Grooming Nightmare and Allergic Reaction

[Discussing Labradoodles & Goldendoodles]

This is a bit of a long sgtory but essentially I would like to know what folks think is the best OTC allergy medication to have on hand for dogs.

We took the doodles to Amherst Island and they got to swim in Lake Ontario. Little did we know that just up the beach from us a lot of dead fish had washed up - bit fish. So Riley finds this wonderful treasure and immediately rolls in every fish he can find. Believe me even after several dunkings in the lake, he still stunk to high heaven. Molly stayed away from the fish. She is too much of a princess to roll in something like that. Suffice to say the drive home was not pleasant.

We called the groomer for an appointment only to be told we'd have to wait about a week. So we got out the kiddie pool and scrubbed him down as best we could with his normal shampoo - all natural hypoallergenic stuff.

So yesterday was grooming day and he came home looking terrific but had a strong flowery scent on him which I was not impressed with. I don't like dogs who have an unnatural odor. A few hours later, after having licked his feet extensively, Riley went haywire. He was panting, couldn't settle anywhere, breathing abnormally; pacing, pawing at this face, etc. I really thought we were dealing with bloat because this started about 1/2 hour after his dinner. When I started to check him out OMD his eyes had swollen almost shut and his "lips" were swollen. I nearly freaked out. Now those symptoms are not common to bloat. The only difference between one day and the next was the groooming. I put it down to the groomer using a different shampoos. So I quickly looked up the only allergy meds I had in the house and found a study that suggested it was a very good treatment for allergy symptoms in dogs, especially skin reactions. I checked the dosage for a dog of Riley's size and within 30 minutes he had totallly settled down although the swelling was still there We watched him on and off all night long. (Boy am I tired today.) He was much better this morning and I gave him another dose of the meds.

I called the groomer and left a message last night. She called this morning, very early, and said while the product she used was from the same supplier, it was different than the hypoallergenic stuff she usually uses on Riley. She asked us to bring him in early this morning for another wash and brush with no shampoo.  She was devastated that this had happened and wanted to make it right. Riley is one of her favourite customers.

So a very long story, sorry, but as neither me nor DH have allergies and it was only lucky I had some meds in the house from when DS was home, what should be in our medicine chest to deal with these issues. BTW Riley is completely fine this evening/

[Ricki and Tara (doodle)]

So glad to hear that Riley is doing okay! What a frightening experience! Tara has very sensitive skin and when she used to go to the groomer's I always brought her shampoo from home for her bath. No surprises that way! It was unscented too! :)

It sounds like you have a good groomer though judging from her response.  Hope that is the last of his reactions and it was so fortunate that you had the meds on hand that helped him.

[Laurie, Fudge, and Vern]

What a scare for you! I am so glad Riley is doing fine this evening.

[Cheryl and Finnegan]

That must have been so frightening.  I would never have thought of a human antihistamine.  Good to know.  I'm glad RIley is doing fine.

[Jarka, Monty & Auggie]

Wow, what a scare. I know I would have loaded him up in the car and off we would have gone to the emergency vet. Hats off to you for keeping your cool. We do have allergy pills at home so I guess I should figure out the dosage and tape it on the medicine cabinet for emergencies. I'm so happy Riley is completely fine. No more flower shampoos for that boy.

[Nicky, Riley & Boris]

What a frightening thing to happen.  It sounds like a severe allergic reaction and one that would have had me rushing to the ER.  Good to know it has settled.  I think it would be important to know exactly what set that reaction off and I would want to have Riley tested by a Vet allergy specialist. Formulations change even with the same labels so at least you could know the name of the chemical.  A first reaction is often bad, a second one can be deadly.

[Nicky, Riley & Boris]

Can somebody who has Zyrtec or Claritin or Benadryl on hand do me a big favour.  Please list the ingredients for me?.  I need to have something on hand in my emergency kit here and I know that same name products in the US and Ireland often have different formulations. That would be tremendously helpful.

[Elizabeth & Cosmo]

Nicky,

Zyrtec is cetirizine hydrochloride. Mine are 10 mg tablets, which the label says is the original prescription dose here in the US. I take 1 per day for my allergies. It's also called Reactine in some countries.

Claritin is loratadine. I think its normal human dose is 10 mg per day as well.

Benadryl is diphenhydramine. You might find it under the names Dimedrol or Daedalon.

Those should be the only active ingredients listed on the label. You don't want anything with a decongestant in it.

Hope this helps!

[Nicky, Riley & Boris]

Many thanks Elizabeth. We have Benadryl, Zyrtec and Claratin available over the counter but I find that drugs with the same common names here often have different formulations than the same common named drugs in the US.

[Sherri, Sophie, Winston, & Kitty]

I hope Riley is feeling better today. what a terrible ordeal!

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I always bring my own shampoo when Jack is groomed. I do label it, but I don't leave it there, too expensive, lol.