Ethos Veterinary Health
  • Veterinary Teams
    • Ethos Discovery
    • Clinical Studies
    • VetBloom CE
    • Ethos is Hiring
    • Veterinary Training
  • Our Hospitals
    • NORTHEAST
      • Boston West
      • Bulger
      • Capital District
      • Mass Vet
      • Peak
      • Port City
      • SAVES
    • MIDWEST
      • Premier – Chicago
      • Premier – Grayslake
      • Premier – Orland Park
      • WVRC – Grafton
      • WVRC – Racine/Kenosha
      • WVRC – Waukesha
    • PACIFIC
      • Atlantic Street
      • VERC
      • Vista
      • VSH – North County
      • VSH – Sorrento Valley
    • URGENT CARE
      • Station Landing, Medford MA
      • NOW OPEN – Nashua, NH
      • Irvine, CA
      • Oceanside, CA
      • Rancho Peñasquitos, San Diego, CA
    • SEE ALL HOSPITALS
  • Our Services
    • Continuing Education
    • Blood Donor Program
    • Ethos Discovery
    • Ethos Science Consultancy
    • Clinical Studies
      • FAQs: Clinical Studies at Ethos
  • About Us
    • About Us
    • Executive Team
    • Medical Leadership Team
    • Why Ethos
    • Find A Location
  • News + Blogs
    • Our Blogs
    • PAWEDCast
    • Diagnosing Inequality Podcast
    • Press Releases
  • Careers + Development
    • Ethos is Hiring
    • Veterinary Conferences
    • Giving Back
    • VetBloom CE
    • Veterinary Training Programs
Ethos Veterinary Health
  • Our Hospitals
    • NORTHEAST
      • Boston West
      • Bulger
      • Capital District
      • Mass Vet
      • Peak
      • Port City
      • SAVES
    • MIDWEST
      • Premier – Chicago
      • Premier – Grayslake
      • Premier – Orland Park
      • WVRC – Grafton
      • WVRC – Racine/Kenosha
      • WVRC – Waukesha
    • PACIFIC
      • Atlantic Street
      • VERC
      • Vista
      • VSH – North County
      • VSH – Sorrento Valley
    • URGENT CARE
      • Station Landing, Medford MA
      • NOW OPEN – Nashua, NH
      • Irvine, CA
      • Oceanside, CA
      • Rancho Peñasquitos, San Diego, CA
    • SEE ALL HOSPITALS
  • Our Services
    • Continuing Education
    • Blood Donor Program
    • Ethos Discovery
    • Ethos Science Consultancy
    • Clinical Studies
      • FAQs: Clinical Studies at Ethos
  • About Us
    • About Us
    • Executive Team
    • Medical Leadership Team
    • Why Ethos
    • Find A Location
  • News + Blogs
    • Our Blogs
    • PAWEDCast
    • Diagnosing Inequality Podcast
    • Press Releases
  • Careers + Development
    • Ethos is Hiring
    • Veterinary Conferences
    • Giving Back
    • VetBloom CE
    • Veterinary Training Programs
  • Veterinary Teams
    • Ethos Discovery
    • Clinical Studies
    • VetBloom CE
    • Ethos is Hiring
    • Veterinary Training

Our Blogs

Allergic Reactions in Pets: What You Need to Know

May 9, 2017

Do you remember Violet from “Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory”? Well, if you don’t – let me remind you. She’s the girl who eats a piece of gum, and then her body starts to swell up like a balloon… or a blueberry! Imagine if that’s your dog’s face. Pretty scary! This is exactly what happened to a patient of ours, Leesi.

Leesi is an 11-month-old female Belgian Tervuren who came to our Waukesha location in the middle of the night. Leesi is in training for outdoor search and rescue work. She was outside in the field that day for a decent amount of time. Beginning around 9:30 p.m., her owners started to see a change in her face. Her muzzle began to swell and swell and swell! She was having an allergic reaction!

Her owners brought her to WVRC Waukesha and Dr. Kaiser responded quickly, giving her an injection of a steroid and diphenhydramine, an antihistamine.

What Is An Allergic Reaction

Allergic reactions are inflammatory reactions that occur when your animal comes into contact with a certain substance. This substance can be anything from the proteins in vaccines, insect bites, medications, or any number of things.

Signs of An Allergic Reaction

Typical signs of an allergic reaction are swelling around the eyes or muzzle, hives, and possible vomiting and diarrhea. If the reaction becomes severe, animals can experience anaphylaxis, a life-threating reaction.

It’s very important to seek veterinary assistance if an allergic reaction starts in your animal, as you do not want it to escalate to a full anaphylactic reaction. When you rush your adorable pet into a veterinary hospital, typical treatments are a steroid and antihistamine injection. If vomiting is occurring, then anti-nausea medications and subcutaneous fluids (fluids given under the skin) will likely be administered. It’s not uncommon for oral antihistamines to be continued at home. In rare cases, allergic reactions can result in full anaphylaxis, and hospitalization and emergency care are required.

Fortunately, Leesi’s swelling started to go down before she left WVRC. Keep in mind, if your pet’s face starts to look like Violet after she ate that gum, you should have them evaluated by a veterinarian just like Leesi’s owners did!

Share

About the Author

  • Kerri Wiedmeyer, DVM

Related Posts

  • WVRC Intensive Care Unit
    Read Article
  • Why Is My Dog Drinking So Much Water?
    Read Article
  • Addison’s Disease in Dogs
    Read Article
  • Gastric Dilatation Volvulus (GDV) … or “bloat”
    Read Article
  • Triage Process is the Same – Emergency Patients have Increased
    Read Article
  • Understanding Symptoms of Common Emergencies
    Read Article
  • Tetatnus in Dogs: A Case Study
    Read Article
  • Temporary Reduction in ER Hours
    Read Article
  • Vet Urgent Care: Know When to Go
    Read Article
  • 5 Reasons Why Your Pet Needs Grooming
    Read Article
  • Hives in Dogs: What To Do If Your Dog Experiences an Allergic Reaction
    Read Article
  • Seasonal Allergies in Pets
    Read Article
Ethos Veterinary Health
  • Veterinary Teams
    • Ethos Discovery
    • Clinical Studies
    • VetBloom CE
    • Ethos is Hiring
    • Veterinary Training
© 2023 Ethos Veterinary Health
Website Design by Jackrabbit