Possible Use Of Benadryl?

[Guest Wpgkeith]

Hey All,

 

So Riley's sneezing has started again... The sneezes come, often in the evening and night time. This

is from last year.. almost exactly a year ago... - so maybe it is an allergy to something?

 

Any hoo... our vet had suggested Benadryl at some point, and I have heard other puppers try Benadryl... but my quesiton is... should I try Riley on it?

 

I have a package of 25 mg tabs... do I give him a whole one (78 lb dog) or a half tab?

 

What, if any, reactions might I expect?

 

This is exacerbated by him sneezing so hard last night he gave himself a nose bleed.

 

Any advice, appreciated.

 

Thanks,

K

 

[KF_in_Georgia]

I Googled "benadryl for dogs":

 

http://wiki.answers.com/Q/How_much_Benadry..._you_give_a_dog

 

http://www.vetpets.net/animaltimes/humandrugs.html

 

The dosage recommended here matches up with what I remember my vet advising...and you can give a lighter dose, of course, until you get a chance to consult with your vet.

Edited February 19, 2009 by KF_in_Georgia

[HopeForHounds]

I would. It`s a drug that has been around a long time. Most of the children I work with who have serious allergic reactions have it on hand. It reduces the histamins quickly, therefor giving relief quickly.

 

You can give him a whole 25 mg tab. I`ve used benadryl for a number of situations. It was the first thing I gave Foxy when she had LP attacks. It really helped calm her and her breathing. Recently I used it for Jake`s healing eye. I think it`s worth trying, poor guy needs some relief and so do you. Let us know how it worked.

 

Editing to add I gave Foxy 25 mg and she was only 65lb at her heaviest.

 

Edited February 19, 2009 by foxysmom

[Hubcitypam]

Actually dogs need more benedryl than we do. I am not a vet but based on past dosing recommendations from vets I'd give 2 in the evening and see how it goes.

[CaliforniaGreys]

I second trying it. And yes, 25mg is fine and you can actually give it to him twice a day, one morning, one evening based on his weight.

 

Wayne stays on it all summer here but never seems to need it during the winter months.

 

The only reaction you "might" see is he'll be a bit more sleepy

ETA: I would not give 2 at the same time. It's 1mg per body weight but should be spaced out not given at the same time

Edited February 19, 2009 by cbudshome

[Guest Wpgkeith]

Thanks, we'll see how it goes tonight.

 

K

 

[AngelWhispers]

Per my vet, you can safely give 1mg benedryl per 1 lb of weight, every 8 hours. Warlock has allergies and weighs 77lbs. I give him 3 of the 25mg tablets every 12 hours, and that helps him.

[Hubcitypam]

My 110# bouvier houseguest took 4 -- 25 mg a night. Stopped her snoring sniffling and licking.

[tbhounds]

1mg/lb----can be given 3 times a day. Dogs metabolize drugs differently than we do---gezz, one tablet for me and I'm in a coma for days However my dog can take 3 and want to go for a walk!

[krissn333]

Our vet recommended 2 tabs for dogs that were afraid of thunder...helped keep them calm if their anxiety wasn't TOO high.

 

For the sneezing, I'd try one tab and if that doesn't seem to help I'd bump it to 2 tabs and give that a try.

 

Don't freak out if you don't get the pill(s) down his throad and they start dissolving in his mouth - his mouth will look foamy and he might seem a little agitated. Hopefully you can just hide it in a favorite treat and it'll go right down the hatch!

[Guest luckydog]

I just watched the YouTube video in your first post, and I have to say it was a good demonstration of the infamous Reverse Sneeze.

 

I have never heard of a correlation between reverse sneezing and allergies. Have you had your dog tested for any allergies?

[Batmom]

Assume he's been checked for foreign body etc. in nasal cavity? I'd be more concerned about the nosebleed than the reverse sneezing. Our whippet did the reverse sneeze thing rather often; never a nosebleed or any other allergy symptoms .......

 

For Benadryl, I'd start with 25 mg regardless of dog's size. 25 mg was well enough for 77-lb. Batman -- even just that much made him drowsy.

 

[Guest gritsnc]

Our sheltie has terrible allergies in the spring. She would chew her feet until they bled and she would sneeze constantly. We had to take her for the longest time to get cortizone shots to help with the feet.

 

Finally, a different vet recommended giving her Benedryl. WOW...what a difference it made! It seemed to make her sleepy (common side effect in humans also), but it gave her the comfort she needed.

[Guest 1stTime]

The correct dosage is 1mg per pound of body weight. You could give upto 73mg of Benedryl. Try (2) 25mg tablets and go from there. You will find drowsiness the most common side effect. Good luck!!

[Guest greyorkie]

We give Benadryl to our Yorkie when her skin flares up. It really helps keep her comfy. She doesn't seem to get too sleepy from it either. Hope it works for you.

[Guest Greensleeves]

Yes, the dosage is 1mg/pound, but you always want to give the *lowest effective* dosage of any medicine. For an acute attack, I probably would start with the full dose--but be prepared for it to knock her out (it might not, but Nelly always got *very* sleepy and lethargic after Benadryl--even 25mg, and she weighed 85 lbs!). For maintenance of symptoms, you can probably drop that down. We actually switched from Benadryl to prescription Hydroxyzine several years ago (tho' we always keep Benadryl on hand), because it seemed to be more effective at a lower dose, with less drowsiness.

[cleptogrey]

before i would start w/ benadryl i personally would start a regime of lemon juice. it will clear the mucous in his throat and you won't have a comatose hound hanging out. a tablespoonful of real lemon juice once daily(i usually buy the store brand) down his throat w/ a baby medicine dropper or better yet w/ a spoon. it won't harm him in any way and might stop the reverse sneezes, it clears their throat instantly. it works for my dogs and a friend's dog which i have boarded. i have an old fashioned vet w/ lots of simple home remedies that really do work.