I’m pretty sure my ACD/German Shepherd cross Simon has some seasonal allergies. With the warmer weather and higher pollen counts he’s begun scratching, licking and chewing. It’s not round the clock, but often enough that I can tell he’s not as comfortable as he would like to be. It’s happened in the past two years and lasts through the summer; once winter hits the itchiness abates. Nothing’s changed in his life to make me think it’s anxiety-related.
I know it’s not fleas - I’ve gone over both dogs with a flea comb (no fleas or flea dirt), the house has been treated, and both dogs are already started on their Comfortis.
This morning I gave him about 15 mg of Benadryl; poor guy seemed really itchy.
Yes, I WILL for sure get him cleared by the vet for Zyrtec or anything similar, probably a blood workup to make sure his system can handle it. At the moment finances do not allow for a trip to a specialist.
Has anyone else ever given Zyrtec to their dogs? Is it something worth pursuing? He’s nowhere near bad enough (and way too young) to start down the steroid road.
ETA: I did some looking around and the study I skimmed indicated that cetirizine was effective at reducing itching in only 18% of the test group. That does not sound promising.
Chlorpheniramine maleate is another anti-pruritic drug mentioned on a couple of sites. Guess I’ll just head to the vet, Simon in tow, for recommendations.
