Is it safe to give my dog Zyrtec every 12 hours for allergies?

Hi and thanks for your request. Once daily (once every 24 hours, so every day at 2am) would be correct. The dosage you are giving is on the higher range, make sure you do not exceed 20mg per day. https://www.petcoach.co/canigive/dog/zyrtec/

Hello, The answer to this is: maybe! Cetirizine anecdotally in very large dogs is sometimes still effective at a 20mg per day dosage, but some dogs will need up to a 1 mg/kg dose for relief. At Goose's weight, this would be three 20mg tablets. I'd suggest trying one 20mg tab per day at first, and going to three tabs per day if needed. I hope this helps. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

The published dose for Zyrtec in dogs is 1 mg/kg which would be 7.7 mg for Mollie. Since the tablet only comes in 10 mg, your vet probably wanted to round so that Mollie wasn't underdosed. I wouldn't recommend changing the dose without talking to your vet first.

Your dog could definitely have environmental allergies! Most people do not have much luck with these drugs as they are antihistamines, and as such are not very effective for these kinds of allergies in dogs. However, they tend to be very safe and very inexpensive, so I sometimes start with antihistamines if the itching is very mild and the dog does not seem miserable. Also, I have had great success with the oral pill Apoquel for some allergies as well, and this is a medication that is much safer to use long-term than steroids like prednisone. There is also an an allergy injection called Cytopoint that is very safe and works well for some dogs with seasonal allergies. Ask your veterinarian for his/her recommendation for your particular situation. Hope that helps!

Your vet is correct in this dosage. Zyrtec dosage for a pet this size is a little over 30 mgs daily. : ) Pet dosage and human dosages are different based on our metabolism differences. Also your pets weight converted into kg's is 32.7 kg's. Thanks for visiting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Take care : )

Yes, you can give cetirizine as needed. Be aware that if you use it constantly there is a chance he will become tolerant to it and will no longer work. It should also not be used in animals that have any underlying kidney or liver disease. Please review this article on the medication in regards to dosing, side effects, etc. ( https://www.petcoach.co/pet-medication/cetirizine/ )

Hi, thanks for using PetCoach! Zyrtec is a human antihistamine that Vets use OFF-LABEL (not FDA approved or tested to be safe in dogs and cats) with success. Harper's sneezing could be from allergies. Please read the following links below for further information: https://www.petcoach.co/canigive/dog/zyrtec/ https://www.petcoach.co/canigive/dog/benadryl/ I wish Harper the best!