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Boxers/Hive-like lumps

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Expert: - 1/13/2010


Question
Hello,
My 6 year old white boxer has 2 reoccurring hives on each side of her rib cage. They randomly swell up and then go away within hours.  About a year ago she had 5 lumps removed.  Three were stage 1 cancer and 3 were benign.  The lumps that were removed did not behave in this way.
Has anyone else experienced this? My vet does not know what it is and doesn't really want to put her under to remove them as we have done this so recently in the past.
Currently i just rub them with vitamin A and give her some vitamin A orally which seems to make the swelling go down quicker.
Thanks for your help.

Answer
Hi Chris,

Here are two articles I think you will find interesting and possibly the cause of your boxers hives. Food allergies, parasitic allergies and inhalant allergies are the most common in the boxer breed. I would also recommend a second opinion by another vet who is very familiar with boxers.
http://www.hitowerboxers.com/foodallergiesinboxerdogs.htm and http://www.hitowerboxers.com/fleaallergiesinboxers.htm
Thank you for your question.

Angela Donald
Canine Behavior Consultant
http://www.hitowerboxers.com

Boxers

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Angela Donald

Expertise

I'll be happy to answer questions about boxer dog allergies,behavior,behavior modification,breeding,care,coat color genetics,diet,ear cropping,exercise,genetics,grooming,health,history,pedigrees,showing and training.

Experience

I am a dedicated dog enthusiast and guardian of boxers for 40 years, a boxer conformation show exhibitor and breeder as well as a canine behavior consultant with a special interest in the boxer breed. I currently share my life with six boxer dogs.See our family of Boxer Dogs

Organizations
American Boxer Charitable Foundation

Publications
I currently contribute regularly to Dog-Canine Blog.I am the founder and publisher of The Boxer Behavioral Journal,a scientific journal with detailed behavioral case study information,which someday I hope will add valuable knowledge to the breeding,care and health of the breed.I am also a freelance writer with my latest article: Distinctive Behaviors of Boxer Dogs found at http://www.hitowerboxers.com/boxerdogbehavior.htm and distributed on the world wide web.

Education/Credentials
I have a MBA from AU.I have gotten real life experiences from my 40 years of the family owning boxers and other canine breeds, through my boxer rescue rehabilitation efforts, obedience training of the breed, more than 20 years of study on dog-canine behavior, genetics, health research,from my work as a canine behavioral consultant,exhibitor and breeder. My quest for canine knowledge is a never ending journey.

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