Grass allergy... Please help!!!

[pmcrae71]

My Connor is allergic to grass and gets real bad rashes on his underside from his male parts up to his chin. The vet gave me chlorpheniramine, but charges me $19 for 30 pills. I have heard stories about giving benadryl to dogs, some good and some bad. I really need some input on this issue before I give it to him. I really have a bad feeling about giving it to him. Any thoughts or other suggestions would be helpful.

[Leigha]

If you don't feel comfortable giving it to him, then don't.

[Labsrule]

Hi, I think Benadryl is an antihistamine similar to those prescribed to sufferers of hay fever, it is non sedating. I had a dog with grass allergies, my Vet put him on a short course of steroids and prescribed some soothing shampoo, the condition did improve and when the grass growing season finished the itching stopped. Hope your dog gets better soon. Sue.

[Fundog]

Connor is rather small.... if you do give him Benadryl, make sure it is an infant dose. And yes, it WILL make him sleepy. When I was working graveyard shifts I took a whopping dose of Benadryl every morning to sack me out. 100 mg. let me sleep for 8-10 hours.

[HunniBunni]

I had a dog who would have allergic reactions to his vaccines. The vet recommended giving him half a tablet of the pill form (not the capsule) Benadryl. He was about 15 pounds and it worked just fine for him. I would talk to your vet though before giving him any medication though, especially if you are feeling uneasy about doing so.

Edit: I should mention I have a hay/grass allergy myself and I live on Benadryl. It definitely gives me the relief I need, though I am not a dog. Hehe.

[pmcrae71]

I feel stupid now. I went to two pharmacies and both times I was told that they didn't carry that medication or they have never heard of it. I thought it was something just for animals. I went to a third pharmacy today and talked to the pharmacist himself and told him what I needed and he showed me where it was. I got 100 4 mg tablets for less than $3... he told me that it is normally known as chlor-trimaton. But good news is I got my baby boy what he needs to feel better and cost me a lot less than what the vet wanted to charge me.

[Fundog]

You don't need to feel stupid, how were you supposed to know? But now you do know that many medicines we humans take for various ailments are the same thing vet use to treat our pets, just in smaller doses. And seriously, how were you supposed to know? I didn't know that until a few years ago when my cat was sick. The vet told me then that they often treat animals with the same medications, particularly OTC meds, that humans take. He told me to go get some Pepcid AC when my cat was vomiting up bile and blood. (he had liver disease) It helped a lot.

[maximoo]

When Max had gastritis vet told me to give him Mylanta. I bought the generic version & Max was fine tho I had to wrestle him to get it down his throat--it must be extremely nasty to a dog.

[Wes]

When Max had gastritis vet told me to give him Mylanta. I bought the generic version & Max was fine tho I had to wrestle him to get it down his throat--it must be extremely nasty to a dog.

I guess I got lucky then; Rosie licked it straight off the spoon! Max must just have higher standards.

[Ushi]

Dont feel silly... I didnt beleive you could buy human meds for pets either- until I two Shar Pei - Plenty of people with Shar peis give them human anti-histamines - they are the same as what vets give, but you have to be careful with the dosage.

- the hard thing about the Shar Peis are that we cannot give them the most effective treatment for allergies that they use here in Aus (cortizone / steriod based ) as it makes them loose the "fluid" around there muzzle, which is why OTC human anti-hystimines are very popular. (not all vets know this either, and I have had some not beleive me!)
I have used several brands with varying succsess. But I really feel the best treatment is to just not expose them to the trigger if possible (unfortunately not always an option)

Oh I have also consulted natural therapists with some success. - for no other readon than I just dont really beleive in medicating myself or my animals on a permanant basis. Dont just accept that medication is the only solution, as long term this can really hurt the dogs health. Investigate other avenues if this looks like a long term allergy- sometimes someting as simple as changing the diet and boosting the dogs natural immunity can have a wonderful effect as well.

Shar Pei are well known for having allergies to many things.. so I can sympathise with the frusteration of trying to find the most effective and afforable treatment Best of Luck !!

[Noobs]

pmcrae do you currently have to treat a rash topically or are you asking just for preventative measures?