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/

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I love those last two sentences. :)

[Nicky, Riley & Boris]

Thanks Karen, I will take note of loratidine.

[Donna K & Quincy]

AFAIK, Benadryl works best for immediate relief  in sudden allergy symptoms and Claritin is good for continued use in ongoing allergies. Glad to hear Riley is ok, what a frightening experience that must have been. I keep Benadryl on hand.

[F, Calla & Luca]

I think you are right. I find the older antihistamines, with all their side effects, are stronger in some ways in terms of antihistaminic effects. For general allergies I use Allegra. But on the rare occasion that I have a cold it does nothing. Then I use chhlorpheniramine.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I do know that Benadryl does nothing for any of the dogs in the Atopy Group, while Claritin and Zyrtec have helped many.

[F, Calla & Luca]

There are different types of allergic reactions never mind differences in how individuals react to medication. The latter is the reason I think Riley should get whatever it is that did work for him.

[Jennifer and Jack]

I have a question I don't know the answer to. I know pets and humans are not even close to the same but when I worked in the ER we always gave benadryl either IV if it was a bad reaction or by mouth if we could. From my limited understanding of Claratin, I thought that it took longer to work then Benadryl did and that is why Benadryl was the drug of choice for a true life threatening reaction.

Now I am going to have to look into this...

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

That may be. We don't use the Claritin for emergencies, so I have no idea.

[Gail and Bailey]

What a smelly experience to begin with ...and then resulting in a scary one!!  Sorry to hear Riley had such a bad reaction and very happy to hear that he is fine now!  Doodle hugs for the dude!

[Jane, Rooney & Stuart]

Just a note of caution " 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" - these were the EXACT symptoms of Stuart's anaphylactic shock caused by a bee sting and flea and tick.  Please look up anaphylactic shock.  Stuart's was much more severe BUT as a baby he did have a less severe reaction but we didn't know to what.  I'm not saying it could happen due to products used during grooming - I just don't know but they symptoms are the same!  Talk to your vet because the next reaction could be way more severe.  Stuart now goes EVERYWHERE with an Epi pen as his next reaction could prove fatal.  I'm not trying to alarm you but I recognize the symptoms and I think it should be investigated.  Good Luck !!! 

[Jane, Rooney & Stuart]

{{{{HUGS}}}} to You!

[Jennifer and Jack]

My friends Golden Doodle puppy was so severely allergic to Bee Stings it went from walking down the street normal to near unconscious in less then 30 minutes. Luckily, she was close to a vet and he was there almost immediately.

She too carries an Epi Pen. That would be so scary for me... I loved emergency nursing in humans but I can't bare the thought of it in a precious animal... My dad always tells me that I shouldn't tell people that because they will think I am crazy, but well, we all know that about me already.

I always have Benadryl and Hydrogen Peroxide on hand with a syringe  but that is the extent of my emergency kit for Jack because honestly, apart from itching if Jack was acting off, our vet is less then five minutes away and the emergency vet less then 20. and I would haul hiney there. I have for the stupidest things and I would do it again with no regret..