Dosage for Benadryl

[CarolU]

Rosie has had a cough for several weeks now. I've done two courses of antibiotics, even though she isn't sick, no fever, and no congestion, just a cough and snotty nose. I've completely changed her to new hay with no improvement in her condition. I'm thinking she may be allergic to something in the Safe Performance pellets I bought for everyone, since the cough started right afterwards.

I was wondering about trying benadryl. Does anyone know what the dosage would be for a 750-lb horse?

[Carol Nelson]

I buy the generic brand, Member's Mark Benedryl, from Sam's Club. There are 400 capsules in a bottle for used to be 3.88. Probably gone up by now, but it was the cheapest I've ever found. I have a young gelding here that gets a fly-bite dermatitis in the summertime. Could be aggravated by nerves too as he is a high strung guy.
Anyway, I give him 3 1/2 capsules once a day. Yeah. It seemed that four capsules made him sleepy...but three didn't quite give him the relief. He was about 14.2 H but very slight of bone...maybe weighs about 800 to 850 lbs. On the thin side.
By the way, the Benedryl seemed to help him put on weight too and made him not so hyper. Slowed his metabolism down so that he could retain the calories I put in him.
Oh, they are 25 mg. capsules. Pink in color.

[pnalley]

Have you ever tried it for Culicoides? Scooter is very allergic to them. He is also very sensative to most skin & fly products. He will rub the hair out of the base of his tail, rub his belly & chest until he is raw. Knock on my wooden head, but so far this year no problems. If he start with problems I think I'll give it a try.

Carol are you having a particularly high pollen count right now? I hope she feels better soon.

[Valrory]

Is the benedryl in capsul form? Or is it a solid pill? Do you give it with the feed?

I have gelding this might work for. He gets a really itchy during the summer months - not sure if it's the flies or no-seeums. I've tried just about everything. Fly spray at night seems to do ok, but not enough.

[Carol Nelson]

Oh yes, I mean the solid pill....sorry. They are small pills so I break them in half and just throw them in his grain. He gobbles them up.

[CarolU]

You can buy generic benadryl at Walmart in capsule form. You just pull the capsules apart and put on their food.

Thank you Carol. I'll start with 3 and see how that works for her. She's only 13.2 hh, so my shrimp horse.

[motorgypsy]

I gave Bonnie who maybe weighed 700 pounds 6 caplets dissolved in water and mixed with food. Seemed to help her dry cough when I used it. Might have to try it again.

[CarolU]

Nancy, I was worried about 3 because Rosie is so little (13.2hh) so gave her two. Worked great. I just put them in with her pellets. She eats them before she knows she ate them. LOL

[Donna]

Over the counter Benadryl usually comes in 25mg tabs. People take 25mg to 50mg tabs for allergies or allergic reactions. So by estimating a humans weight against a horses weight they could probably tolerate 7 to 8 pills, but a course I would ask a vet.

[motorgypsy]

Yeah the people dose is 2 tablets which is why I use 6 on the horse but if it works, who cares:biggrin:

Our old mare is 13 3 but she is really all legs, extremely slender barrel even after 5 babies and weighs less than any of our guys so I estimated 700 but she may weigh 600 but average human weight is around 150 so x 4 is 600 which would be 8 tablets and I only give 6 so that is way under the recommended dosage for over the counter strength.

But for example tetracyline is an anti inflammatory at about 40 mg when the antibiotic dose is 500 mg two or three times a day. So you never know about these drugs and how they'll work.