We got this email from one of our BlueGrass Families. I wanted to share the warning…
“We had a scare with Rex last night! This is the one week each month that Hugh and I are both gone all day, so my dad is in charge of his “furry” grandkids. He comes and plays and takes them for a walk 2-3 times a day, with the last visit around 2pm, as I’m home by 5:30. I walked in last night to the usual frog hops from Abby and when I got to Rex’s playpen I dropped everything on the floor. It’s like he had morphed into a Chinese Shar Pei.
His head and face were twice their normal size. I went into panic mode. I called dad first to see if he noticed anything at 2 and he said everything was perfectly normal. He said that he was rolling around in some leaves under a tree. But didn’t notice anything else. I gave him Benadryl that I keep in the dog emergency kit. He was acting normal… his gums were pink, he was breathing ok, but his nostrils were closed more than normal (his nose was whistling when he breathed).
I got him to calm down and lay on the couch and got a good look at his belly. He had a sting mark in his arm pit and other whelps that looked like stings or bites on his belly. I called the ER vet after an hour to give her an update and she said it had to be an allergic reaction to the sting/bites. Then Dr. Kennedy called and agreed with what we were doing.
Rex slept with us last night so I could keep him close and he got another dose in the middle of the night. The swelling in his jowels has gone down quite a bit, but he’s still swollen in the forehead. Poor little guy. I just got off the phone with Dr. Kennedy and we’re going to keep the Benadryl up for a couple days. He said his swelling will go down slower because of his skin and body type but that he’ll be ok.
Rex will be getting extra love for a while… like he doesn’t get more than enough, anyway, right?! I’m having dad stay with them today just to make ME feel better. I attached the picture I took… doesn’t even look like him! 🙁 I’ll keep you up to date on his progress.”
UPDATE: We are happy to Report that our BlueGrass family said that Rex is back to his normal self. But I want families to know that reactions to stings/bite and even shots can be someting important to watch out for. It is very important that you only make appointments for shots to be given on a day that someone can be home with you pet that whole day to monitor for any kind if allergic reaction! I can’t stress the importance of this enough. And go straight to your vet if you notice any type of reaction. It can be swelling or a break out, bumps etc. It is also important to note that a reaction to a yearly shot may not happen on the first or second shot so you need to monitor every time.
We recommend that when you take your Frenchie in for any shot that you plan to be home for the day to watch for any type of allergic reaction. The health & safety or your Frenchies is our main concern here.
