Hi, my girl (Libby) has just come out in lumps which go again a few hours later. They are just under the skin and a quite small and in the first instance appeared round her mouth and front legs. In the second instance, they came out over her body.  Definately a reaction to, I guess, some food. We feed her James Wellbeloved and I know thats not whats giving her lumps, so I can only put it down to the treats we give her?  I am of course, going to stop feeding her these and have taken her to the vet where they gave her a huge antibiotic jab and some tablets. They didn't know what caused it an guessed that it was a reaction to either food or a new cleaning agent (this theory has been discounted).
I don't know if you can get anithistamine for dogs and of course wont risk giving her a humans, but for a dog who used to be able to eat anything, is there anything else I can do?

You can give her Piriton :)

How much and is it safe?
Sorry for asking stupid questions, you know what its like.  I love her so much I wouldn't want to make her worse!

What type of Dog is she?

Staffy cross

She's on antibiotics so I guess I shouldnt give her anything until she has completed the course?

A friend of mine has Bulldogs one of them has an allegic reaction to grass she always gives her half a Piriton so I would think that half of a Piriton would not hurt your dog.  My good friend used it on the advice of other people in the breed and on the advice of her vet :)

Perfectly safe to give Piriton, first time we got it from the vets but the stuff from the shop/pharmacy is just as safe. Beard Boy sometimes gets itchy feet(only at certains times of year in a certain feild) and 1 tablet a few times a days sorts it out. HTH :)

Does anyone know what the active ingredient in piriton is? Is it Cyproheptadine?

''Piriton contains the active ingredient chlorphenamine maleate (previously spelt chlorpheniramine in the UK), which is a type of medicine called a sedating antihistamine. It works by preventing the actions of histamine.

Histamine is a substance produced by the body as part of its defence mechanisms. It is stored in cells called mast cells, in almost all tissues of the body. When the body reacts to a foreign substance (known as an allergen, eg flower pollen), the mast cells are stimulated by the allergen and release their stores of histamine.

The released histamine then binds to histamine receptors, which causes a chain reaction that results in the symptoms of the allergy. Blood flow increases to the area of the allergy, and other chemicals are released that add to the allergic reaction.

In hayfever, this causes inflammation of the nose, eyes, skin or airways and results in itchy watery eyes, a runny nose, sneezing and nasal congestion. Histamine is also responsible for the symptoms of allergic rashes, and allergic reactions to foods, medicines or insect bites. It can also cause more severe allergic reactions such as angioneurotic oedema, which involves severe swelling of the eyes, lips, tongue or throat.

Chlorphenamine works by blocking histamine receptors. It does not prevent the actual release of histamine from mast cells, but prevents it binding to its receptors. This prevents the chain reaction that causes the symptoms of an allergic reaction. Antihistamines can therefore be used to relieve the symptoms of allergies.

Chlorphenamine is called a sedating antihistamine as it enters the brain in significant quantities and is therefore more likely to cause drowsiness than the newer group of non-sedating antihistamines.''

Thought this was quite an interesting piece, first thing that came up from Google :)

I give my dog Benadyrl for those type systems, your vet can give you the proper dose for your Libby's size.  Even though it is human medicine my vet gives the ok to give it and it works very well.

You could always try homoepathic remedy such as Urtica Urens or Apis Mel or Rhus tox, depending on the type of lumps and reaction.

Vitamin C is also a natural antihistamine.

HTH

My dog came out with some lumps and her eyes started to swell during the summer if she went in the long grass in the field.  A lady who lives near by with the same breed of dog (Golden Retriever) said that her dog had, had a similar reaction a few weeks before and after taking some antibiotics from the vet, which had helped clear it, the vet suggested putting a teaspoon of honey on her dinner every day to prevent the reaction occuring again.  We have both been putting honey on their dinner ever since and neither of them have had any reaction since - and the dogs seem to love it!