Benadryl for dogs

Dr. Marie replied:

I'm sorry to hear that your dog is possibly having an allergic reaction!

Benadryl is generally safe to give to dogs. The dosage of Benadryl to give is 1 mg per pound. Most Benadryl tablets are 25 mg so you would give 1 tablet to a 25 lb dog or 2 to a 50 lb dog. It will last for about 8 hours.

The dosage of Benadryl tends to be a lot higher for dogs when compared to humans. People often want to give liquid children's Benadryl to dogs, but this is often not enough.

There are not many side effects when giving Benadryl to dogs but some dogs can get a little sedated.

Benadryl is an antihistamine and if this truly is an allergic reaction to a bee sting then you should notice it helping within 10-20 minutes. However, there are other things that can cause a swollen face. Something like a tooth abscess could do this as well, but this is less likely.

Some allergic reactions can be more severe and need more than Benadryl. In some cases the vet will need to give an injection of steroid, antihistamine, or even epinephrine.

If a dog has an allergic reaction, here are some of the things which would make me want to take him in to the vet:

• Extreme discomfort


• Any difficulty breathing


• A blue discoloration on the gums or face


• If things are not improving within 30 minutes

As always, trust your gut judgement. If your dog is alert and happy then it's ok to give the Benadryl a try. But, if you feel like he is quite upset then it's always better to be safe than sorry and have the vet take a look.

Hope things work out ok!

Dr. Marie

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