Raw chicken = hives??

[PaigeJ]

I've been feeding Maili and Annie a raw diet since last Thursday. They've been getting 2 drumsticks a day with an egg every other day and some salmon oil. They were looking fantastic, they were super shiny and healthy. Small firm poops and everything. Today I get home from work and see that the back half of Annie is covered in hives and Maili has them on her neck and behind her ears. Could they BOTH be allergic to the raw chicken? They've been eating chicken meal in their Taste of The Wild kibble their whole lives and have never broken out like this. I've used cooked chicken during training class with both of them and they were fine.

Could it be something else? I'm freaking out because I don't want to keep feeding them raw chicken if they're going to break out and Annie has a conformation show this weekend and she looks awful

BTW they're not itchy at all, just bumpy.

[pacopoe]

My gut reaction is that it's environmental if both are suddenly affected, but you can't rule out the food altogether.

In any case, you can give benadryl to stop the hives. They might become itchy and then that could be a vicious cycle, so best to nip it in the bud. Good luck!

[PaigeJ]

Thanks Ana. We're trying to narrow it down. I wonder if they could have got bit by something outside or if they got itchy from fleas. I just put Advantage on all three of them a few minutes ago so that should rule out fleas...I wonder if they can get raised bumps from puppy bites also. Annie has bites on her front half but the back half there's just a little bump underneath the raised fur. I hope it's not their food, they were doing so well till today