Hives?please help

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My 5yr old chocolate lab has broke out with some kinda hive lookin things. I noticed about a month ago these little(bumps) about the size of peas on her elbows.they have a white dry almost scab on them.You can hardly see the bump unless you part her hair.

  sometime in the last day or so they have multiplied mainly on her elbows and legs.Today i noticed she has been chewing on her rear,thinking maybe just a flea didnt really bother with it. Well she just came up to me whining and i notice these nickle to quarter size welps on her rear.They are red and moist.

Does anyone have any idea what this might be?I cant afford a vet bill right now,we struggle to pay for the food for her hip problems.My baby girl is hurtin.Is there anything for humans i could maybe try??Shes sitting her lookin at me w/ this help me look.I feel so bad.Any advice would be appreciated.

[Misfits4Me]

Yippee!!!! Oh Jason, I'm SOOOoooo glad you found a Vet that will work with you!!

I want to add: I just read (On another well respected Dog Forum) about this identical situation happening to a ladies Toy Breed Dog.....She said the same thing...Large welps (The size of nickels & quarters) all on the dogs bottom and legs....Also said it came up overnight!  Turns out that it is a severe allergic reaction to flea bites....Shes been trying to clear it up for quite a few days!!!  So, hang in there...

Be sure and ask about supplements for your dog's joint issues.....Be careful if the Vet tries to sell you one....Sometimes, they're much too much money through a Vet.....You can get very good supplements elsewhere & I will help you with that when you find out...

About the Heartworm tablet: One of my Vets will sell one tablet at a time instead of a whole box.....Make sure you ask.....Easier to come up with the money that way!!

Another thing: I still am going to offer suggestions on food......There are many, many very good foods. The way I'll select some names for you will be based on: The best food for the price, affordable for a large breed,  & the ones that I have personally found to be easier to locate...That will help you out & narrow down your search......

I've got to get cracking......Again, Thank you for seeking treatment for your dog.....Keep me updated.........KArla

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Thank you for all your help. I actually found a vet that works based on income, but cant get her in until next Friday. She seems to be doing alright,not too bothered by it...and it doesn't look to be getting any worse. It just popped up over night and had me kinda freaked out. I dont think this vet is going to try to screw me over...I found them on my cities website..we'll see. Had real good reviews.


                                    Again thanks for everything,Jason

                                    I'll let you know what they say

[Misfits4Me]

Jason......I just thought of something........Swimming pools+heat+lesions. Some of what your describing could be Ringworm.....Google pictures of Ringworm and see......This is contagious to humans, too. It's classic appearance is a spreading circle of hair loss w/ scaley skin at the center and a red ring on the outside.....If there's just a few areas involved, a topical antifungal (Miconazole, For athletes foot) is required on lesions....It takes 4-6wks. of treatment to get rid of it....Antifungal shampoos are used , also.

I agree w/ Jaybay on the Ivermectin.....I would NOT risk it!   A heartworm pill (From your Vet) is the best way......I have read of people using it, but I would NOT.....

Benedryl can be purchased in a tablet that you can cut....Stay with 1mg. per lb.

If your making NO progress in a week or so.......Your dog needs to see a Vet.....They will do a skin scraping to determine what she's dealing with.......

Continue to use those two sights I gave you, to check out better foods to feed.......Karla

[Jaybay]

WHOA!!!  The correct dose of benadryl IS 1 mg per pound of body weight so double-check what you're currently giving.

I absolutely do not agree with using ivermectin as a prophylactic for heartworm infestation.  It is supposed to be used to treat dogs who already have them.  I know plenty of horse people who do the same thing in order to save money on monthly preventive meds, and it was never intended to be used that way.  Please don't fall into that trap.

I am concerned that your dog has more than an allergic reaction going on.  While the benadryl should help keep the itching and swelling under control, you still don't know the underlying cause.  You cannot rule out mange and that does require help from a vet.  Your dog may well have a secondary skin infection that is common in dogs who react to the bite of the mange mite.  Antibiotics are essential if that's the case.  Is there any possibility he got into a pile of fire ants?  The bumps you describe sound more like pustules than classic hives.  Either fire ants or mange mites can cause pustules to form.

Call around and check prices with different vet clinics.  I think it's time to consult a different vet on many aspects of your dog's care.  I agree with Misfits that the JD food is nothing but an expensive nutritional wasteland.  The primary ingredient is "ground maize" which means "corn".  Corn is nothing more than filler and can cause a whole lot of problems in dogs, including allergies.  Your wallet and your dog would be better served by a more nutritious and cheaper commercial food with additional supplementation.  A vet can help you determine the correct dose of glucosamine, chondroitin and/or MSM to promote better joint health.  You can purchase these very cheaply at any grocery store or pharmacy that carries their own generic brand.  

An anti-inflammatory medication is essential with what sounds like hip displaysia.  If you can't afford rimadyl or deramaxx right now, a vet can help you determine the correct dose of tylenol to help with the joint pain.  Your dog is very lucky to have access to a pool!  Swimming is the gold standard for any dog with an orthopedic problem.  It keeps muscles strong without the joint pounding that results from other exercise.  It's less painful to swim because gravity resistance is greatly reduced.  Keep up the good work!

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  The swelling and redness hasnt changed, but she's not biting/licking anymore.And dosn't seem to be in any discomfort. I could only find 25mg tablet and I wasnt comfortable cutting them in the right proportion.(she's around 85lbs).I'll maybe bump it up to 100mg after rereading your original response.I had it in my head only 1 mg per lb.

  OMG...I feel so dooped.I have a general rule of thumb w/ANY purchase $75 or over...I research it. In fact i researched the vet that "prescribed" the chicken feed. He also came highly recommended by a friend..I never thought to research the food. I'm gonna  call my friend when he gets up.He has 2 dogs that "require"  "special food". That vet told me this (JD) was the ONLY thing outside surgery that would allow her to live a "normal" life. You wanna believe the pros...you know? He seemed like nice enough and pretty honest guy. Maybe the hills sales rep just got to him???IDK.I've got a friend thats in sales for a pharm. company (She in an extremely attractive blonde w/a personality to boot).She sells these doctors all kinda crap they dont need. I guess thats just sales though??

  Im gonna go back to that website and do a lil homework.You said you may have some recommendations.You seem very educated in this department. Any and all info would greatly appreciated.

  Also on a different note..another friend told us last year about Ivermecisin(sp) its heartworm med for horses and only cost about $7 at a local feed store for 1 horse dose/30+dog doses.It comes in a big dial suringe and goes by weight.They give it to their dogs and have never had a problem w/heartworms.The last heartworm med we gave (heartgaurd i believe) her had the same active ingred.(Ivermecisin) (sp)and the dose amount worked out to be exactly the same.???Have you even heard of this?Your thoughts.??

   I cant thank you enough for your help.I feel like a bad dog owner. And must seem like a cheap person.If there was an emergency situation My girl would be fixed before my bills got paid...things have just been real tight lately.thanks again

                                                                     Jason

[amberette]

My 3 years old APBT has had this samee kind of rash for the last 2 weeks or so. It started on his back, and I could see his hair raised where the bumps were. He rolls on the carpet and whines while trying to itch them. It spread to his lower abdominal area within a couple days. A vet advised me to use hydrocortisone cream on the bumps, but they hasn't helped. It has actually doubled in the last 3 days or so. He is tremendously irritated by them. I haven't changed food, he has been on the same kind for over a year and has never had any problems with it. I did get a new kind of flea shampoo and a spray -on dip treatment. He broke out a couple days after using this, so I gave him a bath with oatmeal moisturizing shampoo and it hasn't gotten any better, only worse. I do have some antihistamines the vet gave me for a previous hot spot, but they are not working either. I am at a loss right now....I have no idea what to do for my bug guy.

[Misfits4Me]

Hi Jason....Are the welps better? Allergies are hard to figure out!  Welps are usually an immediate reaction to an allergen..Since they are on her bottom; I'd go with flea bites! Even if you don't see the flea, it's been there. You can use cortizone cream on them cause they DO itch & you want them to dry out....Also, could be a reaction from ant bites or grass......The dry spots on her elbows are probably pressure sores...They're kinda grey and rough and you can scratch them off.......You want to moisturize them with an ointment & make sure she has a soft place to lay.....The oozy ones you want to dry up.....Peroxide works well!  Now if any of these become very red and inflamed  and look infected; yellow/greenish puss, she'll need to see the Vet for oral antibiotics.....Amoxicillin would probably be the choice and it is not expensive.......

Now the bad part: You MUST get her on a good quality diet....NO, I'm not kidding!  The food you have fed her for 4 years is a joke! Not your fault, understand....There is absolutely NO nutrition in Hill's JD! Yes, I looked it up...It is sold for Joint Disease because it has a few joint supplements in it...Actually, after they're baked in the food, there's probably nothing left....There are hundreds of joint supplements on the market, that you can add yourself....Proper Nutrition is a thousand times better for JD than any supplement...Your dog is a carnivore and needs MEAT. There is nothing but cheap fillers in that bag of $80.00 food....You could buy a $5.00 bag of birdfeed for the same nutrition....

Here's the List of ingredients:  Ground maize, ground rice, flaxseed, soybean meal, pea bran meal, chicken and turkey meal, digest, animal fat, fish oil, dried whole egg, L-lysine hydrochloride, potassium chloride, calcium carbonate, L-carnitine supplement, DL-methionine, L-threonine, salt, taurine, dicalcium phosphate, L-tryptophan, vitamins and trace elements. Naturally preserved with mixed tocopherols, citric acid and rosemary extract.      OMG!  They've got to be kidding!!!!!

Grain, grain, grain, grain.....This is chicken feed.....The chicken and turkey listed, are too far down the list to matter...That means there's either none or very little. No wonder your dog is having allergies...(Probably to this food)!  See the DIGEST listed??? Know what that is? POOP!!!! Animal poop!!! Yes, it is!!!!  The only good thing on the list is fish oil (Omega 3's) and yes, your dogs needs them....But, as a supplement you give fresh!    

Again, this is not your fault......Your NOT suppose to know......But, it's easy to find out....You can buy a high quality food, plus fish oils, plus a joint supplement for far less than $80.00...Then you could save the extra for a Vet visit when needed.....Yes, the Vet is also making money off of this food....That's why they sell it!!!

OK, here's where to start looking: "Dogfood Project.Com"  & "Dogfood Analysis.Com". Both are excellent resources to look at food quality....They have done the work for you and will explain why or why you shouldn't feed a particular food......Very interesting !!

I do have some suggestions on which foods (Affordable for a large breed) & suggestions on supplements that you can purchase and give to her yourself.....Let me know if I can help......Also, Google "What's Really in Petfood"....You'll be shocked!!!!!  

Sorry this is so long.......I'll check back in tomorrow.......Karla

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Thank you so much for responding.I'll start the Benedryl right away.I feel so bad  i cant afford a vet .I'll save you lost job story...its just really tight right now.

I dont think it has anything to do w/ the food as we have used it for 4yrs now,But IDK.Its Hills JD about $80 a bag.The vet said she was 3 on the right side and 2 1/2 on left Whatever that means.And it would cost over 5k to fix w/no promises. She has always seem to get around alright with no signs of discomfort.The only time she acts like it bothers her is after long walks,which we limit.Most of her exercise comes from the pool.

  I got a little better look at the sores on her rear.There is one spot that looks cracked real dry,and maybe oozed then dried up.The rest are from dime to quarter in size are slightly swollen and red.The little spots on her elbows and lower legs have a white scablike cover.When I srape it off it doent bleed. its just  red.Its almost like powder.Oh by the way when i say rear its not her rectum,it just below.We call it her baboon butt..lol...most people thinks shes a male.It just the way the hair parts...looks like a lil butt. Thats the area and only in that area.

Thanks again for your response and I look forward to talking w/you later.

                                        Jason