Yesterday morning I noticed a hive over Delilah’s right eye. She has a tendency to get a large welt when she’s bit by a bug, so naturally, I assumed something had bit her. Since we were forecast for a blizzard I had to run out to the store, and when I got home I checked her eye and the hive seemed like it might have moved slightly and her eye was a bit more swollen.
I called the vet.
By the time we arrived at our 4:20 appointment, the bulk of the swelling around her eye was gone. The vet could see a little swollen area and said to keep an eye on her and if it got worse to give her some Benadryl. She said the Benadryl might make her tired.
I laughed.
Just before dinner I noticed she had a hive over her left eye.
Does this arrow make my eye look puffy?
I gave her some Benadryl with her dinner, then Hubby and I ate ours and watched a show. While we were watching the show Delilah climbed up on my lap looking for some attention. I had noticed she was a tad bit clingy so I held her and rubbed her until she got down.
After the show was over I got up to do dishes and of course Delilah came with me. When I looked at her under the kitchen light, this is what I saw.
It’s not a fancy new ‘doo, it’s an itchy, ugly mess.
It’s like she just went POOF. The poor little thing was covered with hives. On her nose, around her eyes and all over the top of her head. She looked like her hair was standing up all over her head.
The vet gave us enough Benadryl for three to four days and said if I noticed the hive getting worse to start her on the Benadryl and keep her on it, to make sure we get whatever is in her system out.
I placed another call to the vet, but because we are in the middle of a blizzard, I didn’t hear back last night. So of course I did the one thing you aren’t supposed to do.
I consulted Dr. Google. I know, I know. BUT this time I found the Pet360 site, which basically said it’s an allergic reaction. Not the best news in the world, because how the hell do you determine what the allergen is? BUT it was enough to help me feel a wee bit better.
Meanwhile I message Jodi Chick who suggested I wipe her down with a wet towel, in case it was a contact allergy.
Delilah was curled up sleeping on her bed, but I woke her up to wipe her down. I wiped her all over with a wet towel and the hives seemed to have gone down quite a bit.
Funny, but the Benadryl worked with her, she went right back to sleep. Me on the other hand…
Someone remind me to get a refill on my Xanax today.
Special thanks to my friend, One Person’s View for giving me the title for this post.
Holy cow girlfriend, what next???? Poor girl, I can’t believe she wasn’t itching herself raw with all those hives. Yes defiantly a allergic reaction but from what??? Any thing unusual or different she did before that all happened? Glad the benadryl worked!
OMG! That would totally freak me out. I’m so glad Delilah’s feeling better, as I’m sure you are too. I hope those nasty hives stay away and that whatever was bothering her is now wiped away for good. Poor little thing!
I think you sent us your blizzard – we’re going through it now, and it’s supposed to last until tomorrow night. They’re calling for 3 feet of snow here and there’s a travel ban on all roadways in our state until “further notice”. As long as we don’t lose power – HEAT – we’re perfectly happy to be snowed in for a few days. 🙂
OMD poor thing. We hope she is better now and no more we say, paws crossed. Have a terrific Tuesday.
Best wishes Molly
Knock on wood, I’ve never had this happen with any of my dogs. Just know it would definitely freak me out! So glad the Benadryl is working. Living with Delilah is never boring 😉
Where do these weird things come from and why do they only happen on weekends when the vet is closed or during a blizzard? Maybe lay her upside down in the cold snow to reduce the swelling?
How scary. I wonder what caused the reaction? I hope you have a calmer day today.
I hope she’s feeling better and you can relax today! Those hives would freak anyone out. Sounds like Jodi gave you great advice to wipe Delilah down.
That dog! You need a shot of whiskey and a lortab…or xanax.
poor Delilah and poor you
retro rover
Oh no, I know these things probably bother us more than they bother the dogs. And they always happen on a weekend, holiday, or during a blizzard. Ugh. I hope the Benadryl has kept her cleared up, and that you can figure out what caused it. When Cricket had an allergic vaccine reaction, I know it took more than one dose of Benadryl for her to finally stop scratching and go to sleep.
I hope you’re not getting hit too hard with the snow down there. We only have a few inches here, we seem to be just north of the worst of it.
Think of it this way–the worse kind of stress is boredom. And with Delilah in your life you will never be bored.
OMD that picture looked like you had a FURRY CROWN on your head…
We are glad that the Benadryl Worked…. we keep it on hand ALL the time… JUST IN CASE…
Boy oh boy, dogs make sure we never have a dull moment, don’t they?! I hope you’re all feeling tip-top very soon.
Oh no!! Poor Delilah!! When those things happen they are totally scary, I don’t blame you for freaking out.
OMG, D.! That is absolutely crazy. I hope your bumps are all gone by now. The wet towel sounds like a good plan. Can’t go wrong with that. Hang in there, buddy.
Love and licks,
Cupcake
Her poor face!
We had something very similar happen to Dante last Christmas, he was fine all day, we went to a friend’s house – he was fine there. We come home and not even an hour later his whole body was covered in hives!!
Some benadryl and they ended up going away our vet said it could have been anything like a candle, perfume, house cleaner, lotion….anything could have done it.
And it hasn’t happened since…very strange indeed.
Remember to enter into our giveaway, we’d love to see those begging faces!
So sorry you had a rough night. Did you figure out what might have caused it? Funny, the other day while out walking the dogs I noticed my bum was really itchy. I didn’t think much of it until I came home. When washing my hands I realized they were all red. Then I realized I was covered with hives over most of my body. Benadryl did help. I too have no idea what caused it. Nothing new I came into contact with. Middle of winter so not many allergens out there. There is such a thing as cold hives but wasn’t colder than any other day before or after. So go figure.
Poor baby girl! That looks miserable! Benadryl never wears Barley out–she’s gotten it a few times when she’s gotten icky rashes from fleas and it stops the itching, but she’s always always always ready to go. I hope Miss Delilah’s back to feeling 100% again soon (and that you’re all surviving the blizzard!).
Poor Delilah! Glad the Benadryl is helping! I’ve been thinking about her all day. Has the snow stopped yet? You can send some of it to me if you want to.
How do you not have xanax on a permanent drip link to your arm??
Yikes! I wouldn’t have believed it if I hadn’t seen the picture. Poor Delilah! One time I came home and Blueberry had a lump on her head – like the size of a malt ball. Thankfully, it went down on its own. I have no idea what happened. I think I may have tricked her into eating some Benadryl and that helped. I’m glad it hasn’t happened again. Isn’t it funny (not funny, haha) how seeming lumps or bumps on our dogs makes us panic? Probably because we immediately think of the C word.
Oh, poor Delilah! I’ve learned to always keep Benadryl at home and when we go out. Haley got some hives last week, though not nearly as bad as Deilah, and we’re not sure what caused them…nothing different in her environment or food. Strange.
Jodi – Been there, done that … but with ME. I had hives for 18 months straight. They came on suddenly and went away gradually. One of the things I took away from the experience was the elimination diet. And my experience with animals is one of the biggies is grains and dairy. Try a grain free diet for Delilah and see if that helps.
P.S. When I saw that last photo of her I had a bad flash back of also being covered with hives. I hope
she doesn’t have any more. P.S.S. I’ll send you a few of my Xanax lol lol lol give her a hug for
me!!!!!!!!!
I have to admit, your caption on the first photo made me burst out laughing. But poor Delilah! I hope she’s feeling better soon. And thank God for Benadryl. With all of Nike’s allergies, it’s a pretty regular thing here in our house. We couldn’t get by without it!
I hate that when a pet comes down with something mysterious. You’re right about knowing it’s allergies does nothing to help ease your anxiety. Hopefully she’s all over it now and looking forward to better days ahead. Take care!
Aww! That doesn’t sound like fun at all! I hope her hives go away and that she gets to feeling better soon!
Aiy yai yai, Delilah. It’s always something with that poor girl, isn’t it? I’m glad I could chat, even if I couldn’t really HELP! And ALWAYS KEEP THE XANAX BOTTLE FULL! *always*