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Does anyone give their dog Benadryl type pills for allergies?

15K views 9 replies 8 participants last post by  Barnsley 
#1 ·
I recently had Bodie tested for allergies, and he is allergic to certain weeds, grasses, and trees. Instead of starting him on allergy shots, I decided to try giving him benadryl pills to see if that will work. The vet said that it will work 30-50% of the time, if not he will have to be on allergy shots.

I picked up the Kirkland brand allergy pills at Costco (same ingredients as benadryl, 25 mg per pill), but I'm not sure how many to give him. His vet isn't in today. I really want to start him today to hopefully relieve his itching. Does anyone give these pills to their dog, and if so, how many/often? Thanks.
 
#4 ·
I give Benedryl to Prudence (dachshund mix) twice a day following as close to the 1mg per every pound rule as I can. She has severe allergies and she used to get shots, but due to her age my vet suggested the benedryl. They don't work quite as well as the shots, so I use cortisone cream and a medicated shampoo for certain areas (feet, legs).
 
#5 ·
I give 75 mg when she needs it. PLEASE NOTE: you must use the PLAIN benadryl without anything else in it. Not allergy and sinus, not allergy and cold formulas. No painkiller or anything else. Just plain old diphenhydramine.

FWIW, allergy shots have really helped us, but have not completely elivated the allergy symptoms, so we still use the benedryl as needed.
 
#7 ·
MY vet recommended Benadryl when Mercedez had a really bad reaction to a wasp sting. Her whole face swelled up about an inch around. She looked like the elephant dog. I did rush her to the vet for a cortisone and benadryl shot! He did however tell me to give her benadryl for the itchiness for the next few days. Now i do keep it on hand incase of another reaction!
 
#8 ·
Just plain old diphenhydramine
Good to know. I did get the plain diphenhydramine, no extra ingredients. A friend of mine whose lab has allergies told me to get the white bottle with pink label from costco, and that's what I did. It was $3 for 400 pills, compared to about $12 for 124 pills of brand-name benedryl.

edited to add: thanks for all the quick replies! I hope my little Bodie dog is feeling better soon.
 
G
#9 ·
I give Cuffy 2 tablets every evening. He's doing well. Recently my vet told me that the efficacy increases with regular dosing and if I notice more itching that I should give him 2 - 3 tablets twice a day.
 
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