Ok, so this isn’t equestrian relate per say. But, if you are like most adulting equestrians, you know you couldn’t survive the average work week without your bff – your dog(s).
Going to my boarding barn and riding my mares on a weeknight always makes me feel better. But there are some days that the work day just kicked my rear end so hard that I literally just can’t go to the barn. Or, if you live in a northern state like me, there’s this really awful thing called winter that tends to ruin the best laid riding plans.
Needless to say, my dogs are there to make everything better – whether my horses can or can’t do so as well. And if your dog isn’t feeling quite right, neither are you.
Most of you may not know this about me, but I’m a former dog and cat veterinary technician. I loved being a vet tech, but unfortunately, vet tech’s aren’t paid nearly as much as they should be. As a horse owner, this really didn’t work for me in the long term.
But, I did gain a lot of knowledge that I still can apply to my own pets today, and this has been invaluable at times. One of these is the knowing what people medication dogs can and cannot have.
While I strongly recommend you take your dog to the vet when something isn’t quite right, sometimes these medications can help you out in a non-emergency situation, or in a pinch prior to getting into a vet. Some are even great for just common, minor ailments.
While all of these medications are safe for dogs, it’s always recommended to discuss them with your vet first, especially for dogs with any underlying conditions or on other medications.
So without further adieu, the top 5 people medications that dogs can take:
#1 Diphenhydramine (aka Benadryl)
Benadryl or it’s official drug name, diphenhydramine, is one of those awesome, cheap, and essential medications every dog owner should keep on hand. How do I know? Well, one day while visiting my father at his nursing home, I got a panicked call from my husband saying our boxer, Lucy, had been stung by a bee and was covered in hives. Thanks to a quick, extra potent dose of Benadryl, our dog was almost back to normal in a few hours and we stopped the hives from getting any worse.
If your dog has mild seasonal allergies, Diphenhydramine is a great way to keep dogs comfortable from itchiness as well.
While I’ve heard people say “give your dogs Benadryl for anxiety or to calm them” I don’t believe this is a great use for this medication. It doesn’t really make them super tired like it does to people. So while diphenhydramine may make some dogs a little sleepy and less responsive, it doesn’t do much of anything for their underlying anxiety.
If your dog has any liver, heart, lung or any other conditions, again, talk to your vet first.
A good baseline for dosing is 10mg per every 10 pounds. If you get the tablets, they are super easy to snap in half.
#2 T-Relief
They now make a dog-specific version of this natural pain relief medication, but back when I was a tech, they did not. The vet’s I worked for loved giving this to dogs as a more homeopathic medication and even used the t-relief gel around the incision site of a post-surgery dog or cat to help with bruising. If you have your own aches and pains (as many of us equestrians who are no longer twenty-something do) you could get a bottle of the human version and use it for your dogs if need be.
Pro-Tip: The T-Relief for dogs is the same formula but more expensive, so it’s definitely worth getting the people version in my opinion.
I had former dog owner clients rave about how much better it made their senior, arthritic pet feel, and I know it’s been a great remedy for myself when I have a horse show hangover!
It comes in tincture and tablet form, plus the gel form for topical use I mentioned above.
For most dogs, you could do a tablet up to 2x a day. For small dogs, maybe just see if half a table or half the dosing of the tincture does the trick first.
#3 Pepcid-AC (Famotidine)
This one is great, and one I always have on hand. My chihuahua likes to get an upset stomach from time to time, and when he does, he won’t eat his breakfast or dinner. Well wouldn’t you know it this makes his stomach feel worse to the point he is trying to eat grass and feels worse because he’s also hungry (but refusing to eat still – he’s a little dramatic 😉 )
I will typically have to pill him (aka, gently put this pill in the back of his throat so he swallows it) but within a couple of hours, he feels a lot better, wants to eat, and is back to normal again shortly after that. For stomach upset, it’s a go-to since its one of the safer human-grade medications. It also used as an acid–reflux treatment, suppresses histamine secretion, and reduces stomach inflammation.
However, Famotidine is known to negatively interact with a variety of other medications, so be sure to get it cleared by your vet before giving it to your dog.
#4 Topical Hydrocortisone
If your dog has allergies, you know how miserable that can make them. My chihuahua, Mo, has year round allergies – mainly affecting his ears. He will itch them constantly, especially in the spring months. While the Benadryl is kicking in, I will rub a little hydrocortisone cream on his ears to relieve some of the itching.
The caveat here is you can’t rub it into areas where your dog can lick the cream away because it’s toxic. So, it’s really only good for itchy ears, although, this is a common place dogs will itch when they have allergies.
#5 Pepto-Bismol
Pepto-Bismol is one most people have lying around and can be a temporary substitute before getting to a vet for a dog-specific anti-diarrheal (recommended).
The best dose for this is 1 teaspoon for 5-10 pounds of body weight to treat both diarrhea and vomiting.