[Dailydrool] benadryl vs zyrtec

[Swartz]

Marlene,
A while back a drooler mentioned using zyrtec so I followed up with my vet and he said to try it on the boyz this allergy season... I posted this a week or so ago and will repost just in case someone with itchy bassets might have missed it
There are not many things more miserable for a hound than to be itchy.  Exept maybe ear infections. Anyhowl. Colt and Ruger have seasonal allergies and have been to the vetman for them.  There is something in my yard (grass, pollen, mold, fungus, something) that only shows up during the heat of summer and breaks the boys undersides out (bellies and armpits). Last summer Colt was so bad that he was on a very expensive antihistimine and spent most of the summer as a zombie dog. I hated seeing him like this.  SO this year I declared War on the Itchies! Below is what I am doing for my hounds and it has worked very well so far this year. (I consulted with our vet first)
1. Anytime the boys go outside and step even a toebone off the patio they get DECON'd (this is at least 70% of the battle...get the allergen off of them as quickly as possible)
        Bellies, feet and armpits wiped down with a cool damp cloth. 
            The amazing thing is that they go out with normal belly color, come back in with red angry belly and when wiping them down you can watch the redness leave their belly and return to normal or just a shade darker pink.
2. One 10mg Zyrtec once a day after breakfast. 
        This is the normal adult strength over the counter Zyrtec.  
        I buy it at SAMs Club. 100 count for $35.00.
3. Thereacoat Supplement.  They get this year round but 1 month prior to their allergy season I double their doses. I can get this either at my vet or at my Groomer/self serve dog wash. $18.00 for 14.1oz
    1 Tablespoon on afternoon meal and 1 tablesoon sprinkled on bedtime yogurt treat.
4. Any sign of break out or if one starts itching, I will powder their undersides with Gold Bond Powder.
5. I also switched their food to Taste of the Wild - Pacific Stream with salmon.  Before that I feed Nutro Holistic and added a salmon oil capsule to breakfast and supper food bowls.

So far this year both hounds allergies have been well controlled (knock on wood).  Ruger has had a few minor breakouts but the Gold Bond powder gets it under control within 12 hours or less.  The war on the itchies has been a hard battle, lots of wiping bellies. The boys are good, they come back inside, I tell them "Give me your belly" and they flop over and let me do what I need to do. 

I hope this helps.  Good luck! Marlene if this doesn't work then I think you and Maggie should hit the wine bottle, or maybe opt for something a little stronger.  Bring the girls to come visit with me & the Boys...I make a mean Pomagrante Cosmopolitian!

Love & Skin soothing Drool
Michele, 
Colt "Cool wet cloth on my belly please!"
Ruger "Momma I itch, powder my belly"

Women are Angels...And when someone breaks their wings..They simply continue to fly....on a broomstick...They are flexible like that...
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