Uhoh...animal allergy symptoms?

13 years ago

I know the typical ones, the itchy eyes, the sniffles, etc. But what about hives and nothing else? My toddler has just one patch of hives...and the dog has been with us two days. Due to the weather, he hasn't been outside getting into everything, and due to the puppy, we haven't been going anywhere new. I have to be careful with this kid's allergies so if there's possibly a problem I need to return the dog before the reaction gets worse and before we get even more attached (awww he peed on demand today!). (The dog not the kid.)

I'm not worried about the dog--he adjusted to us quickly and the shelter had several families that wanted him. And we haven't used up his cute.

Anyway, can a rash be a dog allergy? Thanks!

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Comments (5)

Meghane
13 years ago
There are some extremely dangerous canine GI parasites that can cause skin lesions especially in children. While not common, DEFINITELY get both the dog checked out (hookworm) and the child checked out ASAP!
trancegemini_wa
13 years ago
skin hives with no other allergy symptoms is a sign of contact dermatitis, which shows as a rash or hives the area has come into contact with. That may be the dog, or could even be from the shampoo or something else on the dog, or something totally different but it will be something that has contacted the area and it can take a bit of detective work because a toddler may not be able to tell you what made them itchy before the hives even came up. I think it's more likely your toddler would have an allergy reaction than contact dermatitis to a dog. I'm allergic to some types of dog hair but it's usually an allergic reaction not a skin reaction.
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Fori
Original Author
13 years ago
Thanks all. It was pretty strange--he just woke up with a patch of hives on his side where he hadn't been touching the dog (probably!). The type of hives he sometimes gets with a virus that pops up and down and moves around. These went away quickly and didn't show up elsewhere. That night his sister came down with a high fever which is what SHE does when she gets a cold so I'm pretty sure that was it.

The dog was screened for stuff but we'll have him rechecked very soon. Thanks!
mazer415
13 years ago
FYI - my friends kid used to get itchy eyes and an itchy nose whenever we picked her up in the van from school or she came over for any length of time (3 dogs) as soon as she started to rub her face we gave her a benadryl....within a year she had developed an immunity to the dogs and now has 2 of her own. The body is a remarkable thing and often one can work with mild allergies other than giving back pets. Especially given that pets can help booster immune systems in the long run. Hope everyone is okay. Good luck
Fori
Original Author
13 years ago
Ahhhh I think I'll wait until my kid is old enough to use a rescue inhaler before I play chicken with allergies. My family has a history of anaphylaxis so I need to be a little careful.

Anyway, he's not having an allergic reaction so I think we're fine.