Cooper asked
I gave my 28lb dog Cooper half of Benadryl 25mg..He's itching and uncomfortable after having hair cut. Can I give it to him again? Seems to help..he's almost 9 yrs old.
Answer
When it comes to dosing medication for animals, we always recommend to reach out to your veterinarian for specific advice as they are the experts. Nevertheless, Benadryl is very commonly given to dogs, and there are published dosing guidelines which we can share with you.
One company makes a flavored diphenhydramine tablet for dog use called Vetadryl. It contains the same active ingredient as Benadryl (diphenhydramine), but is flavored for easy administration. The dosing for the drug according to the manufacturer is as follows:
- Motion sickness: 2-4mg/kg by mouth every 8 hours
- As an aid in allergy management: 2-4mg/kg by mouth every 8-12 hours
- As an aid in managing atopic dermatitis: 25-50mg (total dose) three times daily
- Travel Anxiety: 2-4mg/kg by every 12 hours
To dose the above in pounds, we simply convert the mg/kg to mg/lbs (one kilogram is roughly equal to 2.2 pounds).
So for your dog, 28 pounds converts to 12.7 kilograms. Using the dose for allergy management, that works out to 25-50 mg of diphenhydramine per dose.
Per the dosing guidelines for diphenhydramine, giving another half of a 25mg Benadryl would be safe. However, it is important to discuss the treatment of your dog with your vet before giving any medication.
