Hi,
My 7yr. Old golden has had unresolvable skin problems most all his life and had a problem with paceing at night also. The vet. Prescribed Hydroxyzine 50mg. Its equivalent is two 25mg Benadryl (vet. Recommended), which can be gotten over the counter and is cheeper. We have used Benadryl regularly going on 4yrs now to put him at ease with his itching. Beside from helping his itching they also make him sleepy and he doesn't pace at night. It has not effected his health in any way. Our golden weighs approx. 73 lbs. so if yours is much smaller you may want to try a smaller dose first, if you decide to give this a try.

When you say you give him Bendaryl regularly, how often is that?

He's 73 pounds and you give him 2 at a time?

We give him two at a time and because his skin problem get worse at intervals of about every other month, we give it to him about twice a week or as needed but just at night. How old is your golden? We have owned 4 goldens, and they all were a bit on the hyper side up until the age of 2 or 3yrs, an then they settled down. I have come to the conclusion that it must be a characteristic of the breed, because all of mine came from different blood lines. If your golden's problem isn't medical that making him act this way, then young age may be a factor. Hope this helped.

What measures have you/your vet taken so far?
Have they done skin scraping to rule out mites?
Worked on allergies and diet changes?
Does he have dry skin? If so have you tried adding oils to his food.

Have you tried any green sort of shampoos because you are drugging him and that's sad.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by shazamataz

What measures have you/your vet taken so far?
Have they done skin scraping to rule out mites?
Worked on allergies and diet changes?
Does he have dry skin? If so have you tried adding oils to his food.

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Its like he came here to give advice but posed as a question.
Either way,drugging a dog ,not cool.
Other options out there.

Benadryl generally does a fair job for itching in dogs but may only work temporarily. It is not usually effective for long term use. The best way to treat your dog is to find out what the cause of your dogs allergies and have her treated appropriately. Try giving your dog raw bones as this is how dogs naturally eat or instead of her regular dog food, try cooked or raw meat and vegetables for 1 to 2 weeks and see if the symptoms stops. While Benadryl relieves dog itching, it won't get rid of your dogs skin condition.

Taken from:

Dog Allergies: Is Benadryl Safe for Dogs with Allergies? | Dog Allergy

Basically all it is doing is masking the problem temporarily, you need to find out what is causing the itching.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by shazamataz

Benadryl generally does a fair job for itching in dogs but may only work temporarily. It is not usually effective for long term use. The best way to treat your dog is to find out what the cause of your dogs allergies and have her treated appropriately. Try giving your dog raw bones as this is how dogs naturally eat or instead of her regular dog food, try cooked or raw meat and vegetables for 1 to 2 weeks and see if the symptoms stops. While Benadryl relieves dog itching, it won't get rid of your dogs skin condition.

Taken from:

Dog Allergies: Is Benadryl Safe for Dogs with Allergies? | Dog Allergy

Basically all it is doing is masking the problem temporarily, you need to find out what is causing the itching.

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I used to give my dog benadryl while traveling for 24 hours.He needed to rest.Vet recommended.

Benadryl dries you out so to use this as an effective answer to a skin condition seems to a catch 22.

Yes,the dog stops itching but hay the drug dries you out and make's you itchier in the long run.
As you said it is only a stop gap measure and not a cure.

What's the 'Green beans' diet:confused:

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Originally Posted by Just Dahlia

What's the 'Green beans' diet:confused:

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I have only just heard of it myself from Alty.
She gave green beans to her dog who was having seizures and it helped/stopped him from having them.
Natural foods are the best way to go where possible.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by shazamataz

I have only just heard of it myself from Alty.
She gave green beans to her dog who was having seizures and it helped/stopped him from having them.
Natural foods are the best way to go where possible.

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Oh, I was thinking it was good for the itching, you know I have tried everything:confused:

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Just Dahlia

Oh, I was thinking it was good for the itching, you know I have tried everything:confused:

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Is it Coogle or Bingo having the itching troubles?
I have found that lighter colored dogs (especially poodles) have more trouble than the black ones.

I think I have finally found the right Balance with Brody, he gets half a can of MyDog (chicken flavor) it's the only one he will eat plus he has problems with beef.
My Dog

And half a cup of Natures gift Dry food which is completely natural (hence the name lol)
Nature's Gift - Dry Dog Food

Quote:

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Originally Posted by shazamataz

Is it Coogle or Bingo having the itching troubles?
I have found that lighter colored dogs (especially poodles) have more trouble than the black ones.

I think I have finally found the right Balance with Brody, he gets half a can of MyDog (chicken flavor) it's the only one he will eat plus he has problems with beef.
My Dog

And half a cup of Natures gift Dry food which is completely natural (hence the name lol)
Nature's Gift - Dry Dog Food

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It's Coogle and they are on natural Dog food and the sardines once a week, and the oatmeal shampoo, etc.

I think it is outdoor allergies, it seems to be worse when the wind blows, plus I've tried everything else. It's not that bad now, I just hate to see him scratch.