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My dog has hives. Is it from repellent? How to treat them at home?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Pit Bull Terrier | Female | spayed | 7 years and 8 months old | 80 lbs

My dog has hives around the Side of her stomach in the top of her head and this is the second time this week that she's gotten this Imy neighbor who puts dog repellent in his yard yet my dog still ends up sniffing by his bushes on the side of his driveway where he might have put the repellent. is this the reason why my dog has hives she's never had them ever in her life for her and she's eight years old . what can I do to treat her hives for her at home?

4 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Lauren Barry, BVSc, MRCVS, DVM

Veterinarian

Published on June 13th, 2017

Poor Coco, I don't know what type of chemicals are in dog repellent but it could be this, or a plant or an insect sting that's causing the hives on her . It is certainly an allergic reaction to something. I recommend you try giving her benadryl tablets. A standard dose is to give the same amount of mg as she weighs in pounds (eg. 25lb =25mg tablet). You can repeat the dose every 6hrs. It may cause her to get drowsy. Your vet may also recommend a drug for dog allergies called Apoquel. I hope you can find the cause of her reactions.

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    Answered By Sarah Box, BVSc

    Veterinarian

    Published on

    I am sorry to hear about Coco's skin issues. We usually see hives after exposure to something irritating or that the animal is sensitive/allergic to. It certainly is possible that Coco is having a reaction to the dog repellant from your neighbor. It is also possible that she is reacting to a plant in the yard, or a bug that keeps biting her. There is not a lot you can do at home for Coco, but you can try bathing her with a gentle, soothing shampoo or blue dawn dishwashing liquid in case the irritant is something that is on her skin. If the problem persists then I recommend you contact your regular veterinarian to get Coco some medication.

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    Answered By Dr. Melanie, BVSc MS

    Veterinarian

    Published on

    Oh no, poor Coco I'm sorry she is suffering from hives! It could be the repellent that is causing her hives, but it could also be due to a contact allergy. Unfortunately, by law it is illegal for the experts at Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to recommend or give the dose information for any drug, including OTC drugs, without seeing the animal in person first. That's because doing so requires a veterinary client patient relationship which cannot be achieved via an internet forum. In addition, the experts cannot say for certain if a specific drug is safe for Coco. The best thing to do is have her seen by a vet as soon as possible for her hives, and the vet can prescribe her antihistamines or steroids to control the reaction. You can also call your vet now to see if they can prescribe antihistamines over the phone. You can wait until the morning to have Coco seen, but if her face and muzzle starts swelling, and/or she starts having trouble breathing, then she needs to see a vet immediately and I would take her into an ER vet.

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    Answered By David Elbeze, DVM, MRCVS

    Veterinarian

    Published on

    This could be the reason for the hives but it is impossible to tell for sure as these kind of reactions are usually allergy related and it could be due to pretty much anything in the environment or in her food, it could even happen due to flea allergy reaction. There is not much you can do at home other than to try and avoid the potential cause of the allergy, you can try to give her a Benadryl tablet 2 times a day, in some cases it can help calm down these types or reaction, if it does not work- take Coco to the vet and they will give her a steroid injection to stop the allergic reaction.

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