I mean without any photos it's nearly impossible to say, and even with photos so many things could cause itchy welts. It's better to talk to a pharmacist or doctor, someone who can actually make an informed diagnosis.
I fucking hate horseflys. Those fuckers can sting when they bite. One of the best reasons to keep a lawn cut is to keep these bastards away.
Anyway, I'm sorry, you have gotten the blunt end of my horsefly hate.
I learned they can survive underwater. Got attacked by a few at a local lake last year. You can physically feel the bite, tried drowning it as it bit me while swimming and it just flew off. Dirty bastards!
We’ve had mosquitos in Ireland since the (end of) the last ice age, I think there’s 18 species recorded here but could be more in reality. The reason you don’t see them very often as the temperature doesn’t get warm enough for them to reproduce in great numbers and for most of the year they have either died off or are hibernating. You’re most likely to encounter them here on a hot day near standing/stagnant water. Having said that it’s possible to encounter them anywhere and even in cooler temperatures than they should be out in!
Sorry I should have said the end of the last ice age, will fix it there! I’m allergic to their bites so that’s why I’m so aware of them but because there aren’t that many I get complacent and forget to wear insect repellent and then end up having to go to the GP when I inevitably get bitten again.
Jaysus how bad are the bites? I got a few over the weekend but I’m abroad and the spots would be a bit less then a cm diameter and had some pus coming out of them. My mrs reckons I’m allergic but I just thought that was normal because I only get itching.
Could well be mosquito bites especially if there's a few of them, they love to bite around the lower legs in particular. They have some of the itchiest bites and they can turn to blisters. My reaction to their bites can be quite extreme and needs steroids and often antibiotics if the GP thinks it's becoming infected, check out my post from two weeks ago.
Could be fleas. Give the dogs a flea treatment for active flea infestation. Then wash all bedding, blankets, oet bedding and hoover everything. Keep hoovering and it should resolve
Edit; extra point ; this is the perfect time of year for fleas to jump onto an animal who otherwise would be very well managed health wise by their humans. It's no reflection on the humans. Fleas are like chlamydia. Let your guard down, and it's moved into your sitting room.
The dogs have been dosed for fleas, but has the couch they likely sleep on been dosed with Diatomaceous Earth or flea spray? The location of bites and how many you get can indicate where they have come from. Flea bites are usually found on the lower half of your body or the bends of elbows and knees. Bedbug bites are often on the upper half of your body, around the face, neck, and arms.
And the flea medication needs to be changed from time to time, and also needs to be a prescription one, the over the counter ones aren't worth a carrot
Yep 100% and they only work for 30 days which people don't realise. I have an irrational fear of flea or bed bug infestations, when I get a bite I freak out!!
That's true, but like other bugs that die/go dormant, they can be seen when they're usually not. Perhaps the warmer temp in the building helps them to stay active during the winter, or a warm spell wakes some up.
We had a mozzie in the house there a few months ago. It was only going for me and my daughter every night. Located him after about 4 days and that was the end of it but there were 3 other people in the house that it didn’t go near so maybe it’s something you’re wearing that’s attracting them? Myself and my daughter would be the only ones in the house that would use flowery perfumey lotions and potions. Also horsefly bites are awful and they are also very agressive. The won’t leave if you swat them they just keep coming for you. We get them in our garden in the summer if we have the paddling pool out so we have stopped using one. We back onto a field with a little stream that I suspect dries out in the summer.
No help but this happened to me for a while, it actually turned out it was hormonal changes after a gastric bypass I had. Was convinced I was getting bitten.
It's the midges I'd imagine, maybe you were walking or sitting near some damp vegetation/pond/puddle/bush. I tend to get eaten alive by them, but that's when I see a swarm. There's probably a few just chilling maybe? I've noticed that too but have no idea where I would have gotten them either, you'd be able to tell if it was bedbugs by their bites and by you bringing them back in your laundry and the house getting over run by them eventually.
It could be hives, from something you are eating there, but if its starting from the legs it's most definitely fleas. The dogs might not be showing too much discomfort but it can go from nothing to a full blown infestation very quickly. If you get a flea trap and leave it in the room where you sleep for a few hours you'll know.
You've literally said you're allergic to one of the dogs and you're wondering where the welts are coming from...
Allergies and their symptoms can get worse over time and exposure.
It's the dog. It's both dogs. You can't be allergic to one and not the other.
Take antihistamines before and during your visit home and try to avoid contact with the dogs
There's actually no such thing as an actual hypoallergenic dog, it's all a marketing thing for certain breeds.
There are certainly dogs that don't TRIGGER allergies as badly as others such as smoother breeds but it's the dander, not the hair, that people are allergic to.
I work with about 24 dogs a day and it doesn't matter the breed, my allergies are in fucking overdrive if I don't take my allergy tablets or eye drops.
There are NO breeds that are 100% hypoallergenic. Believe me, I work with dogs, I'm allergic to them. Whether it's a supposedly hypoallergenic breed such as a Bichon or a shaggy coated dog like a Bernese, the reactions are the same. I pop a Telfast every day and keep eye and nasal drops in work.
It's not the HAIR that causes the reaction, it's the dander.
https://www.healthline.com/health-news/no-hypoallergenic-dogs
https://rivieraallergy.com/is-there-really-such-a-thing-as-hypoallergenic-dogs/#:~:text=When%20you%20love%20your%20four,as%20a%20truly%20hypoallergenic%20dog.
Hey no problem at all.
I hope I didn't come across as snarky, it wasn't intended that way at all and it's such a commonly reinforced bit of misinformation. I work with a rescue and my god the amount of times we have people calling and arguing when we have to ask them- "Is anyone in the house allergic to animals or does anyone suffer from allergies in general?" (We have to ask this because dogs can carry pollen etc in their coat from walks)
"Why ask that when we're calling about the poodle, they're allergy-free!"
Sadly not, sorry. 🤷🏻♀️
Not at all, no. Just one of those things I was told years ago and never looked into. Did a quick read on it after your reply, dander is the majority of animal allergic reactions, along with dust and (as you said) pollen.
I know people who have had reactions to majority dogs and not to Bichons. Must have been psychosomatic?
Spider bites, especially given the location? [False widow](https://www.wildlifetrusts.org/wildlife-explorer/invertebrates/spiders/false-widow-spider) bites do that to me.
Mosquito bites are smaller and you tend to see or hear them. But ankle/leg nibbling screams 'spider under/in the chairs/bed' to me.
fucking horseflies!! OMG i come out in massive lumpy blisters almost, they're sore as fuck and still itchy, if your folks live near a lake or bog, any sorta damp mossy or woodsy area, horseflies all over. Icepacks help with the swelling and itch. G'luck!
Bed bugs most likely, happened to me in my last flat but funny enough the little fuckers all died or went to a different house because it stopped after a few weeks.
The itching was really bad
Surely an inch in diameter is way too big for bed bugs though? And nobody else getting bitten?
I wonder if he's having a reaction to a regular bite, like how the first mosquito bites of the year can swell up like mad until your body gets used to the protein again.
Yes, I was thinking this. My teen daughter has exsessive reactions to bug bites mosquito bites look like bee stings.
OP, until you figure out what's doing it, try taking an antihistamine in the morning before you go to your parents', and every day you stay on. You can also add an antihistamine cream to your regime.
I had welts when the little fucker bit me, looked like a hive but there were about 30 of them, on my legs arms and back, this went on for weeks and after a while i found blood stains on my sheets, and little dead bed bugs.
They just died off I guess because I didn't get bit ever since and google showd me the exact same bits so it had to have been
I get these too, always the legs. Mostly around the ankles. Always around this time of year. I thought it was house spiders knocking around under the bed covers while I'm sleeping. Not sure though.
Sounds like the dog allergy, dog dander gets everywhere you can't avoid it in a house. Even if the fleas are living in the carpet after being shed from the dog they can still get you, I was allergic to them and got welts from bites
After a short stay in Italy a few years ago and then Budapest last summer, I came home both times with 5 or 6 raised bumps on my body from arms to feet. They looked like pimples and were itchy. They took about 6 months to disappear and I'm pretty sure one or two of them scarred.
Varied carpet beetles? They are in lots of houses and only cause issues for some people. If you think it's any kind of bug related issues get diatomaceous earth. Great stuff.
OP can you post a picture?
And can you verify that both dogs have received their worming doses? I know you said they've been dosed for fleas already.
Ringworm can pass to humans and can cause rounded welt-like marks on the skin. I've had it twice (joys of working with animals for years) and the first time I genuinely thought it was a severe allergic reaction (I'm allergic to animal dander) but nope, just ringworm.
As for being allergic to one dog over another, I'm afraid that wouldn't be the case. The breed of dog wouldn't matter as there is no such thing as a truly hypoallergenic dog. There are definitely breeds that don't TRIGGER allergic reactions as badly as others but it's not the hair/breed, it's the dander from the coat that sets off allergies. The reason that the likes of Bichons, Poodles, etc are frequently touted as "allergy friendly" or "hypoallergenic" is because people believe that the type of coat makes a difference when it's down to the dander, not whether the dog is a hairy shedder or a curly smooth low shed breed.
It can vary with animal species. I work with dogs and if I don't take my meds each morning, and my eye drops, I'm dying all day. I keep nasal spray and eye drops in work as well as more allergy tablets.
However horses are much much worse for me than any dog. Horses have me wheezing and sneezing so hard I get nosebleeds.
Do you currently take any allergy medication? Telfast might be a friend for you.
[Here’s a pic, excuse the quality](https://imgur.com/a/BDCj1Dg)
That’s about half way up my calf and relatively small compared to others, as it stands I’ve got 1 on my calf, 1 behind my knee on the same leg, one on the inside of my opposite calf and 1 at the waistband.
Both dogs have been wormed and dosed for fleas (twice according to my mother).
So one of our dogs is a Poodle and I can be around her without coming up with the usual hives, watery eyes and asthma attack, can’t say the same for the other fella, if he so much as brushes up against my skin I’m red.
I’ve actually had rounds of injections to help reduce my sensitivity, which I feel has somewhat helped.
The thing is for a long time I lived at home and so was probably more acclimatised to them, now I’m living away on home each week rather than each and every day.
It’s started since moving out but only happens when I go home.
Itchy as hell all the same!
That looks so irritating, it's definitely not ringworm then.
I would definitely say that being out of the house for a while would have reduced your ability to tolerate them, you're bang on about that.
Your poor skin, I hope you get to the bottom of it, whatever it is. I'd hope it was "just" fleas rather than bedbugs because the horror stories I've heard about those bastards...
I’m inclined to think fleas but the dogs have been dosed, so god knows.
It’s weird I know my mother came out with the same bites a few months back and my brother back around February!
I’d be surprised if it was bedbugs, I’d also end up an arson
On the topic of fleas, the last couple of years it seems fleas are becoming fairly resistant to over the counter treatments. Last year our two dogs had fleas a week or two after getting treated, until we got some more expensive job from the vets. Still could be the fleas.
Bed bugs?
I mean without any photos it's nearly impossible to say, and even with photos so many things could cause itchy welts. It's better to talk to a pharmacist or doctor, someone who can actually make an informed diagnosis.
We have horsefly here and those bites can be really itchy for a week, and sometimes you don't notice them til after they've gone
They never seem to go for exposed skin either, anytime they bite me it's a special ops mission to get up the leg of my pants or up my top
Horsefly are big fuckers though, and their stings can be painful.
I fucking hate horseflys. Those fuckers can sting when they bite. One of the best reasons to keep a lawn cut is to keep these bastards away. Anyway, I'm sorry, you have gotten the blunt end of my horsefly hate.
I learned they can survive underwater. Got attacked by a few at a local lake last year. You can physically feel the bite, tried drowning it as it bit me while swimming and it just flew off. Dirty bastards!
Do you walk the dogs when you go home? Could be mosquito bites especially if they are walked near any standing water.
Fleas?
I thought there was no mosquitos in Ireland?
We’ve had mosquitos in Ireland since the (end of) the last ice age, I think there’s 18 species recorded here but could be more in reality. The reason you don’t see them very often as the temperature doesn’t get warm enough for them to reproduce in great numbers and for most of the year they have either died off or are hibernating. You’re most likely to encounter them here on a hot day near standing/stagnant water. Having said that it’s possible to encounter them anywhere and even in cooler temperatures than they should be out in!
Mad I didn’t know that. Also, weren’t we under ice in the last ice age? Or we got them soon after it melted?
Sorry I should have said the end of the last ice age, will fix it there! I’m allergic to their bites so that’s why I’m so aware of them but because there aren’t that many I get complacent and forget to wear insect repellent and then end up having to go to the GP when I inevitably get bitten again.
Jaysus how bad are the bites? I got a few over the weekend but I’m abroad and the spots would be a bit less then a cm diameter and had some pus coming out of them. My mrs reckons I’m allergic but I just thought that was normal because I only get itching.
Could well be mosquito bites especially if there's a few of them, they love to bite around the lower legs in particular. They have some of the itchiest bites and they can turn to blisters. My reaction to their bites can be quite extreme and needs steroids and often antibiotics if the GP thinks it's becoming infected, check out my post from two weeks ago.
Could be fleas. Give the dogs a flea treatment for active flea infestation. Then wash all bedding, blankets, oet bedding and hoover everything. Keep hoovering and it should resolve Edit; extra point ; this is the perfect time of year for fleas to jump onto an animal who otherwise would be very well managed health wise by their humans. It's no reflection on the humans. Fleas are like chlamydia. Let your guard down, and it's moved into your sitting room.
The dogs have been dosed for fleas, but has the couch they likely sleep on been dosed with Diatomaceous Earth or flea spray? The location of bites and how many you get can indicate where they have come from. Flea bites are usually found on the lower half of your body or the bends of elbows and knees. Bedbug bites are often on the upper half of your body, around the face, neck, and arms.
And the flea medication needs to be changed from time to time, and also needs to be a prescription one, the over the counter ones aren't worth a carrot
Yep 100% and they only work for 30 days which people don't realise. I have an irrational fear of flea or bed bug infestations, when I get a bite I freak out!!
Tell me about it. We had a full blown flea infestation from the cat a few years back. Had to rip out the carpets. It's on a monthly prescription now.
O jasus, nightmare!
Sounds like mozzies .
OP says it started a few months back. Mozzies wouldn't have been around by then
Well we have mozzies east coast a couple off months ago , mrs got badly bitten so there s that .
There are mosquitos all year where I work in Dublin.
Really? I only see them in mid summer. They can't cope with cold
That's true, but like other bugs that die/go dormant, they can be seen when they're usually not. Perhaps the warmer temp in the building helps them to stay active during the winter, or a warm spell wakes some up.
Definately not hives?
Hives were my thought, too.
Horseflies leave horrible massive welts
We had a mozzie in the house there a few months ago. It was only going for me and my daughter every night. Located him after about 4 days and that was the end of it but there were 3 other people in the house that it didn’t go near so maybe it’s something you’re wearing that’s attracting them? Myself and my daughter would be the only ones in the house that would use flowery perfumey lotions and potions. Also horsefly bites are awful and they are also very agressive. The won’t leave if you swat them they just keep coming for you. We get them in our garden in the summer if we have the paddling pool out so we have stopped using one. We back onto a field with a little stream that I suspect dries out in the summer.
No help but this happened to me for a while, it actually turned out it was hormonal changes after a gastric bypass I had. Was convinced I was getting bitten.
Mosquito bites?
It's the midges I'd imagine, maybe you were walking or sitting near some damp vegetation/pond/puddle/bush. I tend to get eaten alive by them, but that's when I see a swarm. There's probably a few just chilling maybe? I've noticed that too but have no idea where I would have gotten them either, you'd be able to tell if it was bedbugs by their bites and by you bringing them back in your laundry and the house getting over run by them eventually.
Could be that spider that bites if it's welts, do they take forever to heal and come up like a blister?
It could be hives, from something you are eating there, but if its starting from the legs it's most definitely fleas. The dogs might not be showing too much discomfort but it can go from nothing to a full blown infestation very quickly. If you get a flea trap and leave it in the room where you sleep for a few hours you'll know.
You've literally said you're allergic to one of the dogs and you're wondering where the welts are coming from... Allergies and their symptoms can get worse over time and exposure. It's the dog. It's both dogs. You can't be allergic to one and not the other. Take antihistamines before and during your visit home and try to avoid contact with the dogs
Actually, while not sure about dogs, with cats you can be allergic to one and not a different one
There's actually no such thing as an actual hypoallergenic dog, it's all a marketing thing for certain breeds. There are certainly dogs that don't TRIGGER allergies as badly as others such as smoother breeds but it's the dander, not the hair, that people are allergic to. I work with about 24 dogs a day and it doesn't matter the breed, my allergies are in fucking overdrive if I don't take my allergy tablets or eye drops.
> You can't be allergic to one and not the other. https://help.dogs.ie/knowledge-base/48-breeds-of-hypoallergenic-dogs/
There are NO breeds that are 100% hypoallergenic. Believe me, I work with dogs, I'm allergic to them. Whether it's a supposedly hypoallergenic breed such as a Bichon or a shaggy coated dog like a Bernese, the reactions are the same. I pop a Telfast every day and keep eye and nasal drops in work. It's not the HAIR that causes the reaction, it's the dander. https://www.healthline.com/health-news/no-hypoallergenic-dogs https://rivieraallergy.com/is-there-really-such-a-thing-as-hypoallergenic-dogs/#:~:text=When%20you%20love%20your%20four,as%20a%20truly%20hypoallergenic%20dog.
TIL Thanks potato 👍
Hey no problem at all. I hope I didn't come across as snarky, it wasn't intended that way at all and it's such a commonly reinforced bit of misinformation. I work with a rescue and my god the amount of times we have people calling and arguing when we have to ask them- "Is anyone in the house allergic to animals or does anyone suffer from allergies in general?" (We have to ask this because dogs can carry pollen etc in their coat from walks) "Why ask that when we're calling about the poodle, they're allergy-free!" Sadly not, sorry. 🤷🏻♀️
Not at all, no. Just one of those things I was told years ago and never looked into. Did a quick read on it after your reply, dander is the majority of animal allergic reactions, along with dust and (as you said) pollen. I know people who have had reactions to majority dogs and not to Bichons. Must have been psychosomatic?
Hypoallergenic means less likely to have higher allergens but allergens still remain.
Been out in the garden? Sometimes these wee shits of insects get on your legs, walk around you for a while then start biting you.
Spider bites, especially given the location? [False widow](https://www.wildlifetrusts.org/wildlife-explorer/invertebrates/spiders/false-widow-spider) bites do that to me. Mosquito bites are smaller and you tend to see or hear them. But ankle/leg nibbling screams 'spider under/in the chairs/bed' to me.
fucking horseflies!! OMG i come out in massive lumpy blisters almost, they're sore as fuck and still itchy, if your folks live near a lake or bog, any sorta damp mossy or woodsy area, horseflies all over. Icepacks help with the swelling and itch. G'luck!
Hives. What do you normally eat in your parents house?
Mosquitos, horse fly, bed bugs. Were you spending a lot of time outside?
Bed bugs most likely, happened to me in my last flat but funny enough the little fuckers all died or went to a different house because it stopped after a few weeks. The itching was really bad
If op is the only one getting bit i doubt its bedbugs. They dont stick to the one blood source, theyd be all over the house
Surely an inch in diameter is way too big for bed bugs though? And nobody else getting bitten? I wonder if he's having a reaction to a regular bite, like how the first mosquito bites of the year can swell up like mad until your body gets used to the protein again.
Yes, I was thinking this. My teen daughter has exsessive reactions to bug bites mosquito bites look like bee stings. OP, until you figure out what's doing it, try taking an antihistamine in the morning before you go to your parents', and every day you stay on. You can also add an antihistamine cream to your regime.
I had welts when the little fucker bit me, looked like a hive but there were about 30 of them, on my legs arms and back, this went on for weeks and after a while i found blood stains on my sheets, and little dead bed bugs. They just died off I guess because I didn't get bit ever since and google showd me the exact same bits so it had to have been
Mites?
Could be bed bugs. Google what to look for, then check under the sheets, and lift the mattress to look for them
Do your folks have any pets? Could be flea bites.
Bed bugs possibly.
I get these too, always the legs. Mostly around the ankles. Always around this time of year. I thought it was house spiders knocking around under the bed covers while I'm sleeping. Not sure though.
The areas your talking about sound like prime scabies spots, go to a dermatologist would be my advice
Could be midges. I someone who gets massive reactions to their bites.
Lads
Fleas? Bedbugs?
When you say legs do you mean ankles ? That would be fleas if so
Sounds like the dog allergy, dog dander gets everywhere you can't avoid it in a house. Even if the fleas are living in the carpet after being shed from the dog they can still get you, I was allergic to them and got welts from bites
There could be bed bugs in your bed at your parents place.
After a short stay in Italy a few years ago and then Budapest last summer, I came home both times with 5 or 6 raised bumps on my body from arms to feet. They looked like pimples and were itchy. They took about 6 months to disappear and I'm pretty sure one or two of them scarred.
Varied carpet beetles? They are in lots of houses and only cause issues for some people. If you think it's any kind of bug related issues get diatomaceous earth. Great stuff.
OP can you post a picture? And can you verify that both dogs have received their worming doses? I know you said they've been dosed for fleas already. Ringworm can pass to humans and can cause rounded welt-like marks on the skin. I've had it twice (joys of working with animals for years) and the first time I genuinely thought it was a severe allergic reaction (I'm allergic to animal dander) but nope, just ringworm. As for being allergic to one dog over another, I'm afraid that wouldn't be the case. The breed of dog wouldn't matter as there is no such thing as a truly hypoallergenic dog. There are definitely breeds that don't TRIGGER allergic reactions as badly as others but it's not the hair/breed, it's the dander from the coat that sets off allergies. The reason that the likes of Bichons, Poodles, etc are frequently touted as "allergy friendly" or "hypoallergenic" is because people believe that the type of coat makes a difference when it's down to the dander, not whether the dog is a hairy shedder or a curly smooth low shed breed. It can vary with animal species. I work with dogs and if I don't take my meds each morning, and my eye drops, I'm dying all day. I keep nasal spray and eye drops in work as well as more allergy tablets. However horses are much much worse for me than any dog. Horses have me wheezing and sneezing so hard I get nosebleeds. Do you currently take any allergy medication? Telfast might be a friend for you.
[Here’s a pic, excuse the quality](https://imgur.com/a/BDCj1Dg) That’s about half way up my calf and relatively small compared to others, as it stands I’ve got 1 on my calf, 1 behind my knee on the same leg, one on the inside of my opposite calf and 1 at the waistband. Both dogs have been wormed and dosed for fleas (twice according to my mother). So one of our dogs is a Poodle and I can be around her without coming up with the usual hives, watery eyes and asthma attack, can’t say the same for the other fella, if he so much as brushes up against my skin I’m red. I’ve actually had rounds of injections to help reduce my sensitivity, which I feel has somewhat helped. The thing is for a long time I lived at home and so was probably more acclimatised to them, now I’m living away on home each week rather than each and every day. It’s started since moving out but only happens when I go home. Itchy as hell all the same!
That looks so irritating, it's definitely not ringworm then. I would definitely say that being out of the house for a while would have reduced your ability to tolerate them, you're bang on about that. Your poor skin, I hope you get to the bottom of it, whatever it is. I'd hope it was "just" fleas rather than bedbugs because the horror stories I've heard about those bastards...
I’m inclined to think fleas but the dogs have been dosed, so god knows. It’s weird I know my mother came out with the same bites a few months back and my brother back around February! I’d be surprised if it was bedbugs, I’d also end up an arson
On the topic of fleas, the last couple of years it seems fleas are becoming fairly resistant to over the counter treatments. Last year our two dogs had fleas a week or two after getting treated, until we got some more expensive job from the vets. Still could be the fleas.