Dog Hives - Treatment and Causes of Hives in Dogs

Hives are an intense allergic reaction that appears quickly (usually within 30 minutes) and disappears relatively quickly as well (usually within 24 hours.) It is caused by an overproduction of antibodies and results in the swelling of tissue and blood cells. The allergens that cause hives can come from almost any source and can be either inhaled or absorbed through the skin. To protect your dog from future episodes, you should try to identify the source of the allergic reaction.

Symptoms of Dog Hives

Hives in dogs are red in appearance and circular in shape. Since they are slightly raised from the skin, they also might make your dog's fur seem to be raised in places. While the inflammation caused by dog hives is not necessarily painful, the itchiness associated with it can lead to intense scratching, breaking of the skin and infection. While anything can cause the allergic reaction that results in dog hives, common causes are insect bites, drugs (typically vaccinations), new foods, shampoos and lawn treatments involving insecticides.

Dog Hives Treatment

Hives in dogs are caused by a specific allergen, so the first step in treatment is to remove that allergen as soon as possible. Since dog hives appear almost immediately after contact with the offending item, try to determine what your dog has done differently during the past few hours. Has your dog tried a new food, played in a new area or had a bath with a new soap? Identifying the source of the reaction will both accelerate its passing and keep it from returning in the future.

If you are not able to identify the source of the allergic reaction you can still help remove it by following these steps:

繚 Bath - Bathing your dog in cool water is a good two-fold treatment for hives. First, it will help ease the itching caused by the condition (though you must be careful not to use warm or hot water as these can actually aggravate the symptoms). Second, if the source of the hives is something that has come in contact with your dog's skin, it will help remove any traces of that item. Remember, however, that if you bathed your dog recently, a soap or shampoo could be the cause of the original reaction. In this case, be sure to use a different brand than you did. There are a variety of hypoallergenic shampoos and soaps, including Hyliderm Hypoallergenic Shampoo.

繚 Sucralfate - For food allergies, you can treat your dog's symptoms immediately by using Sucralfate to help dilute the contents of the allergen in your dog's stomach. Obviously, you should also be sure to change the brand of food you are currently using.

繚 Cortisone - Like humans, dogs can benefit from an antihistamine such as Benadryl, but for more extreme cases of dog hives your veterinarian might prescribe topical or oral cortisone-based medications.