Well I had my scare for the day. Oh Lola!

[Lyn]

Hubby got the dogs up this morning and let me sleep in. Nice.. or so I thought. LOL Well I get up 15 minutes later and I'm sitting at the table drinking a coffee. Bubba and Lola were sleeping under the table. I wake them up at 7:30am to feed them, I'm still half asleep and didn't notice anything out of the ordinary.

Well after they eat Lola comes over and puts her head in my lap and when I lifted her head I saw her face. Her jowls were twice as thick as they normally are and the sides of her nose were so swollen they were rock hard, her tongue was also swelling. Plus the swelling was starting to travel up under her eyes.

I call the vet and they said to bring her in immediately. He gave her a steroid and an antihistamine. He said it was an allergic reaction, probably to a bee. She must have been stung when hubby let her outside this morning.

It litterally only took 30 minutes for her to balloon up. I took this pic right after I noticed it.

[Lyn]

I have a wedding to go to today too and I don't want to leave her. My mother is watching her.. but still. I'm so paranoid that she's going to continue to swell up and not be able to breathe. I'm such a worrier.

[zchic]

Man that looks aweful...Poor Lola!!

[LuvmyMal]

we hope lola gets better!

[kathryn]

Poor Lola!  She so doesn't look happy with you taking her picture though.     I have a mental image of her saying "Seriously, MOM, my face is swelling and you are taking a picture!"  Of course she's saying it in the voice of Bill Cosby doing the skit of being at the dentist's office with novacaine.     I know I'm insane.

[Duramax]

OMG poor baby! that looks so owie... give Lola a kiss on the nose for me if it isnt too sore yet.

[Scootergirl]

Aw! Lola looks miserable (and a little like my ex-husband after he'd been drinking all night). I hope she's feeling better. Big kisses from Jeanne, Kentucky and Derby!!

[Lyn]

Thanks guys! The swelling in her face is pretty much gone now. Her jowls on the left side are still a bit puffy. I'm assuming she was stung on that side. But lastnight she had a fever and rash that looked like hives on her belly and armpits and she's really itchy still. She's highly allergic to whatever bit her.

I bought her some benadryl and gave her the first dose but she puked on the floor about an hour later. I can't tell if she puked the tablets up or not. Her next dose isn't until tonight. Hopefully the benadryl isn't the reason she puked.

I also bought some shampoo for itchy irritated skin.. I'm still debating on whether I want to fight with her to get her in the bathtub.

Poor Lola, she is just a miserable itchy mess.

As for the wedding, let's just say I was a little absent minded. We ended up leaving the reception a little early but my sil didn't mind. 

[Lyn]

ARG! The benadryl isn't working as well as I'd hoped. She's definitely not scratching as much but her right ear looks to be developing a hematoma. It's twice as thick as her other ear, but I don't feel any fluid in it.. yet. The swelling in her face is gone now though. If she's still itchy and rashy tomorrow I'm taking her back to the vet.

Is it common for bee reactions to go along with a rash and hives? Her whole body seems to be itchy. I'm just worried that it's something else?

[Sillygoose]

Ah poor Lola, I hope this all goes away. She can't be very comfortable either. Big kisses to Lola from the Pyr gang.

[schelmischekitty]

i know it's late, but poor lola!!  that must have been awful uncomfortable for her and scary for you!

[Newly Newfed]

Poor Lola!  What did the vet say about future possible bee stings?  I only ask because when my mother started showing Huskies years ago, she purchased 3 puppies from Innisfree Kennels in New York State.  She purchased grandchildren of Sierra Cinnar, Innisfree's Champion and the owners' pride and joy.  Cinnar was the only Siberian in the history of the Westminister Kennel Club Dog Show to win Best In Show. 

Mom remained friends with the Innisfree owners, kept in contact them and they eventually told us that Cinnar had been stung by a bee and died. They wanted us to have our vet test our dogs to see if they had the same allergy.

I'm not trying to worry you, I just thought if the vet didn't already reassure you that you have nothing to worry about, you may want to check with him/her.  I would hate to see Lola get stung again and have a worse reaction.


~ Stephanie

[Duramax]

poor lola I was hoping to hear some good news.... oh well hang in there you two!

[Lyn]

He really didn't say much.. other than I will need to keep Benadryl on hand to give her immediately following a sting, or if I notice any swelling. Nothing about the reaction possibility getting worse with future stings.

I ended up calling about the rash and the tech said it was a common reaction. He also gave me the incorrect dose for Benadryl. We weighted her and she's 115 pounds, he told me to give her 50mg's 3 times a day. No wonder the rash didn't go away. The tech said to increase it to 75mg and see if it helped and as of this morning the rash is completely gone! She's still a tad itchy, but the even the swelling in her ear is gone. Her skin is also no longer bright red either, it's almost back to it's normal pink.

I think I need a backup vet that I like for when my regular vet is on holidays. I don't want to see that guy ever again. I never liked him before but I really don't like him now. Poor Lola was suffering for days because I followed his dosage instructions thinking he knew what he was doing.

[Sillygoose]

Well it's a good thing you called back. They can be real door knobs sometimes. It's so important to find a good vet that you like otherwise instances like this happen. Glad to hear her rash is all gone. Poor big Lola.