proper nutrition and more or less just provides calories to keep it alive--until the dog's immune system is shot and finally dies before it's time because of lack of health from eating this crap! Did you know that the average dog should live about 10 yrs. longer if it was fed right (barring accidents, etc)! Another killer before their time is all the poisonous shots and medicines that they are given---way too much of! This is another subject for another time--but if you want to learn about a lot of these things----check out Dog Health and Nutrition (a forum in this forum) and put words in your browser like vaccination reactions; rimadyl; dogs/nutrition; etc--you get the idea. The dog food you buy in the grocery stores, Walmart, and also the crap your vet tries to sell you like Science DIet is BAD, BAD crap!
Stay away from grains, esp. as the 1st ingredients listed on the bag--other members will elaborate on this I am sure. Be aware that even when you switch to a better dog food that it might take some time for a change in your dog (and then again it might help sooner) I don't believe in any boughten dog food myself--raw is the way for me with a little home-cooking now and then. Also, if you go back and check out the Dog Health and Nutrition forum in here---you will find web sites that you can click on that members have posted (including me). They will be in blue ink.

Just came back in here to add---You might want to give your dog probiotics (health food store, pharmacy) Another thing to check out on the web--Try words like: dogs/probiotics.

[chevy & karen]

I'm pretty much in agreement with what Corky/Max wrote. Are these sore's or scab's bothering your pup? The Pro-biotic's is a good idea, you can just go to your local Health Food Store (not a GNC or vitamin world) and get some Acidophilus and sprinkle on her food or disguise it in her food. When you give Anti-biotic's you kill the bad bacteria and also the good bacteria that the body need's, the Acidophilus will replace the good bacteria to her body. Or there are some yogurt's out there that have it in the ingredient's and she may like yogurt...

I would try to get her to eat some raw ground turkey or chicken (real food), as for pet food's, I like Wellness but there are many other's that are good. Rule of thumb is if you can buy it in a grocery store, it's probably filled with cancer causing preservative's, dye's and food that is not fit to eat. I have a link on this forum as to what is really in pet food, I'll try to find it for you..

[Corky/Max]

Originally Posted by chevy & karen

I'm pretty much in agreement with what Corky/Max wrote. Are these sore's or scab's bothering your pup? The Pro-biotic's is a good idea, you can just go to your local Health Food Store (not a GNC or vitamin world) and get some Acidophilus and sprinkle on her food or disguise it in her food. When you give Anti-biotic's you kill the bad bacteria and also the good bacteria that the body need's, the Acidophilus will replace the good bacteria to her body. Or there are some yogurt's out there that have it in the ingredient's and she may like yogurt...

I would try to get her to eat some raw ground turkey or chicken (real food), as for pet food's, I like Wellness but there are many other's that are good. Rule of thumb is if you can buy it in a grocery store, it's probably filled with cancer causing preservative's, dye's and food that is not fit to eat. I have a link on this forum as to what is really in pet food, I'll try to find it for you..

In previous posts I have suggested yogurt but just recently came across info that said there wasn't enough acidophilus in the amount that you would be feeding your dog to make a difference so ??. Had to mention this or it would be bothering me esp. with all the other posts I did about giving yogurt. I'm a Taurus and old habits are hard to break--I still give yogurt, a couple or three big Tbsp. practically every morning---maybe it would be enough that way--giving it every day and more like a preventative but if a dog has big problems and needs help--maybe best to get the acidophilus (and prob. more than 1 type of probiotic in this capsule--I'm assuming it would be in capsule-form!). Trouble is---how much do you give a dog, although I would think there would be no harm in giving too much?? Maybe that info can be found on the web, I don't know but I'll bet your vet can't tell you--prob. never even heard of it, unless a holistic vet! And if a person does give yogurt--MAKE SURE it is plain yogurt without the sweet stuff in it that so many people buy for themselves. Sugar is a good thing to stay away from with dogs---no sense in increasing their chances of getting diabetes!!

So is probiotis like antibiotics. The scabs started out as hives they were just lumps under the fur that were hard. Then after a week or so they grew and got bigger. I dont really trust my vet and i dont have really any money for any more vet visits. It already cost me 70 dollars for nothing. I would be interested in trying the probiotics if they were some what in expensive. The scabs dont seem to be bothering her at all. She doesnt scratch at all really. But her coat is ugly looking. I feel really bad that there is nothing i can do to help. The rest of her looks really good. I just dont know what to do she has had them for months. Now she is getting more. I add some pictures i hope that you can see what i am talking about clearly. She has the scabs along both sides of her back

[wishbone]

For once and for all, you should take your dog into a more expert vet. There should some check should be done like blood check. Also ask the best food that would improve your dog's condition, I think with some kind of fat or oil (omega 3 or omega 6) on his food will help. All of this should be what your vet would recommend, don't just buy any food for him now.

[Corky/Max]

Probiotics (pro) put the good bacteria back in the dog that the antibiotics (anti) destroyed And I agree with Wishbone about the Omega 3 and the blood work, but think I would find a dif. vet--holistic preferred! It might help to get some vitamins in the dog too--like vitamin E and vitamin C (and I expect a lot of members to say that dogs don't need vitamin C, but that is not true, In fact if pups were given Vitamin C from the beginning (esp. the breeds that are prone to hip dysplasia--It might even prevent them from getting hip dysplasia plus there are a lot more reasons to give Vit. C that I am not going to elaborate on right now--It's late and I need to go to bed!
And I would still find a better dog food! I still wonder if this is hives or something else. No matter what it is----getting better nutrition is still one answer to a healthier dog for sure. And if any of this is going to help--it may take some time before there is an improvement--could take several months!
BUT if there has been no blood work done previously by your vet--you should check into it! And if you did go to another vet--get copies of the paperwork from your current vet to take to the new vet-----no sense in "starting over"--
esp. if you have gotten blood work done before---Get all the records (copies) your vet has! You have a right to these records----I get copies everytime I go to the vet. It is a good way for you to keep track of any changes in blood work, etc. Keep us posted on how everything is going!! And good luck!

[chevy & karen]

Originally Posted by pufffddady

So is probiotis like antibiotics. The scabs started out as hives they were just lumps under the fur that were hard. Then after a week or so they grew and got bigger. I dont really trust my vet and i dont have really any money for any more vet visits. It already cost me 70 dollars for nothing. I would be interested in trying the probiotics if they were some what in expensive. The scabs dont seem to be bothering her at all. She doesnt scratch at all really. But her coat is ugly looking. I feel really bad that there is nothing i can do to help. The rest of her looks really good. I just dont know what to do she has had them for months. Now she is getting more. I add some pictures i hope that you can see what i am talking about clearly. She has the scabs along both sides of her back

Oh dear sweet puppy. Puffddday, you really need a proper diagnosis and a different vet. Alot of vet's have payment plan's or credit care or care credit (not sure which it is called) Please take this precious pup to another vet and please keep us posted.

In answer to your question, pro-biotics will help to replace the good bacteria in the body that the anti-biotics destroyed. We all have good bacteria in our body but many thing's can destroy it and anti biotic's is right up there..

Example: I had to give my pup anti-biotics for his Lyme disease (was torn between using anti-biotics and Leedum as I use both allopath and homeopath medicine) and sure enough he got a yeast infection in his ear's...

Please try to find a good vet (preferably holistic) that will work with you on a payment plan along with proper treatment and diagnosis. And please keep us posted..

PS. I still stand firm that good food is the best health insurance you can get for your pet and even though it cost a little more it will save you money in vet bill's and also heart ache.

One more PS. has this pup been given shot's recently?

Here is a good site to explore with ton's on information.

Animal Holistic Health - Natural Pet Care