Should I give my dog Benadryl for vet anxiety or loud noises?

Hello. You would need to give a lot of Benadryl to calm a dog, & even then, it probably would not work. I would try to make sure that your appointment is at as quiet a time as possible. Call ahead to make sure there are no unexpected wait times & that you can get in & out as quickly as possible. Bring a highly valued treat, even if it is cooked chicken or a can of CheeseWhiz & give him plenty of treats going over. Make sure the technician takes a few minutes with Lance to get to know him & feed a few treats. The same goes with the veterinarian. Bring enough to share. If this is a pleasant experience, while it will not take away all anxiety, it will help in future visits. If Lance just goes ballistic, then reschedule the visit & ask your vet for some Trazodone that you can give 30 minutes before the visit. Hopefully, things will go smoothly. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

There are a number of medications that can help with separation anxiety, but we never know how a dog is going to react to a medication until we try it. Sometimes we will use prescription anti-anxiety medications because an over the counter medication like Benadryl does not work. And some dogs get hyper on Benadryl instead of sedated, so you always need to try it first. Here is more information on using Benadryl. https://www.petcoach.co/canigive/dog/benadryl/ And here is more information on separation anxiety which also discusses medications. https://www.vin.com/apputil/project/defaultadv1.aspx?pId=19239&SAId=1&id=4952970 Good luck! I hope that was helpful. Thanks for using PetCoach.

I'm sorry that Belle is suffering from some anxiety. Unfortunately Benadryl can have the opposite effect on dogs; instead of sedation, it can make them more anxious. In addition, I cannot legally recommend giving her either drug without seeing her in person. Put her in a dark quiet room by herself to self-soothe. You can also turn on the TV or music to block out the sound. One important thing to do to when your dog acts scared is not to reassure her. We think we are comforting her when we do that, but it's actually reinforcing the behavior and telling her it's ok to be scared. Give her vet a call to see if you can get something prescribed to help with her anxiety. Best of luck.

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Poor Lilly! Neither are used or labeled for noise phobia. Melatonin is more to help with sleep and benadryl is an antihistamine that potentially makes the pet drowsy. Of the 2 I would chose benadryl but I personally recommend discussing Lilly's issues with your Vet. They can prescribe drugs that will actually work to sedate Lilly. Drugs like Trazadone, Xanax, and Sileo can work very well. I wish Lilly the best!

Benadryl is generally quite safe for dogs so it's unlikely that this would cause any harm; however, it rarely does much to help with anxiety in my experience. A better option would be to talk to your veterinarian about prescription anti-anxiety medication such as alprazolam or trazodone - these medications are much more effective for anxious pets, and can be used as-needed for car rides or other situations that may cause stress :)

Hi, thanks for using PetCoach! Benadryl is an antihistamine that sometimes (animal and people dependent) can have a mild sedative effect. If the Benadryl doesn't work then I would contact your Veterinarian for a stronger medication. https://www.petcoach.co/canigive/dog/benadryl/ I hope this helps and have a great New Year!

You can always try over the counter remedies for anxiety before resorting to drugs. That being said, I have rarely seen these "natural" products work on dogs especially ones that have severe anxieties. Here are some things you can try: 1. Thundershirt: http://www.thundershirt.com/?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIzuHJ_Y2j1QIVFo1-Ch00fwx0EAAYASAAEgKaavD_BwE 2. Rescue Remedy for Pets: http://www.bachflower.com/rescue-remedy-pet/ 3. DAP (dog appeasing pheromone): http://dapdiffuser.com/ If those do not help, I would suggest you speak to your vet about a prescription of Trazodone. I think it is the best anti-anxiety medication without many side effects and it doesn't make them too groggy or "out of it". Hope this helps. Best wishes!