My dog has hives and lumps after flea treatment. Is it serious?

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Poor Brutus! After a bad flea infestation and reaction it is best to have your Vet treat the skin with a course of antibiotics and steroids. A skin infection usually results from all the scratching from the fleas. This is the quickest way to resolving Brutus's skin issues and to make him feel better. You can try the cream but I wouldn't want him to lick it and it will get stuck in his fur. Plus that is a very large area for cream. I hope this helps and I wish Brutus the best!

Hi and thanks for your post on Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Oh dear, this sounds like Bella has hives indicating an allergic reactions to something she was exposed to. Please take her into a veterinarian right away for treatment. She will need antihistamines and a steroid. Whatever she was exposed to needs to be identified so she does not have a reaction like this again. Best of luck!

Hi, thanks for using PetCoach! Poo Chevy! It is likely that the bumps are hives and Chevy is suffering from an allergic reaction. Sometime we never know the inciting cause but insects or environmental allergens are the most common, unless he is receiving medications or was recently vaccinated (in the last 24 hours). The standard treatment for hives is benadryl and steroids. Ideally you should have him seen by your Vet. You can read this article on benadryl and see if it helps. https://www.petcoach.co/canigive/dog/benadryl/ I hope this helps and I wish Chevy the best!

These lumps are not typical of a flea allergy dermatitis. That typically is just a superficial rash with itching, hair loss, scabs, etc. These lumps are concerning. Your pet may have developed abscesses which are deeper infections that form pockets of pus or infectious fluid. This is worth a trip to the vet for a recheck. I do not feel that it is a life threatening emergency, but it should be addressed by your veterinarian as soon as regular business hours resume. Your pet may need prescription antibiotics, the lumps may need to be aspirated or checked with a needle and if they are full of pus, they should be drained. Please have your vet recheck him as soon as possible,

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! This looks like it could be skin allergies. It really comes down to figuring out what is causing his allergies so that they can be treated or the specific allergen avoided. There are many things that can cause allergies though in most cases they can be broken down into 3 big categories: flea, food and environmental allergies. Allergies are usually worked up in a stepwise fashion starting with flea allergies as this is the easiest and cheapest to take care of. If not on a flea preventative, then it would be a good idea to get started on one. If already on one then it would be a good idea to change to something else (there are many new products out in the market). If not improved in 1-3 months then it is time to move on and check for food allergies by switching to a novel diet (new protein and new carbohydrate). If that does not seem to be the issue then you are left out having to check for environmental allergies which require blood and/or skin tests. Allergies can be very frustrating to deal with at first but so rewarding at the end when we are able to treat them effectively! There is really nothing specific you can try at home other than bathing him with a medicated shampoo you can get at your local pet store. This shampoo should contain chlorehexidine. In reality though, this is unlikely to resolve this issue completely. Good luck and have a good day!

Poor Bowzer, it looks like he is having an allergic reaction. He should be see by a veterinarian so that they can administer allergy medications and control his symptoms. Other signs of allergy include a swollen face, vomiting, and lethargy in addition to the hives you are currently seeing. More severe complications with allergies include difficulty breathing. Please have Bowzer evaluated by a veterinarian as soon as possible so that he gets medications. Hope this helps and best of luck.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! This is possibly due to allergies. It really comes down to figuring out what is causing her allergies so that they can be treated or the specific allergen avoided. A secondary infection is likely and also needs to be addressed. There are many things that can cause allergies though in most cases they can be broken down into 3 big categories: flea, food and environmental allergies. Allergies are usually worked up in a stepwise fashion starting with flea allergies as this is the easiest and cheapest to take care of. If not on a flea preventative, then it would be a good idea to get started on one. If already on one then it would be a good idea to change to something else (there are many new products out in the market). If not improved in 1-3 months then it is time to move on and check for food allergies by switching to a novel diet (new protein and new carbohydrate). If that does not seem to be the issue then you are left out having to check for environmental allergies which require blood and/or skin tests. Allergies can be very frustrating to deal with at first but so rewarding at the end when we are able to treat them effectively!