What are Hives?
Frequent and furious scratching is often the first tell tail sign that allergies are a problem. You may notice that your pet seems to be scratching incessantly, and their skin may even become raw and inflamed. On close inspection, you may notice red, raised welts and bumps on your pet’s skin, similar to mosquito bites – these could be hives.
Hives are a type of skin reaction where the skin becomes raised and irritated. While they aren’t particularly serious, and don’t usually last more than a few days, they are incredibly itchy and some cats and dogs with hives may even scratch themselves raw in an attempt to relieve itchy skin.
What Causes Hives?
Hives are most frequently caused by allergies. Some pets are incredibly sensitive and may develop skin allergies to various environmental or food allergens. Your pet could be allergic to something in its food, or to environmental irritants such as household cleaning agents, plant sap or pollen. Other less common causes of hives include insect stings, side-effects of pharmaceutical drugs and stress.
What Causes Hives?
Natural Remedies
There are a variety of natural ingredients that can help relieve the itchiness caused by allergies and to encourage optimal skin and coat health. The homeopathic ingredient Arum triph. has a long history of use in the treatment of itchy skin conditions including feline and canine hives. It is also highly recommended for pets whose allergies are seasonal.
Other homeopathic ingredients include Chamomilla which is an incredibly soothing ingredient that helps to relieve irritated skin, and Viola tri. is known for its ability to treat a number of skin conditions and relieve allergy-related itchiness.
Herbal ingredients such as Horsetail and Dandelion work to promote skin and coat health while helping to maintain overall body health. Fucus vesiculosis is another natural ingredient often recommended to improve skin and coat condition in cats and dogs with hives.
