Update #2

It's been 2 weeks since I've posted an update to Zoe's condition.  Zoe's symptoms have really improved AND we actually have a diagnosis of what was going on with her.   My vet is a gem; in actuality I go to a vet clinic that has two (2) vets and they confer with each other daily about their animal patients and confer with a specialist if needed.  Dr. Carter decided to contact a veterinary dermatologist about Zoe's problem with the meds she was taking; the fact that she has demodex mites and her allergy symptoms.  The vet specialist stated that it is quite common for dogs to have an allergic reaction to the dying mites on their skin and it is not necessarily a reaction to the Ivermectin itself.

We decided to take her off of all the medication for 10 days, but continue with the Benedryl if she was having any redness or swelling in her face.
I then began a new regimen of .5cc's of Ivermectin and 2 Benedryl, two times per day.  Our goal is to get rid of the mites with the Ivermectin and treat the mite allergery with the Benedryl; it seems to be working.  We'll see when she gets tested in 3 weeks.

I thought Zoe deserved a little bit of a treat after all of this medical trauma going on in her life.  So, we took a trip to PetSmart and she got to pick out a new "big girl" bed.

Allergic Reaction - Update #1

After 2 days of benadryl Zoe still had a reaction again last night...lots of face rubbing on her blanket and hives in her ears.  She just had 2 pills at 7PM so she wasn't scheduled to have any more until 3AM.  I waited to see if the redness and swelling subsided and it did.

She's such a sad little girl when she's not feeling well.   Although she still wants to go for her evening walk to explore all the spring things.
 
In the mean time while all this is going on she has developed an unsettled stomach and is eating very little, just some chicken and rice.  After consulting the vet again (I've been talking to her every day) I am giving her Pepsid AC twice a day.

Hopefully, all of this will subside in a few days and we can get back to our normal routine.
Besides obedience class started again this week and Zoe is raring to go!

Scary Allergic Reaction

Zoe has been taking Simplicef for a bacterial infection she had in the folds on her face for the past 11 days on top of the Ivermectin medication for her demodex mites. When I got home from work I noticed her eye lids looked a little puffy and her cheeks were pinker than normal. I didn't think anything of it. At 9PM my husband noticed that her eyes were getting puffier and the skin around her mouth was very red. In 1 hour's time, her eyes are almost totally swollen shut, her face is red all over and she's running around the house rubbing her face on anything she can to relieve the itching/swelling.  It was getting worse by the minute and I was worried that she could have a breathing problem; although she was not panting. I gave her a 25mg benadryl and called the emergency vet clinic. They advised me to give her another benadryl and wait 1/2 hour to see if there was any improvement...if not or if I thought she was having problems breathing to get her there asap.  In 1/2 hour at 11PM she had calmed down and was sleeping comfortably. I set my alarm to check her every 2 hrs, all seemed ok. At 3AM I gave her 2 more benadryl.

I took her to my regular vet this morning and she was still swollen and red but not as bad as last night and now had some hives on her body. The vet gave her a shot of epinephrine, and instructed me to administer benadryl every 6-8 hours for 2 days; at that time all the swelling and redness is gone and not give her any of the other medications; as obviously she had developed a reaction to them.

I just wanted to relate this story as I thought all was well and suddenly she developed an allergic reaction that could have been life threatening after 11 days of taking Simplicef and Ivermectin. Keep a box of benadryl in your medicine cabinet...you never know when you may need it in an emergency situation.

Eyes swollen shut, Muzzle red and inflamed