Is 8.33mg Benadryl safe for my 9lb dog with an allergic reaction?

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!

While it is not good to overdose on Benadryl, your dog will likely not have any ill effects from a 25mg tablet. Pete will likely have a good night´s sleep. Should he show abnormal behavior or seizures, he needs to be seen by a veterinarian or at a Prt ER for supportive care.

This is about twice as much benadryl as I would give a dog for allergies or a reaction but this is not a toxic drug and Sadie should be just fine. She may be very sleepy with this dose, however. As long as she doesn't start vomiting or having uncontrollable diarrhea, and seems like her normal self (aside from being drowsy), she should be ok and no need to panic. Hope that helps!

Oh no! So this dose is over twice the recommended dose for a dog her weight. Unfortunately, the lethal dose for oral diphenhydramine (Benadryl) in dogs has not been studied, but it's believed the minimum needed could be as few as four tablets according to a study published in 2014 in the Canadian Veterinary Journal. It would be best for you to take your dog into the vet now to have vomiting induced. While it is only two tablets, because the lethal dose hasn't been determined, it's better to be safe than sorry. I would find a vet on call to see her now, or take her into an ER vet.

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 calculation for Benadryl is quite simple, it just 1mg per lb , so for a 5 lb dog it would be around 5mg. Since Benadryl comes in 25mg usually this is close to 1/4 tablet and there is a wide safety margin for Benadryl so 1 or 2 mg above or below is well tolerated. Expect some drowsiness just like in humans.

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.