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My pregnant dog has recurring hives. What could be causing this?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Labrador Retriever | Female | unspayed | 3 years and 10 months old | 57 lbs

My labrador (3yrs 10mths) is 4 wks pregnant. She had an outbreak of hives on her face & ears on Monday night. She was given 1 x 10mg of loratadine which worked. My Vet said not to worry. There was no sign of hives on Tuesday & we went to stay at our holiday home in the Lakes. Wed she had a few small hives on her head which disappeared after exercise. The same has happened every day since. She shows no signs of being ill with it. She has not had this before. what do you think is happening?

2 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Laura Johnson VMD

Veterinarian

Published on March 10th, 2018

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! I think she is still being exposed to something (outside or indoors) that is causing an allergic reaction or the original allergic reaction wasn't completed treated. I would assume just like pregnant women can become more sensitive, so can pregnant dogs. I would contact your Vet and ask if you can restart the Claritin and if you can do it longer. We can not prescribe medications legally on Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach because we do not have a legal Veterinary Client Patient Relationship. I hope this helps and I wish Inca a speedy recovery!

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    Answered By Jenna Beyer, DVM, MBA, cVMA

    Veterinarian, Certified Veterinary Acupuncturist

    Published on

    It is possible that Inca is exposing herself to allergens repeatedly, but another possible cause for continued hives could be a Mast Cell Tumor ( https://www.google.com/amp/s/mobile.petcoach.co/amp/article/mast-cell-tumors ) which can sometimes be hard to find and diagnose. It is also possible that what looks like hives could actually be a bug bites, skin infection, or another skin issue. I would have Inca re-examined by the vet. Hopefully you can get to the bottom of it!

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