Question Details
Hives In A Dog
by CorinneC - May 12, 2020    View Case Report
Hudson is a 1.5-yr-old MN French bulldog with a recent history of hives, breaking out in sores over neck, axillae, umbilicus, and behind ears. All 4 feet have interdigital porphyrin-staining and mild erythema. He is really congested and has a watery nasal discharge. This appears to be most pronounced in the the evening. He snores loudly. He had surgery to shorten palate, but still congested and snores since. He’s a super sweet, easy going boy.


tongue is dark pink-lavender, swollen (but common with this breed to look full and wide so unsure)

pulses are of decent tone, maybe a little slippery.


Initially I thought he was a Wind Damp Invasion with Damp Heat case and put him on San Ren Tang but soon after more hives popped up, more itchy, licking paws incessantly, and he started losing fur. Stopped and reassessed. Looked back at notes, hives usually = Wei Qi deficiency and Blood/Yin deficiency. I then tried Bu Zhong Yi Qi Tang thinking Spleen Qi deficiency + Liver Blood deficiency + Wei Qi deficiency. No hives noted but still itchy, licking paws, occas mucous stool, more congested at night, and decreased energy. I tried adding San Ren Tang at night to decrease congestion but he developed a hot spot under armpit, still congested at night, lower energy, and red bumps on belly. Once off SRT his energy improved again. He came in one week later with urticaria and hives. Pulses were deep, slippery and tongue still dark pink-lavender. I tried SI Miao San because I still thought he was Damp Heat. That backfired again and he developed hives and urticaria again all over. Over the next month we persisted with BZYQT with little change. Last week I thought his tongue was more lavendar and dry, pulses deeper and weak now so I thought my use of the Damp draining herbs was creating too much dryness and I focused more on Liver Blood deficiency + Wind Heat Invasion --> Si Wu Xiao Feng Yin. Hives and rash returned!!! Argh! This is a very frustrating case and breed for me! I’ve kept him on a home cooked diet of pork and veggies (broccoli, cauliflower, spinach) with salmon and coconut oil and Adored Beast protocol (Yeasty BEasty and Leaky gut).


Please let me know if there is any other angle?!?



Thank you!

Corinne
Replies
by naturevet
May 13, 2020
Hi Corinne,

It sounds like a very challenging case. The slippery pulse suggests that, since the dog is not Damp, it must be Wei Qi deficient, which explains why BZYQT has gotten you closest to a solution, albeit not close enough. BZYQT has a 'direction' associated with it, in the form of raising Qi and Yang, that can lead to congestion of the head. SRT has that, too. SMS has an internal direction, but is aggressively cooling, resulting in a depletion of Qi and Yang, which aggravates the Wei Qi deficiency.

If all of that is correct, then a Wei Qi tonic with minimal 'direction of effect' should be helpful. I would wonder about temporarily using Yu Ping Feng San and seeing if that helps.

Also, antihistamines seem called for here given the hives and upper respiratory congestion. You can use either pharmaceuticals, or you can try Nettles, which have the added advantage of facilitating the removal of antigens, making an aggravation less likely to occur when the Nettles are discontinued. You could try even four times a day use to try to get the dog comfortable.

Lastly, long term use of Quercetin can help stabilize mast cells and make the dog less prone to congestion. Quercetin is a bioflavinoid that the owner should be able to source relatively easily in health foods stores or online. Ideally, you want a Quercetin supplement without a lot else in it. Give a human dose.

Hopefully all that helps. Please let us know how it goes!

Steve
by CorinneC
October 31, 2020
Lost to move.
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