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Ask the Veterinarian/Possible allergic reaction to a spider bite

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Expert: - 10/12/2010


Question
My dog awoke on Sunday with a swollen face, a rash and puffy
legs/paws so we rushed her to the vet who diagnosed a severe
allergic reaction and gave her antihistamines, antibiotics
and a steroid injection. 2 days later and there hasn't been
much of a change. Her swollen face has gone down but seems
to have moved to her ears. She's drinking more (not
excessively) and only picks at her food. We live in the UK
and we noticed an unusually high concentration of spiders at
a local park we took her to on Saturday afternoon. Could she
have been bitten and if so what's the best treatment?  

Answer
Swelling of this sort will kind of move around from area to area before it resolves completely. You should be giving her Benadryl or some equivalent to that daily for the swelling.

Most of the time it is not a spider bite but some sort of a bee or wasp sting that does this. Certain weeds and plants can also cause allergic reactions.
About 98% of the time, however, it is a bee/wasp/hornet sting that starts this.

The antihistamines and the steroids will cause the extra water consumption. That will taper off after about a week or so. If you give her more antihistamines and she isn't better in 48 hours you need to call your vet back.

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Jana Connell RVT, CVT

Expertise

PLEASE READ BEFORE SUBMITTING TO ME: I am NOT a vet and do NOT diagnose diseases. That is only for a licensed Veterinarian to do. I will give you suggestions and steer you toward calling your vet for help. You can call the vet's office and talk to the technician there or the vet at times. Don't be afraid to call them! If you have a serious issue with your pet please post it to one of the veterinarians in here- I will tell you the same thing in my answer. IF your pet is injured or in an emergency situation, CALL YOUR VET- Do not wait and post in here. Just call the vet's office and get them in to see the vet right away. Critical treatment time is lost if you seek answers here when you should have your precious pet at the vets!! Don't sit at home waiting for an answer when your pet is critically ill or injured!! I can answer most questions about small animal and wildlife care as well as small animal nutrition. I can also answer questions about all phases of dental care for small animals. I DO NOT answer questions about birds (unless it is wildlife or songbirds) or HAMSTERS/GERBILS/CHINS/GUINEA PIGS/REPTILES/FROGS/RABBITS/PET BIRDS OF ANY KIND so please submit these questions to the appropriate sections. I, as well as other experts in here, do NOT do homework questions- that is for YOU to do! Please respect these rules for all of us. Thanks!

Experience

I have over 35 years experience in the field of veterinary medicine. I specialized in small animals and did wildlife rehab for over 25 years, mostly raptors, squirrels and opossums. I am a Small Animal Nutritional Consultant with 6 certificates from Hills Pet Foods, CNM and Purina. I also specialized in Small Animal Dentistry which is a field I truly love.

Organizations
Audubon,World Wildlife Federation, American Society of Veterinary Dental Technicians.

Education/Credentials
Licensed with California and Oregon, RVT and CVT. Certified Veterinary Dental Technician Have over 500 logged hours of Continuing Education Credits(that means I keep up to date!).

Awards and Honors
Nominated for Expert of the Month for the last 5 years.

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