My vet advised me to give my dog benadryl for allergies...?

and he started acting funny for a bit, he ran around like a mad man, ate a treat in zero time flat and was staring at me like he was nuts, now hes passed out. is this normal?

hes ok now, when i first gave it to him he acted funny, hes asleep now, i gave it to him for a red eye and a bite he got.

Benadryl is most often prescribed for allergies and for dogs having an acute allergic reaction to something (insect sting/bite, toxin, etc.). Yes, it may cause excitability at first - that is normal. Yes, they will crash (pass out) and sleep it off like us humans often need to do when we take it. My dog had a bad reaction to something and I called my vet's 24-hour emergency hotline. With her symptoms, they diagnosed over the phone and told me to do the Benadryl treatment first, before deciding to bring her in. It worked like a charm, although I got no sleep all night because I was worried watching her sleep so deeply.

Make sure you are using the right dose and keep an eye on him. Once you know what's "normal" for him, you'll feel better about being able to determine what's unusual or normal reactions to the medicine.

Good luck.

WHOA....hold on....the dosage is 1MG per pound!
Be certain to ONLY administer the amount advised by your vet! As this is a good place to ask general advise....your vet should alway be the final consult before doing anything! And this is one reason.

Benedryl , as another poster stated effects each dog differently, it may cause excitability then drowsiness, or only drowsiness, etc.

Double check the dose your vet reccomended and also call him in the morning with any concerns you have.


2Mg per pound every 8 hours is NOT the same as 1MG per pound every 4 hours!
It has to do with the amount of the medication in the dog at a given time.
If a Tylenol bottle (humans only by the way, this is only an example) says 2 tabs every 8 hours, this does not mean you can take 4 tabs so it will last longer.
Too much of a med in the body at one time can cause serious damage.
The only way anyone should dose their pet at double a usual dose is under strict advise of a vet!

If your vet recommended Benadryl, then it's probably fine. Benadryl is safe for dogs AT THE RECOMMENDED DOSAGE.

Some people do abuse it, though ... giving their dogs antihistimines just to calm them down, when what the dog really needs is training and exercise.

But, used for an allergy, or in the case of a sudden allergic reaction (mine had a frightening reaction to something ... probably a bee-sting ... a few years ago), it works and is safe.

The way your dog acted after getting the Benadryl sounds a bit like the very common "5 Mad Minutes" that dogs often exhibit ... the dog runs around like a crazy nut for five minutes, then flops down and goes to sleep.

Does yours ever do that? I've got 3 dogs, and they all do it. Not every day, but they all do it from time to time.

I think the timing was just a coincidence and your dog is probably absolutely fine. But if you're the slightest bit worried, please call your vet, or an emergency vet, to make sure.

Benadryl can affect dogs in different ways...but what happened with your pets could have been an allergic reaction. I'd call and check with your vet. My dogs also have bad allergies. My miracle savior has been changing their dog food to a venison dog food -- amazingly, they haven't had to have allergy shots since! (And their allergies were airborne.)

How much did you give him? Rule of thumb is 2mg per pound every 8 hours

EDIT
Ok well Below CHRIS B said is 1mg per pound...well i looked it up and there are several sites that say 1mg per pound and several sites that say 2mg per pound. and some that say 1-2mg per pound. but on the 1mg per pound you give every 4 hours so therefore it works out to be the same... before you correct me CHRIS B... Look it up and dont say WHOA...like a know it all...whose to believe me over you or you over me...they dont know us. they have access to the internet if they want to double check...and just to show you we were both right. but your 1mg per pound is for every 4 hours. so its the same:)

EDIT:
What I am saying is that there are several sites saying .5mg per pound, 1mg per pound, 2mg per pound, and even 3mg per pound. Don't correct me like I am wrong when there are sites saying your wrong also...Thats what I am saying...But I am not here to argue.

YES! . Although this usually makes dogs sleepy, I gave this to my puppy about 2 months ago for a bee sting and he was very excited for about an hour and then crashed right after. He should be fine.

maybe he had a reaction to the Benadryl... I'd take him to the VEtS ASAP..
GOOD LUCk

only 1/2 dos it works