Melon has horrible hives. :(

[SmoothSavage]

We've been battling hives on his belly and armpits for the last couple weeks, since the pollen started getting really bad. He wasn't' too bad to start with, but despite my efforts they keep getting worse. Today was the breaking point, they are HORRIBLE. I'm trying to get him in at my vet my next day off.

He's been taking Chlor-Trimeton tablets twice a day, which a friend's vet suggested for her dog's similar issues. They haven't been making a difference though, so we're trying Benadryl tonight. He's also been getting bathed in every medicated and soothing shampoo I have access to, once a week. I rinse him off after being outside playing too.

This is from today... the pics don't do it justice. It washes out a LOT of the redness, and doesn't show how his skin is flaking off around the spots. sad









 

[Cowgirl-with-heart]

aawe poor baby,you could try hosing him off every day,the cool water would probably be soothing and might help rinse off pollen stuck to him  

[Krissim Klaw]

Poor baby. I have seen others with dogs that bad who have literally had to make it a point to partially rinse/wipe there dog down after each time it goes outside. It probably isn't helping that Mellon has such a sparse coat so not much to protect him from the pollen and ichies outside. I wonder if slipping a light shirt over him before going outside would help?  

[Gabrielle_AnimalLuver]

Poor baby! I think the dosage for Bendadryl is 25mg/50lbs. If you don't already have in your first aid kit, the no name brands look much better, no dyes or other crap. The drug is diphenhendramine (sp?)  

[SmoothSavage]

Well I don't know if it was the Benedryl, the bath, or the calendula gel we put on before bed (maybe all three), but the hives are better this morning. Still there, but a lot of the redness has gone. I'm still gonna try to get him in at the vet though.

Krissim, I thought about a T-shirt, but its been so hot I just can't do it. Thankfully our yard is just dirt, no grass or plants, so I don't have to worry about him going out to potty. I think the problem is when we go out swimming at the lakes/rivers and he goes through the plants and grass there. He does get either bathed or rinsed/grooming wiped after playing though.  

[Krissim Klaw]

Yep, it has been brutal here with heat. You might however find with a light white shirt he is actually a little bit cooler than without. The sun sure can heat up areas with darker fur colors fast. Kirby is back and white and it is amazing how hot the black parts of his fur get. Melon looks like he has more of a gray though so may not be that intense of a heat build up. The other thing you can do is wet the t shirt down in cold water prior to putting it on so it actually helps to cool down your puppers even more.

I'm glad to hear you have gotten some of the bumps down though. Certain times in the year Kirby can get ichy also.  

[Cowgirl-with-heart]

awe good to hear it Savage,hopefully they stay down,poor dear  

[SmoothSavage]

Melon is black, the pics look grey because his fur is falling out. sad

He does have a cool coat I could put on him, though. Actually, now that I think about it, he always wears his life jacket when he's out nowadays since we're always swimming. Maybe that's why his belly and back aren't as bad as his legs and pits. Hm.  

[Krissim Klaw]

I just want to reach out and hug the little guy. Ichies are not fun. The life jacket could indeed being helping to protect some of his areas from the contact. Keep us updated on what ends up happening.  

[SmoothSavage]

I picked up some Veterycin at work yesterday, don't know why I didn't think of it sooner. It has helped loads! Most of the redness is gone now, and he seems less itchy. smile  

[Cowgirl-with-heart]

Savage Destiny

I picked up some Veterycin at work yesterday, don't know why I didn't think of it sooner. It has helped loads! Most of the redness is gone now, and he seems less itchy. smile

yay biggrin