Pit Bull

Question
My 11 week old pit bull (Zeus) has developed bumps all over his back and
sides, under the fur. we can see his fur bumped up, and underneath on the
skin there are red-brownish colored spots like moles. Do you know what
this could be? Is it bad? Do you know how to treat it?

Answer
Hi Alex!  It sounds as though Zeus is having an allergic reaction, because you have just described canine hives to me!  It would be best to get him to a veterinarian as soon as possible.  Your veterinarian will be able to give him a steroid injection to relieve swelling and end the reaction.  When dogs have an allergic reaction, it begins as hives and swelling, and in some cases, throat swelling can actually occur....and we definately don't want that to happen! Pit bulls are sometimes prone to allergies.  It may have been brought on by a bug bite, laundry detergent, ect.  Getting him to your vet promptly is important.  I do realize, however, that it is Saturday night.  I am not sure where you are located, and if you have an emergency vet clinic available to you.  Sometimes Benadryl works wonderfully with allergic reactions.  I don't know how much your puppy weighs, but the dosage for benadryl is 1mg per lb, every 8-12 hours.  You may have to talk to a pharmacist at the store to direct you to the smaller benadryl millegrams.  They would have this at any 24 hour pharmacy (CVS, Eckert, ect.) or even Walmart.  Taking him to your veterinarian would be best, but this reaction needs to be addressed now, and if you do not have a veterinarian available to you now, the benadryl will, if not stop the reaction, prevent it from getting worse until you can get to your veterinarian.  When these hives go away and you no longer see swelling in any area, the reaction has passed and he will be fine!
Please give that little guy TONS of kisses for me and let me know how he does!
Hilary