In as much as dogs love to eat, you, as the owner, should be responsible enough to take notice on the types of food given to them. This is due to the fact that just like humans, dogs also suffer from food allergies. Most of the time the reaction and onset of allergy is immediate and takes place a few minutes after they have ingested the food. And there are also cases where the reaction could happen in days making it harder to pinpoint the culprit food. These allergies could also range from mild ones to systemic types where it could endanger the life of the dogs.

Dog Food Allergies

During dog allergy attacks, the owner should immediately notify the veterinarian so that proper medication could be given. It is important not to attempt treating it by yourself or administering benadryl for dogs without proper guidance and order from the vet as you could be adding more fuel to the fire (read: more risks to the situation). In an unlikely event that your dog will suffer from food allergies, follow these steps that are considered to be the first aid during food allergies:

Stop dog feeding when knowing allergy cause

This could only be possible if there is an immediate onset of allergy making it easy to pinpoint the food that causes it. If indeed you were able to identify the exact food, be sure to eliminate it totally from your dog’s diet for good.

Inform your vet

Do not attempt to give your dog any medicine that you might have just heard about from your friends. Remember there are differences among each dog and the dosage varies, hence the need for proper professional intervention. The vet will most likely give benadryl capsule, liquid, or in extreme cases, injectables.

Go to the vet if the condition is serious

In severe allergic reaction cases such as vomiting and shortness of breath, it is fairly important to bring your dog to the vet right away as a delay could mean life and death for your dog.

Prednisone administration

During emergency cases, the use of steroid drug prednisone could compliment the use of benadryl for dogs in order to immediately address the signs and symptoms of allergies.

Most Common Dog Food Allergens

The most common food allergens for dogs are beef, dairy products and gluten. Other potentially harmful food for your dogs includes:

Cereals ( corn, barley, wheat)
Soy
Red meats of beef, venison, lamb and mutton
Pork
Poultry including eggs
Cheese and milk
Potatoes
Rawhide
Omega oils
Yeast
Peanut butter

Properly cooked and prepared lamb and rice are hypoallergenic and considered to be the “safe foods” for your dogs.Turkeymeat is also a good substitute for lam, while millet could be used in place for rice. Avoid feeding your dogs table left over as much as possible as the ingredients used for human consumption could be harmful to your dogs.

The adjustments on the types of food being fed to the dog could solve the problem of allergies in the long run but an immediate solution to the situation at hand is the use of benadryl for dogs. It can considerable calm down the itching felt by the dog therefore allowing it to heal faster.

So the next time, you notice red patches on your dog’s skin, be aware of what you just fed them and see if the situations worsens and then act accordingly.

Benadryl (diphenhydramine) is a common household medicine that should always be included in any medical first aid kit at home or at the office. This medicine could come very handy in times of allergic reactions whatever the cause is. With its very effective anti-histamine function, it can successfully fight off itchiness and other symptoms of allergy. Although it has been used by humans for ages, many people seem to ask the question:

Can I Give My Dog Benadryl?

The answer to this questions is: YES!

Benadryl for dogs is an effective treatment for dog allergies. Basically, the effects present in Dipenhydramine for dogs are the same as those that are present with humans. It can treat allergic reactions caused by the following:

flea and other insect bites
skin itching
eye infections
ear infections
Tail base irritation
Stuffy nose, etc

Benadryl Dosage For Dogs

Dog benadryl usage however has some slight exceptions and precautions from the ones that people take. For one, dogs that have heart diseases, prostatic diseases and glaucoma should not be given dog itching benadryl. A veterinarian’s advice is also important before giving puppies the medicine. The benadryl variant which cures colds should not be given to dogs as well. They are only allowed to be given pure dipenhydramine formula. The sodium content of benadryl for kids makes it dangerous for canines as well. Liquid benadryl dosage for dogs varies but is not advised to be used as much as possible because it is very high in alcohol content and could cause fatality.

How Much Benadryl For Dogs

So how much benadryl for dogs should be given? It should be appropriate to your dog’s weight and should be given orally 3 times a day. Depending on your dog’s allergic condition, benadryl dosage can be given in two ways:

Administer 1mg benadryl per pound.
30 pounds: 10mg, 30-50 pounds: 25mg, 50 pounds: 50mg

The issue on how much benadryl can I give my dog should always be addressed by a veterinarian to prevent a benadryl overdose, which could be very harmful for your loved pet. Dog and benadryl is mostly, if not always, a good match, but proper knowledge is needed before administering diphenhydramine for dogs to make sure the healing process will not get interrupted.

Benadryl For Dogs

Benadryl For Dogs And Dog Food Allergies