My dog's mouth is swollen. Can I give him Benadryl for the swelling?

Check for any injuries or sting marks. If there are puncture wounds that ooze blood this may be a snake bite and you need to take Rikke to a vet right away. If it is an allergic reaction and not a swollen face due to snake bite, or a tooth root abscess or injury in the mouth or obstructed salivary duct or swollen salivary gland, then you can try Benadryl. Unfortunately we are not in a position legally to give out dosages. In order to do legally so we would have to have a patient-veterinarian-owner relationship with you. However you can look up a description of Benadryl as a medication here: https://www.petcoach.co/canigive/dog/benadryl/ If you suspect anything else beside allergy, if your dog is lethargic, has breathing problems or starts to vomit or gets diarrhea, you will need to take Rikke to a pet emergency room for an exam and treatment.

It is possible she trying to eat a bee or other insect and got stung. You can try giving her some Benadryl. At 80 pounds she would need 3 of the 25mg capsules and you can give that same dose every 8-12 hours. If no improvement in 24-36 hours she really needs to see a vet.

Unfortunately, it is illegal for the experts at Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to prescribe any drugs, including OTC drugs, without seeing the animal in person first. That's because we can't say for sure it's safe for Moana to take a particular drug. You are correct that the swelling could be due to you two bumping heads, and Benadryl will not help that (it would be used for an allergic reaction). I would continue to ice the swelling for five minutes at a time a couple of times tonight, but if the swelling continues to get worse or she starts to have difficulty breathing, then I would take her into a vet immediately.

Hi there! You can give him some benadryl (diphenhydramine) at 1 mg per pound. The tablets usually come in 25mg. You can go a tad higher too and it usually won't hurt anything. For example, if the dog is 10 pounds, I'll just have owners give 1/2 of the 25mg tablet which comes out to 12.5mg, or if the dog is 5 pounds, then 1/4 tablet which is 6.25 mg, etc. If your dog is really small, you can pick up the children's benadryl and use that to get a more accurate dose. The benadryl may or may not help, but it can't hurt. I think it's worth a try until you can get him in to see his veterinarian again. I would have him seen though since he has started medications and it still seems to be getting worse. Just be sure to check labels and make sure the only ingredient is diphenhydramine (or diphenhydramine hcl). Some of the benadryl products can have pseudoephedrine in them, and you don't want that. I hope this answer was helpful! Best of luck!

Swelling of the face and mouth/facial swelling are often initial symptoms of an anaphylactic/allergic reaction. These reactions can occur in dogs after vaccines, after exposure to a food or substance they are allergic to, or after a bite from an insect. As it is impossible to predict whether an anaphylactic reaction will remain localized or progress to trouble breathing, which can be life threatening, it is safest to contact a 24 hour vet for Bella at this time to have her seen. The ER may recommend a treatment plan including anti-histamines, corticosteroids +/- epinephrine and montitoring until the selling has gone down. They will also likely recommend an at home dose for Benadryl after establishing a valid patient/client relationship if this should occur again as it is uncertain at this point what Bella is allergic to. Wishing Bella a quick recovery!

If the Benadryl was effective, I would have expected to see a reduction in the swelling by now. Sometimes allergic reactions require stronger drugs to treat such a steroids, and it sounds like this may be the cause for Moose. Because the swelling hasn't reduced and the reaction appears to be progressing, it's time to see a vet immediately. Please take him into an ER vet clinic if your regular vet is closed; if there isn't one in your area, there will be a vet on call for emergencies. The information to reach that vet is found on a clinic's answering machine or website.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! This may be due to an infection of a tooth for example, a mass or even an allergic reaction. It is not possible to know with just a picture. However, it is not recommended to give a dog Advil as this is not used in veterinary medicine due to its possible toxicity especially without possibly an appropriate dose. There is not much you can do at home without going to a veterinarian. For that reason, I recommend you consider going to your veterinarian for further assessment and possible treatment. They will start with a physical examination and possibly diagnostics depending on what the issue seems to be. You can consider your local humane society as they sometimes offer more affordable veterinary care. Have a great day!