My four month old pit bull broke out in hives.

by Jordan Estevez
(salem nh)

I have a 4 month old pitbull that broke out in a ton of these little bumps all around his body.

They're mostly around the lower part of his back toward his tail, but they reach up to his neck. They seem to really be bothering him because he is constantly scratching and licking his paws. He also has a bit of a swelled up right eye.

I'm not sure what may be wrong with him.




Hi Jordan
These are pretty severe hives and my best guess is that it's an allergic reaction of some sort. Especially given that there's a little facial swelling as well and his paws seem to be irritated. All of these are classic signs of dog allergies.

An allergic reaction can be triggered by something a dog has eaten, by coming in contact with something, or by inhaling it.

It's important to try to figure out what triggered this reaction so that you can avoid it happening again. Has he eaten anything different within the last day or so? Been in contact with a new rug perhaps, or bedding, or has the carpet been shampooed, or has he been in a new environment? There are a whole host of possibilities!

For now, to help relieve the itchiness you can give him some Benadryl. Use the tablets, not the liquid as that contains alcohol which is bad for dogs. You can give him 1/2mg per pound of body-weight every 8 hours.

If these hives and the associated swelling and itching don't improve I'd recommend taking him to your veterinarian for evaluation. He may need some other medication to relieve the symptoms.

Hopefully you will be able to figure out what's caused the problem and make sure it doesn't happen again.

Hope this helps, best of luck with your pup. Hope he's feeling much better soon.