Benedryl Use

[Sush]

I've been giving Sage 1/2 tab Benedryl 2 x a day for her seasonaly allergies, they seem to work alot better than the kind that the vet had previously prescribed to her. I think I've been doing it for about two weeks now...are their detrimental affects of giving benedryl long term?

[bubbatd]

I have no clue ..... I only use it and buffered aspirin in an emergency until I can talk to a vet .

[showpug]

It's fine to give Benadryl, but eventually it won't work as well as they tend to build up a bit of a resistance to antihistamines. How large is your dog? That sounds like an awfully small dose as it's what I would use on my pugs....

Edit - Ooops! I see in your siggy that your dog is tiny, LOL!

[SummerRiot]

As Showpug said - there are no known long term effects from benadryl..

just keep in mind that all medication basically filters through their liver.. and depending on what type of meds they are on, it can start causing some damage.

If she is consistantly on the Benadryl I'd suggest an annual blood test.. here they are called "Wellness" tests. Its basically a simple blood draw thats sent away to a lab to see what each organs levels are in.

Also, as Showpug said - the more you use Benadryl - the more their system will see it as effective.

[Sush]

Yeah she is only about 10 lbs I just read on the back of the box that humans arent supposed to take Benedryl regulalry for long periods of time so I got a little worried about doggy use. I can already tell it's not working as well but I seriously can't get her to stop itching. She's getting to the point where she has her little hairs stuck in her gums because she is literally ripping her hair out. Poor thing.

[GlassOnion]

What dose are you giving her? Benadryl is relatively safe though. It's hard to OD on it and there's not many long term effects to it (that we know of) but still I wouldn't give it long term if I could avoid it.

Take her to the vet and get a Vetalog or depomedrol shot and see if that helps. Or maybe Chlorpheniramine might help though I think that's more for sneezing than itching. What did your vet give you that was ineffective?

[dakota41394]

I have worked for many Vets, and they always tell us "techs" to give benadryl and then you could also start giving her oatmeal baths. thats right, take real quaker oatmeal (not instant) mix it with enough water to make a medium paste and apply it to her twice a week. let soak for about 10 minutes. This will help the itching and add some good natural moisture to her skin. Plus it is very soothing to the already irritated areas.

[GlassOnion]

You can also put some aloe into the oatmeal bath. That's what we do and we sell an aloe/oatmeal mix too. Smells pretty good.

[dakota41394]

Good idea! Thanks for adding the idea about the aloe. I would use straight aloe though, not the aloe from the store, it has alcohol in it.

[Chewbecca]

Tis the season for allergies!!!!

Ella gets allergy sores on her body if you look at her funny.

You know what has helped us this year??

Well, I think a change in diet has helped her tremendously AND Chlorhexiderm 4% shampoo.

And wiping her feet when we come back from walking.

We use Benedryl sometimes, too.