Is Benadryl safe to give my dog for itchy skin after a stroke?

Yes, you can do that as it has been almost 6 hours since her dose of chlorpheniramine. You don't want to dose them any closer together than that. If she is really 134 pounds she will need quite a large dose of Benadryl. The dose is 1-2 mg/# so essentially she needs at least 134mg. It comes in 25mg capsules. So, I suggest you give her 150mg or 6 capsules. People always balk at this but dogs take a much higher dose than humans due to the way they metabolize it so yes, I really did say 6 capsules. Hope this helps. Please post again if you have more questions. Take care!

Benadryl can be given to dogs to treat allergies but it is always best to check with your vet before giving medications. Since your vet knows your dogs complete medical history, he/she would know if there is a contraindication to giving any medications. Dogs with allergies can also develop secondary bacterial infection that may require an antibiotic, corticosteroid, and/or an anti-histamine to treat. If her signs persist or worsen then she should be seen by a vet to determine the best way to treat. There is also an allergy medication called Apoquel that works very well in controlling allergies in dogs. You could also switch to a completely hypoallergenic diet, like z/d, and see if that helps, too. Bathing her with a medicated dog shampoo, like Epi-Soothe, may also help.

Benadryl (diphenhydramine) is often given as a pre-treatment prior to giving treatment for heartworm disease to prevent a reaction, so there aren't any specific counterindications to using it in a dog with heartworm disease. However, if your dog is still itchy 24 hours after getting a vaccine, I would fear a worsening reaction, and I would recommend taking him in for a dose of a stronger medication - a steroid - which will definitively work and stop any reaction, as well as the itchiness. I find that Benadryl (used orally) is rarely very effective at stopping itchiness in dogs.

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Misha. I typically recommend giving Benadryl at 1mg/pound. So I would give around 12mg orally every 8 hours. The dose you were told is a little high, but probably still reasonable. Antihistamines are a somewhat hit and miss in dogs. They will help some dogs, but not others. If you do not see an improvement in the skin around his eyes, then he will need to see his veterinarian. He could have a food allergy, for example, as this commonly affects skin around the eyes. In these case, the dog may be experiencing vomiting, diarrhea or an increased number of bowel movements per day. These dogs can also have skin issues elsewhere and are prone to ear infections. I hope this information helps!

This amount of Benedryl is safe for Britta. However if she does not respond to it within 1-2 hours or her symptoms worsen I would recommend taking her in to the vet. Anaphylaxis can be an emergency situation and life threatening.

Her behavior could be from the Benadryl but I doubt it as you gave an extremely low dose of it (I'm assuming you gave 1 tablet at 25mg - not 0.25mg). Benadryl is metabolized very quickly by dogs so they need a very high dose. The dose is 1mg per pound of body weight so she would have needed around 65 mg (so you would have to give 2 or 3 of the 25mg tablets for it to help much). You can refer to this information sheet about using Benadryl in dogs. ( https://www.petplace.com/article/drug-library/drug-library/library/diphenhydramine-benadryl-for-dogs-and-cats/ ) If you are worried about her behavior you should take her to the vet for an exam.

The dosage is 1 mg per lb, so a 50 lb dog would get 50mg of Benadryl once every 12 hrs. Only pets with no hx of underlying heart disease or drug interactions can safely have Benadryl. You should always check with your vet on if this medication is appropriate for your pet, based on her history. Best wishes and take care.