My dog poops more and is itchy after vaccines/flea meds. Is it safe?

Thank you for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach with your question about Romeo. His bloody diarrhea could have been stressed related from the vet visit, but I do not recommend giving him Benadryl. Benadryl is used in pets for allergic reactions, not for calming, and it can actually have the opposite effect. In terms of the Melatonin, I can't say for certain it is safe for him. I would check with his vet. Best of luck.

Hi there and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to address your concern. This still may be a skin allergy but Benadryl sometimes does not work. I would recommend using a shampoo such as Douxo PS Chlorhexidine combination shampoo and bathe twice weekly until resolve. I would also recommend using products such as welactin omega 3 fish oil, essential 6 spot on by dermoscent and malacetic conditioning spray. I hope this helps! Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further. All of these product recommendations can be found online. If the problem becomes worse, I would recommend having your veterinarian examine Sofie.

I am sorry to hear that Peanut is feeling so cruddy To be honest, that kind of reaction from flea / tick medication starting 24-36 hours after application would not be very typical. Usually signs of illness would start pretty shortly after. The only reason it could be delayed is it Peanut waited awhile and then managed to lick the stuff off his fur. Depending on the type of drug that was used, some have antidotes while others are just treated supportively. There are no antibiotics that are used to help with this kind of issue, unless the vet believes that one might assist with inflammation or prevent a secondary infection. Based on the clinical signs you have described, the best medication that the vet could prescribe would be something to nausea, diarrhea, and acid production. In terms of diagnostics I would run if you came into my office with these symptoms, I would definitely recommend starting with some baseline blood work and potentially some x-rays to rule out a possible foreign body in the intestines. Hope this is helpful.

Some dogs are sensitive to the active ingredient or the vehicle of a topical medication. I would ensure that you apply to the skin, not the hair, in an area he cannot reach such as the area between his shoulder blades. I am unsure of the type you have used, however most over the counter products are safe if ingested in small amounts, infrequently. To be safe you can certainly call the number on the packaging for more detail. However there are so many types of preventative out there, if Puku seems sensitive to one type there are plenty to choose from!

Poor guy. It sounds like he may be having a mild reaction to the vaccine. I would contact your vet to get him an antihistamine shot to help relieve the itch. He may also benefit from oral allergy medication for a few days until things subside. If you can't get him in right away, you can try an over the counter pet formulated aloe based or oatmeal based shampoo (one with Diphenhydramine is best if available) to help alleviate some of the irritation. Also as a general rule of thumb, giving pet formulated fish oils can help provide a natural anti-inflammatory effect on the skin in dogs. Best wishes moving foward with Brinks care.

I'm glad to hear that Romeo is playful and eating well! It sounds as though he's on the road to recovery. Don't worry - it's completely normal for dogs to go several days without having a bowel movement after experiencing diarrhea. However, if you see that he's straining to poop but can't go, or if he becomes lethargic, vomits or refuses to eat, those would be signs that he should be re-checked by his vet. The only way to know if he has a fever is by using a thermometer rectally. If he'll tolerate it, you can use any digital thermometer and insert it just half an inch or so into his rectum. A normal body temperature for dogs is 100.5 F to 102.5 F. That said, since he's eating and playing normally, and the diarrhea has subsided, there really isn't a need to check his temperature. I hope that everything continues to go well!

Poor Max. It sounds like he may have an allergy to the shampoo or an environmental allergy. If you have already tried Benadryl and a sensitive skin shampoo the next step is to get stronger medicaitons through your vet. I would recommend asking your vet about trying a short trial of Apoquel (allergy medication) on Max. You may also want to consider switching flea preventions, especially if the one he is currently on isn't veterinary approved. I highly recommend Bravecto, Nexgard, Simparica or Firstshield (Vectra) for flea prevention. I hope this helps and you can continue the Benadryl (as long as he doesn't have any contraindications to its use- i.e. Heart disease) in the meantime so that he at least has something on board for the itch. Best of luck at the vet and take care.