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My small dog got too much Benadryl for travel. What should I do?

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Maltese | Male | unneutered | 8 months and 12 days old | 5 lbs

Hello, I am traveling with my dog in a few days and saw that a little bit of benadryl would help him relax. He is an 8 month olf maltese. I decided to try it out today to see how he reacts to it. I believe he is about 4-5 pounds. On a website I read it said that i should give him 10 mg if he is under 30 pounds. I cut the pill to be as precise as I could, but i fear that I gave him too much. What should I do?

1 Answer

Most Helpful Answer

Answered By Amber W

Veterinarian, Certified Veterinary Acupuncturist

Published on December 15th, 2017

I am assuming you have a 20 mg or a 25 mg Benadryl tablet that you cut in half. So if anything Jon Snow would have received possibly 2-3 mg more than he should have. This is a relatively small overdose and I don't suspect it will cause him any problems but you should monitor him for lethargy/sedation, inappetance, vomiting and diarrhea. If he becomes extremely lethargic or shows any Gastrointestinal side effects he should be seen by a veterinarian as he may need supportive care.

If you think he received more than a few milligrams over his appropriate dose of 10 mg then he should be seen by a veterinarian right away just to be safe.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach and I hope Jon Snow does not have any ill effects!

1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

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