What should you know about dog hives treatment?

Hives are raised welts that can change location and fade as new areas appear. Treatment is guided by whether symptoms are mild and limited or accompanied by swelling, breathing symptoms, illness, or a medicine reaction. A person’s hives after contact with a dog are not proof that the dog caused them. See [Hives](/conditions/urticaria/) and [Skin Rash](/symptoms/skin-rash/) for context.

Stop contact with a suspected irritant, cool the skin, and avoid scratching or hot showers. Keep the affected person or pet away from a product suspected of causing the reaction until advice is obtained. A clinician may recommend an oral antihistamine for itch and welts; read about [Antihistamine Treatment](/treatments/medical-dermatology/oral-antihistamine-therapy/). An [Oral Corticosteroid Treatment](/treatments/medical-dermatology/oral-corticosteroid-therapy/) may be considered for selected severe inflammation, but it requires professional direction. Do not share human medicines with a pet.

Call emergency services for breathing difficulty, faintness, throat tightness, tongue swelling, or rapidly worsening facial swelling. [Angioedema](/conditions/angioedema/) can affect deeper tissues and may accompany hives. Seek clinical review if welts keep returning, persist, become painful, or follow a new medicine.

Which treatment fits the patient’s age, health, and other medicines? Should a trigger be avoided temporarily? How should facial swelling be monitored, and which symptoms mean emergency care?