PLEASE help if you can. We are dog sitting for our "grand dog" Kiki. She is 13 and is crying and itching and won't stop. She is miserable ( from new food.) Has anyone given Benadryl to their Cav for excessive itching? We aren't able to take her a vet and need to help her tonight.
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H E L P !! PLEASE.
- Thread starter KikisNana
- Start date
You can give benadryl, but you'd also want to see the vet to make sure a new food is the cause. This article explains what you can give and at what dose, but also reminds that benadryl may not be the solution for whatever is causing the itchiness: https://www.petmd.com/dog/care/can-i-give-my-dog-benadryl-and-if-so-how-much. At this time of year, dogs can get bitten by harvest mites, for example, which cause intensive itchiness (I know, I get bites from them when gardening!). You're probably aware of syringomyelia in cavaliers, too, which has scratching as a key symptom. More info: https://www.cavaliermatters.org/syringomyelia-simplifed/. If Kiki has any history at all of crying out and scratching, then she should be checked for syringomyelia. At her age, a diagnostic MRI isn't appropriate or really needed IMO (and is costly) but a good vet can try the medications advised by the leading SM expert Dr Clare Rusbridge on her website here, which includes a treatment algorithm for vets: https://veterinary-neurologist.co.uk/chiari-like-malformation-and-syringomyelia/. If she responds to the meds then it is likely she has SM and should stay on meds. Most cavaliers have SM to some degree though not all are symptomatic. Crying out while scratching would make me think this could be the likely underlying cause and thus the scratching may have no connection to a new food. If she has SM it would be really important to get this managed on meds as she could be in significant pain if crying out. Meds can restore a good quality of life and manage pain well.
Let us know if the bendryl helps. If a food has suddenly caused severe itching then I'd certainly discontinue the food, and consider whether the dog has an actual allergy to one or more of the ingredients. Sudden intense itchiness isn't very common from simply changing a food unless there's some other underlying cause like a food allergy -- in which case again, a vet consultation would be important.
Let us know if the bendryl helps. If a food has suddenly caused severe itching then I'd certainly discontinue the food, and consider whether the dog has an actual allergy to one or more of the ingredients. Sudden intense itchiness isn't very common from simply changing a food unless there's some other underlying cause like a food allergy -- in which case again, a vet consultation would be important.
Thank you so, so much for the quick and helpful reply. I will read up on all of the sources above. ( As just her nana...no I have never heard of SM.)
She is better this morning but we fear another evening like last night...it was heart -breaking. I read up on Benadryl / Zyrtec. ..and we plan to use Zyrtec later if she starts up again. I think with her weight, we think 1 mg tablet will work for her. I will go over all of this and of course, i need to check with my daughter first....but I will let you know if it helps.
again, thank you so much...it was such a relief to see your response!
Kiki has always been such a sweet dog. Loves everyONE...is most happy cuddling next to someone. She is most likely
near the end of her life and we just hate to see her suffer in any way.
Thanks again...
She is better this morning but we fear another evening like last night...it was heart -breaking. I read up on Benadryl / Zyrtec. ..and we plan to use Zyrtec later if she starts up again. I think with her weight, we think 1 mg tablet will work for her. I will go over all of this and of course, i need to check with my daughter first....but I will let you know if it helps.
again, thank you so much...it was such a relief to see your response!
Kiki has always been such a sweet dog. Loves everyONE...is most happy cuddling next to someone. She is most likely
near the end of her life and we just hate to see her suffer in any way.Thanks again...
I am so glad you were able to get the post soon enough. With the time zone differences I wasn't sure if it was too late in the evening there or not! I love the older cavaliers and 13 is a great age. Maybe pass along the SM info to your daughter -- many owners are not aware of it or even many vets, sometimes. If your daughter says she scratches regularly and cries out, check back in with us here and I can suggest where your daughter might start with some meds that she could get via her vet. They are really well tolerated and she'd be a lot more comfortable, if she's showing some signs of SM. Sometimes it only shows some symptoms when dogs get to a good age; I've had that happen with a couple of cavaliers. Hopefully it was just a short term allergy issue.
Hello again....
I am just so thankful that you responded.
Last night was a better night. She was still itching...but no long "fits" with crying...etc. In an attempt to ease her misery, we did end up giving her half of a Zyrtec (all we had) in early evening once she began the itching...to try and get ahead of it. It did seem to help as she just curled up and chilled out...as long as one of us sat next to her. I will pass along the information about SM...because it does describe what we thought might be her ear issue. (This poor girl has always had so many issues, heart, skin, allergies, ears...ugg.) As I said above , we think she's probably near the end and we don't want her to suffer in any way.
We've always been more "big dog" people...but this little girl stole our hearts from the get -go!!!
Thanks again for this forum and all of your help.
I am just so thankful that you responded.
Last night was a better night. She was still itching...but no long "fits" with crying...etc. In an attempt to ease her misery, we did end up giving her half of a Zyrtec (all we had) in early evening once she began the itching...to try and get ahead of it. It did seem to help as she just curled up and chilled out...as long as one of us sat next to her
. I will pass along the information about SM...because it does describe what we thought might be her ear issue. (This poor girl has always had so many issues, heart, skin, allergies, ears...ugg.) As I said above , we think she's probably near the end and we don't want her to suffer in any way.We've always been more "big dog" people...but this little girl stole our hearts from the get -go!!!
Thanks again for this forum and all of your help.
Oh yes -- do have your daughter read through the Cavalier Matters info on SM. It is very typically mistaken for recurrent ear issues even though there's no infection or ear mites, or allergies. The crying out while scratching is what makes me think this is more likely to be undiagnosed syringomyelia rather than allergies. Something like Zyrtec will appear to help SM too, as it makes the dog groggy, generally. I would wager starting Kiki on gabapentin will probably halt the itching, the crying and the apparent ear issues. It is important to make sure the cause isn't something like allergies etc -- but when they are recurrent and seemingly never get resolved, it's a sign to perhaps trial the basic meds for SM. The crying out generally indicates some level of pain. Unfortunately this condition is just so common in cavaliers now but generally can be managed with meds for most dogs.
Cavaliers can definitely steal your heart! We have big dogs too
Cavaliers can definitely steal your heart! We have big dogs too