How long do hives last on dogs

Dog Hives (Urticaria | welts): Causes, Diagnosis & Treatment

What Are Dog Hives (Urticaria)?

Hives, otherwise known as urticaria by medical professionals, are one abnormality you may see. They occur when your dog is allergic to something, such as an insect, medication, or food. Recognizing hives in dogs and understanding the cause is essential to relieving your dogs discomfort and preventing dog hives in the future.

What do dog hives look like?

• Dog hives look like raised bumps on the skin, usually about the size of a nickel.
• Hives are usually red in color; however, you may not notice redness if they are on a very furry part of your dog. In this case, your pets hives may only look like fur-covered bumps. Sometimes, its difficult to see the raised bumps, and you may only feel them when petting your dog.
• Dog hives can appear anywhere on the body, including the face, tongue, neck, legs, chest, abdomen, or back. They can affect just one area of the body or the entire body.
• Dog hives are very itchy. This may be the first thing you notice before seeing or feeling hives on your dogs skin. Your dog will likely be trying to scratch, lick, or bite the areas affected as it will be itchy.
• Hives usually happen very fast within minutes after exposure to whatever caused them.
• You may notice excessive drooling and a swollen/puffy face if the hives affect your dogs throat or mouth.

What causes hives on a dog?

Dog hives are almost always related to exposure to an allergen. Once exposed to an allergen, mast cells in your dogs body release a substance called histamine. Histamine causes blood vessels to dilate, which leads to raised welts on your dogs skin.

The most common allergens causing dog hives include:

• Insect bite or sting, or ingesting an insect (photo recommendation: dog playing with bee)
• Vaccinations
• Acute allergic reactions to medications (chemotherapy, vitamin K, antibiotics)
• Food allergies
• Environmental allergies (grasses, trees, mold, dust mites, etc.)
• Contact allergens such as shampoos, insecticides, cleaning products
• Ingesting or skin exposure to toxic plants

Much less common causes of hives in dogs include prolonged exposure to extreme temperatures (hot or cold), strenuous exercise, parasites, or significant psychological stress.

Insect bites/stings, food, and medications are the most common causes of hives in dogs.

How are dog hives diagnosed?

As a pet parent, it can be worrisome to see these skin rashes, but luckily, for your vet to diagnose your dogs hives. Your vet will use a combination of your history and their physical examination findings.

Its essential to think about anything new your dog may have been exposed to. Did you see them playing with a bee? Were they recently vaccinated? Did they start a new medication or a new food? During the physical exam, your veterinarian will look at your dogs skin to evaluate hives and where the hives are located.

If your veterinarian is having trouble diagnosing your dogs hives or the reason for their hives, they may perform additional diagnostics, such as blood work, skin cytology, skin scrapings, or fecal analysis.

How to treat & get rid of dog hives?

Treatment for hives in dogs can be simple or more extensive, depending on the cause, severity, and duration of the allergic reaction.

To get your dog quick relief from the swelling and itchiness related to hives, your veterinarian will usually administer an injection of diphenhydramine (an antihistamine) and a corticosteroid. Once your dog is feeling better and discharged from the hospital, your veterinarian may also recommend that you continue giving your dog Benadryl two to three times a day at home for a couple of days.

To prevent hives from reoccurring, you need to understand what caused them in the first place so that you can avoid the allergen in the future. If there is no apparent cause for your dogs hives (such as insect bite, medication, or vaccinations), it may be more challenging to understand how to prevent hives in the future. Environmental and dietary allergies are two possible causes of hives that may require further diagnostics and treatment.

Environmental allergies

If your dog has recurrent hives or has other signs of allergies, your veterinarian may recommend testing for environmental allergies with serum allergy testing or intradermal allergy testing. With these results, your veterinarian can create a plan to desensitize your dog to these allergies with allergen-specific immunotherapy.

If you determine that you cannot eliminate the allergens in your dogs environment or pursue allergen-specific immunotherapy treatment, your veterinarian may recommend:

• Giving your dog daily antihistamines (such as Benadryl, zyrtec, or hydroxyzine)
• Giving your dog other prescription-strength allergy medications such as apoquel or cytopoint
• Starting daily skin health supplements, such as omega-three fatty acids.
• Frequently bathing your dog with medicated high-quality shampoo

Food allergies

Allergies that stem from food can also cause recurrent episodes of hives in dogs. The most common cause of allergies in dogs include chicken, beef, dairy, and egg 2. Recurrent episodes of hives can also be related to dietary allergies. To diagnose a food allergy, your veterinarian may recommend a diet trial for 6-8 weeks with a prescription food or an over-the-counter diet with a different protein source, like fish or venison. If your dog responds positively to a food trial, you can continue the special diet long term.

Are dog hives dangerous?

Dog hives are rarely life-threatening. However, there are a few less common situations where hives can affect your dogs breathing and become dangerous.

• Hives in the face, neck, or throat can cause severe swelling that impacts breathing, which can become life-threatening.
• The presence of hives anywhere may indicate your dog is having or about to have an anaphylactic reaction, which causes constriction of airways and difficulty breathing. 3 Besides hives, other signs of anaphylaxis include vomiting, diarrhea, facial swelling, drooling, blue gum color, and collapse.

If you notice that your dog has hives, pay particular attention to how they are breathing and for any other concerning changes in their behavior. If you are concerned your dog may be having severe allergic reactions, take them to the emergency room immediately to rule out a medical emergency.

At-home remedies for dog hives

If possible, take your dog to the veterinarian if you notice they have hives, especially if this is a first-time problem. If your dog chronically or intermittently has hives and the issue has previously been discussed with a veterinarian, some at-home remedies may help relieve the allergic reaction.

• If the hives are not affecting your dogs face, neck, throat, or ability to swallow, you can administer Benadryl by mouth. Always discuss if this is appropriate for your dog with your veterinarian first and receive instructions about dosage and frequency.
• If the hives were caused by a contact allergen (such as grasses/trees or chemicals) or insect bites you can help relieve itchiness by bathing with a gentle oatmeal-based dog shampoo can help your dog feel more comfortable.
• Apply a cold compress to the hives or the most severely affected areas of your dogs skin. Be careful never to apply a cold compress for more than 10 minutes at one time, and always wrap the ice or cold object in a towel before applying it to your dogs skin.

How long do hives on dogs last?

Dog hives are itchy, round welts that appear on a dogs skin, causing the fur to stick up. They generally last up to one to two days and are usually caused by an allergic reaction to insect bites, although there are also several other possible causes.

What to do if dog breaks out in hives?

1. Cold compresses over the hives or swollen areas to give relief from itching.
2. Antihistamines, but only under the supervision of your vet.

Are dog hives an emergency?

If your dog breaks out in hives after being bitten or stung, and especially if the hives spread to the face or neck, this should be treated as an emergency as it could indicate anaphylaxis.

Can I give my dog Benadryl for hives?

Benadryl is a great medication for use in dogs with mild-to-moderate allergies. Seasonal allergies, food allergies, environmental allergies, and allergic reactions to snake and insect bites all respond to Benadryl in most cases.

When should I take my dog to the vet for hives?

In the case of allergies, hives could be the beginning of a more severe allergic reaction. If you notice your pets face is swelling up or theyre having breathing difficulties, your pet definitely needs immediate veterinary attention.

Why is my dog getting bumps all over his body?

Folliculitis means inflamed hair follicles and often occurs when your dog is experiencing another skin problems such as mange or skin allergies, as the hair follicles become infected by the underlying skin condition. It appears on the body in sores, bumps and scabs over the skin.

Why is my dog breaking out in bumps?

Many things can cause bumps on dogs skin. Sometimes excessive scratching and chewing from allergies can cause small bumps to form on a dogs skin and these could indicate a skin infection. Other causes could be anything from acne, ringworm, or mange to various types of cysts and tumors.

What does a dog allergic reaction look like?

Symptoms of an allergic reaction in dogs hives (patches of red, swollen, itchy welts or bumps) also known as urticaria. facial angioedema (muzzle or eye swelling) itching. gastrointestinal signs (vomiting and/or diarrhea)

Will my dogs hives go away on their own?

Hives in dogs often resolve on their own in a few hours. For severe or chronic cases, however, where the source of the irritant cannot be immediately removed, or the swelling is causing intense irritation to the dog, medications may be necessary.

Do hives go away on their own?

A minor case of hives can last for a few days. An acute case of hives may persist for about six weeks. If the skin breakout lasts longer than that, it might be a case of chronic hives. Most cases of hives go away on their own, but you can use home remedies to ease the sometimes uncomfortable symptoms.

What plants give dogs hives?

• Male juniper shrubs.
• Acacia shrubs.
• Mulberry trees.
• Oak trees.
• Evening and garden primrose.
• Daylilies.
• Oleander.
• Sago palm.

What insect bite causes hives in dogs?

The most common causes of these reactions are insect bites. Fleas rate their own discussion, but bee, wasp, mosquito, and spider bites can all cause your dog some discomfort. Learn to recognize the signs of an allergic reaction in your dog so you can ease his pain and prevent any serious issues.

What antihistamine can I give my dog?

Antihistamines with the active ingredients of diphenhydramine, chlorpheniramine, cetirizine, clemastine or loratadine are usually safe for most healthy adult dogs. Hydroxyzine is another dog-safe antihistamine and one of the most effective available, but its only available on prescription.

What kind of Benadryl should I buy for my dog?

Benadryl Tablets Most diphenhydramine (Benadryl) tablets are 25 mg, which would be the appropriate size for a 25-pound dog. Smaller dogs will require you to cut or divide these 25-mg pills. In this case, childrens Benadryl in the chewable tablets may be a good option. These come in dosages of 12.5 mg.

How long do dog allergic reactions last?

Allergic skin reactions in dogs can last from 2 to 3 weeks, depending upon the allergen. An allergic reaction is the bodys immune systems response to an allergen, causing an over reaction. The immune system is the bodys system that protects the body from foreign invaders and potentially infectious materials.

How long do hives take to go away?

Hives do not last long, taking only 23 hours to fade. However, more can appear, which makes the symptoms last longer. Acute hives can develop and resolve on their own within 6 weeks, while chronic hives can last much longer.

What do skin allergies look like in dogs?

Excessive licking. Face rubbing. Hives or targeted swellingespecially ears, eye area, flaps of ears and face. Itchinessespecially at armpits, ears, feet, flanks and groin.

Can dogs get hives from anxiety?

Skin Problems Just as humans may break out in hives or rashes due to stress, dogs can also have the same bodily reaction. While these symptoms should not go overlooked or unaddressed medically, it is also important to make sure you are meeting your dogs basic needs in terms of exercise and diet.

How long does Benadryl take to work in dogs?

It will usually take 30 minutes for Benadryl to take full effect, and you want your pup calm and anxious-free. In terms of what form of Benadryl, thats entirely up to your vet. It doesnt really matter if you use the brand name medication or not.

What does mites look like on a dog?

Mites look like small spider-like creatures, with are estimated to only be 1/4 to 1/3 millimeters long. To the naked eye, they may look like tiny black dots on the skin, so you can only really see them under a microscope. They have a world-wide distribution, often being transferred from one dog to another.

How do you know if your dog has mange?

1. Redness, rash, and itching.
2. Hair loss.
3. Sores and lesions.
4. Scabby, crusty or scaly skin.

What foods are dogs most allergic to?

The most common food allergens in dogs are proteins, especially those from dairy, beef, chicken, chicken eggs, soy, or wheat gluten. Each time a pet eats food containing these substances, the antibodies react with the antigens, and symptoms occur.

How can I treat my dogs skin allergy at home?

Apple Cider Vinegar Water Spray If your pet has itchy skin, this concoction of 50/50 water and ACV spray can help relieve your pets skin allergies or irritation. This home remedy can also be used in a bath format. Fill up a small container with equal parts water and apple cider vinegar and soak your pets paws in it.

What gets rid of hives the fastest?

Apply a cold compress, such as ice cubes wrapped in a washcloth, to the itchy skin several times a dayunless cold triggers your hives. Use anti-itch medication that you can buy without a prescription, such as an antihistamine or calamine lotion.

What viruses cause hives?

Some infections that can cause hives in children include respiratory viruses (common cold), strep throat, urinary tract infections, hepatitis, infectious mononucleosis (mono) and many other viral infections.