My dog’s face has swollen up like something bit her. Her upper lips and cheeks are swollen. This is happened before, but I don’t know what the vet gave her. Is there anything we can do for her? She has no pain and is acting normally.
Any Suggestions?
What you are describing is probably an allergic reaction, such as to a bee sting. We usually give antihistamine such as benadry at 1 mg per pound of body weight, and sometimes a corticosteroid by injection. Most of these are not serious, but like in people are occasionally life-threatening.
Mack L. Barney, DVM
Barney & Russum Animal Clinic
Fairfield, CA
I would suggest that you give your dog benadryl. One tablet every 8 hours. You don’t need to worry about overdosing on Benadryl. The worst it would do is make the pet sleepy. I would give one tab. per 50 #. Check carefully for any signs of a bite or stinger. (you’ll probably get 25 other e-mails with the same advice!)
Charlene Boyd
talk-to-animals.com
You don’t say what breed of dog this is, how long this problem has been going on, whether or not it is seasonal, or even where the rash is, which is often a big clue as to what may be going on. I would have a hard time blaming the vaccine or the surgery for something like this, and it also sounds like the raw diet isn’t making a difference, either, so I’d recommend switching foods before there is a problem with Salmonella, poorly balanced nutrition, or other issues. You may want to consider using a fish-based diet, as fish oils are very anti-inflammatory and helpful for many skin problems.
Be sure your veterinarian has checked for fleas and flea dirt, done skin scrapings for mange mites, done a fungal culture to check for ringworm, done a tape test to check for Malassezia (skin yeast infection), run a complete thyroid panel (not just a T4 and TSH), run a CBC, Profile, and fecal, run a bacterial culture on any major sores, tried long-term antibiotics and antifungals, and tried antihistamines and cortisones together. If all of that has been done and the problem is still present, consider a skin biopsy and/or referral to a Board-Certified Veterinary Dermatologist.
Melinda R. Burgwardt, DVM
Melinda R. Burgwardt, DVM
Lancaster, NY
Same thing just happened to my dog. The vet had no clue what was causing the swelling. Benadryl seemed to help a little. After doing some research and putting 2+2 together, I have concluded that it was an allergic reaction to the heartworm medication I gave my dog the day before (aka Ivermectin). Facial swelling is a side effect of Ivermectin and the only explanation for my dog’s face swelling, as it is 30 degrees outside and doubtful she got stung or bitten by an insect.