What should you do if your dog got high on Benadryl?

Answer 1

I would suggest keeping a close eye on your dog and let him ride it out. There are no specific reversal agents for diphenhydramine (the active ingredient in Benadryl), so a veterinarian will simply be watching your dog for signs of problems and you can do that at home.

Benadryl overdose can result in issues like stupor and neurologic deficits. If you see seizure-like activity, or your dog's breathing rate or heart rate drop too low (normal breathing rate should be about 20/minute, normal heart rate about 80/minute), you need to get your dog to a veterinarian.

Answer 2

Years ago, I had a Pomeranian got into some of my roommates bag of pot. The dog actually must have liked it because we would find ash trays with ashes around them, cigarette butts still there but small roaches (last of a joint) missing. Anyhow, My roommate would slide his pot under the couch on a tray. My dog got into it two times pretty heavily. He weighed probably no more than 25 lbs. and once ate about an 8th of an ounce. Scared the living *#@& out of me! Pissed off my roommate over his stupid lack of dope and pissed me off out of fear my dog was going to die. Anyhow, when we first noticed it he was sitting there kind of dazed and slowly rocking side to side then he fell to one side and took a nap. A very long nap! He ended up sticking his legs straight out and they were very stiff not like a relaxed sleep state. He was breathing fine but we couldn't wake him up. He slept for close to 24 hrs!!! I was worried sick as I didn't have the money for the vet being a very young girl on my own and was so afraid of the trouble I would be in for my dog dying from eating the dope. He ended up fine and didn't seem to ever have any physical or mental problems after. I was a sore subject for my roommate and I but thank God my little dog made it. I have always wondered though what the hell was going on in his little brain when he was high. Scary

Answer 3

It depends on how much the dog consumed exactly. It is actually perfectly safe for a dog to consume some Benadryl and it is sometimes recommended by vets for certain issues. The guideline is 1mg of Benadryl per pound in weight. So if your dog is 5 pounds, it can have 5mg of Benadryl.

Anything slightly over the weight of the dog is not anything to be concerned about as long as it isn't repeated too often. More than slightly, so maybe an extra 5mg, is a bit worrying, but not life threatening, make sure you observe the dog. Anything considered an overdose (10+mg?) might require advice and intervention from a vet.

Never give your dog Benadryl unless advised by a vet.