Can you give a horse-human Benadryl?
Summary. Over-the-counter diphenhydramine (Benadryl) or comparable antihistamines can be used in an emergency for horses with severe hypersensitivity or allergy. Prolonged use is not advised. There is no literature to support the use of diphenhydramine in horses.
What does Benadryl do for horses?
What is diphenhydramine? Diphenhydramine (brand name: Benadryl®, Vetadryl®, Banophen®, Genahist®, Diphenhist®, Unisom®, Sominex ®) is an antihistamine used in cats, dogs, ferrets and other small mammals, birds, horses, and cattle to treat allergic reactions, motion sickness, and vomiting.
Which antihistamine is best for horses?
It is concluded that cetirizine in doses of 0.2-0.4 mg/kg bw administered at 12 h intervals exhibits favourable pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic properties without causing visible side effects, and the drug may therefore be a useful antihistamine in equine medicine.
Does Benadryl make horses sleepy?
Antihistamines: Many owners (on the advice/approval of their veterinarians) use over-the-counter Benadryl for control of allergy problems such as hives (usual dose around 500 mg). However, Benadryl or its generic equivalent, diphenhydramine, can cause excessive drowsiness.
What can I give my horse for allergies?
Your veterinarian can prescribe several medications to calm an allergic response. Dexamethasone or other corticosteroids are effective for treating severe reactions. If your horse is only moderately itchy or has hives, antihistamines can be useful.
Can I give my horse Piriton?
These are a safe medication for horses (they do not have the same risk of laminitis as with steroid use) but have limited effectiveness. Piriton is one of the most commonly used anti-histamine. These are a very effective drug when used topically or in tablet form.
What makes a horse itchy?
The most common causes of itching are parasites, infections, and allergies. There are many skin diseases that do not initially cause itching; however, itching may develop because of secondary bacterial or yeast infections. It is possible that by the time itching develops the initial cause is long gone.
How do I stop my horse from sweet itching?
5 ways to prevent sweet itch
- Stable your horse during peak biting hours. Culicoides spp.
- Keep your horse covered. One way to reduce bites is to keep a fly sheet on your horse during insect season.
- Use fly-control products.
- Restrict your herd’s access to marshy areas.
- Try over-the-counter products.
How do you stop a horse from itching?
There is no immediate cure for sweet itch. Typically, veterinarians will start by performing some diagnostic tests to rule out other causes for the itching by scraping a small skin culture. The treatment that follows may include steroids, antihistamines, and antibiotics to prevent infection.
How do you know if your horse has allergies?
The most common types of allergic reactions in horses show up in the skin or respiratory system. In the skin, you may notice your horse vigorously itching an area or overcome with hives. For a respiratory reaction, your horse may begin coughing, sneezing or wheezing, but without nasal discharge.
How many Piriton Can you give a horse?
The dose of Piriton is 20 tablets for an average 500kg horse, but this normally makes them very sleepy. Other antihistamines, such as Atarax, are less sedative, but generally antihistamines are rarely used in horses.
What is hydroxyzine used for in horses?
Hydroxyzine (brand names: Atarax®, Vistaril®, Masmoran®, Multipax®) is an antihistamine used to treat allergic and itchy conditions or as a sedative/tranquilizer. Its use in cats, dogs, ferrets, horses, and birds to treat itchiness is ‘off label’ or ‘extra label’.
Can horses have seasonal allergies?
In horses, seasonal allergies often cause a runny nose and watery eyes. Allergies are also associated with headshaking, but research shows they aren’t the most common cause of this behavior. Sometimes seasonal allergies cause hives—large, raised welts all over the horse’s body that may or may not be itchy.
Does Piriton make horses drowsy?
just spoken with vet regarding trying piriton (antihistamine) and agrees worth a try. Apparently doesnt cause drowsiness in horses but ocassionally an urticarial type rash (hives).
How do you treat hayfever in horses?
Treatment and prevention
Other ways to manage this respiratory problem are using items such as pollen nets or face masks to help ease the coughing, head shaking and nose itching. On days where the pollen count is extreme, consider not taking your horse out or go near the offending pollen.
Can Sarcoids be spread by flies?
However, we would strongly advise that it is much better to treat a horse with sarcoid in Spring or early Summer before the fly season starts because we do know that flies are capable of transmitting sarcoid from site to site and from horse to horse from any open sarcoid.
What is sweat itch in horses?
What is sweet itch? Sweet Itch is a skin disease (sometimes called summer itch or seasonal allergic dermatitis) and is caused by an allergy to the saliva of certain biting flies or midges (e.g., Culicoides spp.).
Can you use calamine lotion on horses?
“In my experience calamine lotion is well tolerated by horses and can be helpful in decreasing the distress felt by horses suffering from the condition. However, it is a treatment and not prevention i.e. it will not stop the flies biting.”
Can you use hydrocortisone on horses?
Davis Hydrocortisone Cream is non-stinging and free of fragrances or dyes that could cause further irritation. Safe for use on dogs, cats and horses.
Is there a vaccine for sweet itch in horses?
The practice is now offering a sweet itch vaccination to try to help these itchy horses. The vaccination is a relatively new development but there are some prom- ising studies into its effectiveness. The vaccination involves two injections a fortnight apart, ideally before the onset of any clinical signs.
Does apple cider vinegar help sweet itch?
Give the horse apple cider vinegar or garlic.
You might also be able to help prevent sweet itch by feeding your horse certain foods. The idea is to change the smell of the horse’s sweat so that midges aren’t attracted – and won’t bite. You might try mixing adding apple cider vinegar to the horse’s feed, for instance.
How do you know if your horse has sweet itch?
Signs of Sweet Itch
Different types of midges will attack different parts of the body, resulting in different areas of skin being affected, but typically sweet itch mostly affects the mane and base of the tail, which is a clue to the identity of the problem.
