puppy, itchy, nuvet and benedryl -

[lisa]

Hello all...well I too have an "itchy" puppy.  Cooper is now 4 1/2months and weighs 13 lbs.  We have switched to a grain free - sweet potato and fish based food.   Our trainer suggested NuVet, started that pill and also added a fish oil pill.  Still no relief.  We are going to the vet tomorrow but spoke to her and she said to go ahead and give him 1/2 tablet of benedryl in the am and pm.  However...don't have that in the closet only children's liquid.  Anyone ever give this to their doodle.  According to what the vet said it seems that 1 tsp is equvilent to 1/2 a tab.  any thoughts?

[AndySharon BoomerShaynaMariner]

In the "Health and Medical Group" see the post on human medicine for animals. It gives recomended dosages.

http://www.doodlekisses.com/group/healthandmedicalissues/forum/topi...

The dosage in the chart is 1/2 mg. per pound

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

If you are talking about Nuvet vitamins, they are just multi-vitamins that won't do a thing for itching. Try giving your puppy a squirt of salmon oil on his food at each meal, or a 500 mg. evening primrose oil capsule instead. Essential fatty acids are what helps ithcing, combined with antihistamines.
I would personally would purchase the benedryl tablets the vet recommended. You can get generic, they are not very expensvie and it will be a lot easier to give.

[lisa]

Thanks! I will do so tomorrow. I actually thought I had them turns out I have adult liquid caplets and liquid children's. Guess I'll just start the Benedryl tomorrow.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I'm also glad you're going to the vet. Although it sounds like your trainer is thinking along allergy lines, it would be very unusual for a four and a half month old puppy to have already developed an allergy to anything. The itching may be due to mites, which you can't see.
Essential fatty acids like fish oil and EPO have been proven to work best when used in tandem with antihistamines.

[lisa]

How do they determine if the dog has mites? Does the benedryl, fish oil and EPO help with the mites?

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

No- the vet will do skin scrapings to check for mites or other parasites, and will prescribe treatment if that's the case. Mites are a parasite that must be eliminated with proper medication prescribed by your vet.
Fish oil and/or EPO are just esential fatty acids...good for all dogs' skin & coats. They also help with itchiness which is related to allergies or just an individual dog's skin condition. So I am very comfortable recommending it to anyone.
I am not a fan of giving medicine like Benedryl to any dog without knowing what the problem is; for one thing, Benedryl is ineffective for most dogs. Veterinary dermatology specialists almost never recommend it. There are much better antihistamines out there. I would not have suggested it to you, but you said your vet had already okayed it. I generally don't think it's a good idea to give your dog medication without a vet's recommendation, especially when you aren't sure what's causing the problem. Even OTC medications like benedryl can have side-effects, especially for such a young puppy.
Please let us know what your vet says.

[Sheri Wilson]

I have a 29 lb. doodle that has always been itchy. Mainly on the head/ear area. I give him half a tablet of benedryl but only once a day and add some olive oil to his food. It definitely seems to be helping him. He can actually relax and sleep without scratching. I guess I would start out with the lower dose and see if that is enough to help the problem.

[Allyson, Peri & Taquito]

You might also try eliminating the benedryl and switching to 500mg of evening primrose oil (epo) a day. Many food group members do this and have seen great results...much less itchiness. In some cases it is more effective than fish oil.

[marcella smith-brewer]

Yes we gave benedryl to our pup he weigh 43 pds so we were giving him 2 tabs twice a day, did not work. we haven't found a cure yet. good luck.

[Holly St Pierre]

I am sure there is probably a discussion on this, but didn't see it at a glance, where is the best place to buy the fish oil, any side effects & how much should I give my doodle. He weighs around 90 lbs. Thank you

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

All the info is in The Food Group.

[lisa]

turned out to be a skin infection! now we are on an antibiotic. the vet also said he can back to his regular food. yea for chicken and grains. Cooper is sooo happy now! Thanks for the advise.