# Allergic reaction to... Snow?



## Misty Wegner (May 22, 2015)

Last night my 2.5yr old GSD girl went to the restroom outside in about 18" of snow and 0°F..she was gone about 8 minutes, about 3 minutes longer than usual... She came back and wanted loving as usual, she jumped off the bed a few minutes later and began rubbing her face on the rug.. Came back to see me looking like she went 10 round with Mike Tyson (but still had her ears)! She was of course itchy... Benadryl "d her up and the next morning she was still swollen.. Another dose and almost immediately her swelling began to abate... She was almost normal a couple hours later.. I meant to give her another dose before I began helping with the SAR class, but kept checking on her and her "brother 'in the car... About an hour ago she had hives again and the swelling was starting back up... More benadryl... 

She is good with appetite, and bowels and bladder work normal.. Other than benadryl droopies when on it her energy level seems normal... Curious what could have caused this as obviously not a wasp/bee/hornet sting... Maybe a spider bite?? An LEO I work with thought maybe she ate deer scat and had a reaction, but I've never had or seen that happen... I am a bit flummoxed....


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## Bob Scott (Mar 30, 2006)

Doubtful if there will be spiders in the snow.

The reaction to most insects are "normally" just a red spot with maybe a bit of swelling and redness.

The reaction to just on the face and head sounds like (to me) as some sort of contact irritation but I'm not a vet.

Does she stay close when she is out during this time?

Does she have access to stored chemicals or anything that could be an irritant?

I'm not much of a help because I know you've probably gone through all these questions yourself.


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## Misty Wegner (May 22, 2015)

She is with me pretty much 24/7..she is one of my SAR dogs... I thought about maybe a reaction to the deoderizer I used earlier afternoon, but she had zero reaction until that late evening... And today I've been gone all day and she with me and she started to have hives again... Sooo, huh.. But thanks for the thoughts and suggestions


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## sefi sahar (Dec 15, 2011)

Misty Wegner said:


> Last night my 2.5yr old GSD girl went to the restroom outside in about 18" of snow and 0°F..she was gone about 8 minutes, about 3 minutes longer than usual... She came back and wanted loving as usual, she jumped off the bed a few minutes later and began rubbing her face on the rug.. Came back to see me looking like she went 10 round with Mike Tyson (but still had her ears)! She was of course itchy... Benadryl "d her up and the next morning she was still swollen.. Another dose and almost immediately her swelling began to abate... She was almost normal a couple hours later.. I meant to give her another dose before I began helping with the SAR class, but kept checking on her and her "brother 'in the car... About an hour ago she had hives again and the swelling was starting back up... More benadryl...
> 
> She is good with appetite, and bowels and bladder work normal.. Other than benadryl droopies when on it her energy level seems normal... Curious what could have caused this as obviously not a wasp/bee/hornet sting... Maybe a spider bite?? An LEO I work with thought maybe she ate deer scat and had a reaction, but I've never had or seen that happen... I am a bit flummoxed....


Did you check her if maybe somthing allergenic cought at her teeth /gums?
I Whould also check the upper mouth and nose for clues with a flashlight. 
If nothing there i whould go to the vet.


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## Misty Wegner (May 22, 2015)

Yes I did check her mouth, but thanks for that thought, it could have easily been missed... 

She is looking normal this morning but is still a bit itchy (appreciate eye rubs more than normal)


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## Nicole Stark (Jul 22, 2009)

Acid snow ? Ice melt? Exposure? Something in the carpet?

I've seen dogs do that after quilling, baths, etc. Who knows, maybe she had her head in the snow looking for a mouse or something else and got a bit of over exposure?


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## Sarah Platts (Jan 12, 2010)

I would give her a bath paying special attention to the head, neck, sides, and feet. Not a down to the skin bath but one that cleans the top layer of hair. I'm thinking she rubbed - messed with - or otherwise got into something she wasn't suppose to have. If so, then with the irritation on her face and such, it keeps bothering her and keeps reoccurring.


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## Misty Wegner (May 22, 2015)

She has been fine since last night's dose, although I dosed a half dose this morning to be sure... All swelling and hives are gone and the itching has dramatically reduced... We don't have anything out on our property that she could have gotten into... And the reoccurring last night was her in my car and brothers house... And it was just the hives... If it had continued I would have bathed her and called the vet... I appreciate everyone's thoughts suggestions and advice.. Thank you!


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## Bob Scott (Mar 30, 2006)

Just a wild long shot

You say that you used a deodorant but it didn't happen till later after the dog was in the snow.

Was the deodorant in a spray form? 

"IF" the spray came in contact with the hair on the dog's face and muzzle THEN got wet from the snow and moved to the skin....possibly???

Just a thought.

Glad to know she's doing better!


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## rick smith (Dec 31, 2010)

only thing that was easy to answer was the title 
beyond that i don't think i've ever read of an allergy diagnosed over the internet

beyond the 'have you checked "xxx", "yyyy", or zzz ???', it's kind of pointless.
- actually it's just as hard for a vet to properly diagnose the cause for an allergy in the real world and they are face to face with the dog

whether we think a dog is having an allergic reaction to food or the environment, all we usually do is treat the symptoms until the reaction resolves

or we spend a lot of time, (and often money) systematically and scientifically starting the process of "ruling out" what doesn't appear to be the cause until either we, or the vet, runs out of imagination 

i had a friend who spent TWO AND A HALF YEARS doing this with their whippet.....made me sad to watch the process from the sidelines :-(
....eventually gave up and attributed it to behavioral problems and a weak immune system caused by .... genetics :-(


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## Sarah Platts (Jan 12, 2010)

Oh, I don't know Rick. It could be a question of not what it is but rather what it is not. Some allergies can be DX'd over the internet or even with a phone call. Especially if its something you have never seen but someone else has. 

I spent weeks, months actually, and several thousand dollars with regular vets, specialists, and getting an MRI without resolution or a diagnosis on one of my dogs. All the vet told me was let the dog do what it felt comfortable doing. They didn't know nor did they have an answer. Then a WDF poster wrote about their BH who presented with a set of symptoms and was DX'd with Fibrocartilagenous Embolism and it sounded hauntingly familiar. When I looked it up - it was my V8 moment. My dog had had exactly the same symptoms, same onset, same presentation as their dog. In fact, my dog had presented with the "classic symptoms". To bad the OP hadn't written about their dog 2 years earlier. It would have saved me 10K in vet bills. When my dog had a reoccurrence of FCE, I recognized it immediately, knew what to call it, whereas I wouldn't have understood prior to the WDF post.

I have a good vet but they cannot compete with the enormous boots-on-the-ground experiences of this forum.


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## Misty Wegner (May 22, 2015)

Interesting thought Bob.. Definitely could have happened.. I had changed my linen and did a cursory spray of a 'febreze' about 5hr earlier... My girl is renowned for rooting under the covers and playing 'cover monster' with my other dog (basically she is under the covers biting his feet) so it is possible that she got residual on her face and reactivated it... Considering the chances spider lurked in the snow or she stick her nose in an active cat hole that had a slider suddenly in the area, it is the most plausible.. 

I agree with Sarah that diagnostic learning can occur online.. I do agree as well that vets can be totally oblivious to what is going on and are really on preview to their experiences in their practice... Online has the world, and while I wouldn't suggest using online as a sole source of knowledge or expertise, I do certainly utilize its capabilities.. No further reactions have occurred and I half dosed her in the morning as a final precaution... She ran 24hr urban trail in 0°F yesterday, and outside of one area for a moment where she seemed to lose focus, something she never does, she did a brilliant job.. Thanks again everyone


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## Bob Scott (Mar 30, 2006)

I've never looked at thoughts and ideas on line as a diagnosis. Just helpful suggestions and not answers. ;-)


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## Nicole Stark (Jul 22, 2009)

Misty Wegner said:


> I agree with Sarah that diagnostic learning can occur online..


I couldn't agree more. I did something along this line for other people roughly for about 10 years. I created a breed database while I spent literally thousands of hours to help track down answers for people that vets couldn't and breeders wouldn't help them with.

Misty, if you haven't cross referenced Febreeze and dogs, please do so.


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## Bob Scott (Mar 30, 2006)

I use Febreese in my Pontiac Vibe dog car and never had an issue but one or two dogs never make a good study sample. 

.......Wife still wont ride in it though. go figure! :grin:


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## Misty Wegner (May 22, 2015)

Thanks Nicole.. I did do a search and while there is nothing coming conclusive, I will be more careful what I use... It wasn't febreze but a derivative of it~so possibly worse despite the 'safe for pets' listing... Also it was several hours post spraying, but if she rubbed her face and for whatever reason it reacted badly in her system it is enough for me to abort using it on anything my dogs may touch... 

Snowing again today and no allergic reaction.. So snow is ruled out as an allergen ;p  that is about the only thing I am sure of haha


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## Meg O'Donovan (Aug 20, 2012)

Isn't that Febreeze bad for your dogs' nose, e.g. kind of like having gasoline or other strong odours etc. outside its kennel door? Wouldn't it mess with (desensitive) the dog's nose?


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## Misty Wegner (May 22, 2015)

Outside of a sneeze on occasion from my boy it doesn't harm them... Just like how we can walk into a bakery and be overwhelmed at first you all the odors, but soon they blend together and hardly notice is the same for dogs.. They learn to tune out odors they smell all the time (I rarely use febreze or other air fresheners) and learn to tune in what we ask them to


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## Bob Scott (Mar 30, 2006)

I use it almost exclusively in my dog car and I've never seen any issues including sneezing.

I do use it after I've had the dog in the car a few times. 

My GSD is outside 24/7 so he may have a bit of an odor compared to a house dog.....but my wife seems to be the only one who notices it. :grin: :grin: 8-[


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## Misty Wegner (May 22, 2015)

My boy is the only one who sneezes and he does this if I put a little cologne on, or use essential oils.. He is just one of those types of dogs who has such a personality.. But my girl doesn't sneeze at all and she is the one that had the allergic reaction.. 

As to dog odor.. I know what you mean.. I don't smell it (unless a skunk gets kissed) but other do, lol


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## Howard Knauf (May 10, 2008)

My only thought is that maybe it could be from some sort of vegetative spore under the snow. Just got back from NC where we had 8 inches of snow and my working dog was having a great time digging into the snow and recovering sticks for some reason. Should there have been some rotting vegetation rife with who knows what kind of spore that caused it? Just a wild ass guess. Can't imagine what else it could have been except what Bob suggested about the reconstituted Febreeze.


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