My dog has red, inflamed skin. Can I use Benadryl or hydrocortisone?

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.

Yes, you can use it, but if you think your dog has an infection I would not recommend using it. I would also not recommend using it for more than a week as this cream can cause thinning of the skin which can result in fragile and broken skin.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Short answer is yes. However, it is important to note that without treating the underlying allergy component, this will continue to occur. It really comes down to figuring out what is causing her allergies so that they can be treated or the specific allergen avoided. There are many things that can cause allergies though in most cases they can be broken down into 3 big categories: flea, food and environmental allergies. Allergies are usually worked up in a stepwise fashion starting with flea allergies as this is the easiest and cheapest to take care of. If not on a flea preventative, then it would be a good idea to get started on one. If already on one then it would be a good idea to change to something else (there are many new products out in the market). If not improved in 1-3 months then it is time to move on and check for food allergies by switching to a novel diet (new protein and new carbohydrate). If that does not seem to be the issue then you are left out having to check for environmental allergies which require blood and/or skin tests. Allergies can be very frustrating to deal with at first but so rewarding at the end when we are able to treat them effectively!

I would start with oral Benadryl twice a day. See link below. There is also a Benadryl spray that you can use if there is a specific area bothering smokey. If this doesn't work, you can try hydrocortisone in small doses but make sure she doesn't lick it off. You can also give her a bath in a calming shampoo like duoxo calm. If she is chewing or licking an area, I also recommend to put a cone collar on her to prevent this. Finally, if this doesn't help, I would have your vet take a look at her. Your vet will be able to prescribe something stronger like apoquel or steroids to control the itch and also see whether she needs any antibiotics or other meds to help her feel better. I hope this helps!

You can give her some Benadryl. The standard dosage for oral Benadryl is 1 mg per pound of body weight, given 2-3 times a day. Make sure Benadryl tablets contain only diphenhydramine and no other medications. You should verify this with your veterinarian. Benadryl is of the same class of medication as Piriton.

These signs may be from the prednisolone which is a steroid. It would be better to call your vet to discuss decreasing the dose to reduce the symptoms. Benadryl does not always cause sedation and in some dogs can cause hyperexcitabilty. But, yes you can give all 3 together safely. I hope this helps and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach!

Hello, thank you for using PetCoach. Poor Snow! Her skin looks really reactive. I really think you should take Snow to your vet for an exam at your earliest convenience. She may need oral antibiotics or some anti-inflammatory medications. I don't think it is an emergency though. To me it looks like a contact dermatitis (allergy). Poison ivy is possible but it is actually pretty rare in dogs. Benadryl is fine to give but you need to make sure you are giving enough. Dogs take a MUCH higher dose than we do. The dose is 1mg/pound of body weight. For example, 25 pound dog should get one 25mg capsule/tablet. If she is 50 pounds, then 2 of the 25mg capsules. You can round up if needed as it is pretty safe to give. She can have that every 12 hours. Topically, I suggest you put this on the affected areas until you can get her to the vet: ( https://www.petco.com/shop/en/petcostore/product/vetericyn-plus-hot-spot-antimicrobial-gel-for-dogs ) Hope this helps. Best wishes.