dogs and benadryl

[speckledfrog]

When should I start seeing some relief from the meds?  I have no idea what my dog got into, but he is an itchy mess.  I gave him some benadryl a little over a half hour ago and he's still miserable.  This is the first time I've had to give him some, so I'm not sure if things should be better by now.  If he was a 10 on the itch-o-meter to start, I'd say he's a 7 right now. 

[killercupcake]

Can you give him a bath to get whatever it is off of his skin?

Poor guy. My old bosses boxer had such bad allergies they had to put him in t-shirts so he wouldn't scratch himself raw. I always felt so sad for him.

[thecatinthehat]

Benadryl never did shit for one of my dogs. Maybe it helped but not significantly enough to give her any relief from the itching. Whenever I bring it up with our vet I get the feeling taht she doesn't believe me.

[puppyluv]

Are you giving your dog a large enough dose? we give our 60lb dog one 25mg tablet and she sees relief within half an hour. That amount seems to work for her but it would be safe for us to give her 2 tablets, 50mg, if necessary.

[aMrsin09]

Benadryl did nothing for my dogs allergies.

Fexofenadine finally worked for her. I think it's Allegra in the states.

ETA: My dog is 50kg and she gets 180mg 2x a day during allergy season

[penguintamer]

Dogs can have a resistance to Benadryl, which makes it less effective. We give our girl Zyrtec. Make sure it's plain zyrtec, no decongestant or anything. It works better for her, seems to last longer too.

[thecatinthehat]

Jan 30, 2015 3:38:41 GMT -5 penguintamer said:

Dogs can have a resistance to Benadryl, which makes it less effective. We give our girl Zyrtec. Make sure it's plain zyrtec, no decongestant or anything. It works better for her, seems to last longer too.

Can you tell me more about this. Dosing and stuff? Our female dog is mostly fine she sometimes chews on her paws and we can't really figure out what she is allergic to. We finally have her on food that makes her itch only rarely. I might try this next time she has another episode. 

[isabel]

Dogs need a shit ton of Benadryl. Like way more than you would think. I would double check the dose and see if you can give more.

[mala]

The dosing for benadryl is usually 1mg for every pound of dog. My 110# girl can take up to 4 25mg pills three times a day. They usually take an hour to kick in.

If you want to try other allergy meds, talk to your vet first.