Benedryl Use

Sush

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#1
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

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#2
I have no clue ..... I only use it and buffered aspirin in an emergency until I can talk to a vet .
 

showpug

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#3
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

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#4
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

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#5
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

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#6
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?
 
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#7
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

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#8
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.
 
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#9
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

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#10
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.
 

supaspic

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#11
Well, Tidus seems to be going through this. I don't know if it's part of his puggle nature, or if he is getting bit because I find tiny bumps on the bottom of his paws.

I took him to the vet, but one said it was from a dirt patch outside my house and that I should wash his feet every time. And then the other vet, said it was an allergy that could be connected to a tiny fly-insect called no-see-ums.

Anyways the first vet gave Tidus a anti-histamine, antibiotics and a cream for his paws. Well, he only gave me enough for one week, so after dropping a chunk of change, Tidus was still reddened and the vet said he was showing improvement. Jump forward a few days and Tidus was back to the itching.

I scheduled that second appointment with the second aforementioned vet and he gave me two choices. Give Tidus a shot that would clear him up for a few weeks (five weeks to be precise) or pay $400 and find out all of Tidus' allergies and get a prescription for it.

Now don't get me wrong, I love him and I paid for the two visits, but $400 was way out of my college student budget. I opted for the five week solution that would cover, what I thought would be pollen season, but it's coming back.

All I have is a spray that I got from the vet that deters fleas, and a shampoo to relieve the itching. I talked to a friend that works at a shelter and she advised me to used Hydrocortosone (maximum 1%) on his paws and to give him Benadryl at night so he can sleep. I also have bought some wipes that ease the itching and make that bitter taste so he doesn't make it worse.

God this sucks. He's two-years-old and this is the first year this has happened, I am just longing for the season to end. I guess I'll stick to the Hydro and Benadryl til then ... since the vet is basically clueless and only provides me with temporary (a few weeks) solutions.
 

malmo

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#12
I second the oatmeal bath. As long as it's not coupled with shampooing, you can do it every day if you like. It should really soothe the skin. Temporary, but effective.
 
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#13
I had Molly on Benadryl for about 3 months, it didn't do anything, except to maybe, and I'm not sure it really did it, make he slightly less "wired". Sadly it did nothing for her allergies. I've tried food, supplements, baths, Claritin, and a couple of other antihistamines, and nothing worked.

She had a very mild winter and spring last time for some reason, and I'm hoping that maybe with age, her allergies have kind of lessened or dissapeared. My own went almost completely away (with the exception of pine type trees) from age 17 to 45, when they came roaring back one say when I was walking the dogs in a park. They seem to have subsided again for some reason. I take a Benadryl every day, just to help me sleep better. If I don't take it, it's no big deal.
 

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