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The development of welts or hives, known by doctors as urticarial eruptions can have lots of causes. the most common would be an acute allergic reaction to a contact/inhalant (grasses, trees, dander, pollens, etc) or ingested food allergen. Spider, insect, or bee stings can also cause these eruptions which can cause varying degrees of itching and swelling associated with them. Most of the time an emergency veterinary visit can be avoided by giving a pet a quick acting antihistamine such as Diphenhydramine (Benadryl) or Chlorpheniramine.  This can be repeated every 6-8 hours during an acute reaction.

If the swelling or itching persists or worsens, then it is best to see a veterinarian who will likely give a quick acting cortisone injection or a prescription for an antihistamine or oral cortisone drug like Prednisone.  In some breeds, particularly short coated breeds such as Boxers and Rhodesian Ridgebacks, small numbers of hives/eruptions can remain chronic and these rarely have to be treated, as a lot of of the time they are not itchy and do not bother the pet dog and rarely spread.  A veterinary exam and assessment is always the easiest way to differentiate those dogs prone to mild chronic hive-like eruptions to those dogs needing more aggressive treatment by their veterinarian.