Paw Sensitivity and Benadryl

Let’s just talk about dogs and Benadryl. I thought I would NEVER have a dog that was sensitive about his feet. I mean, really – it’s just a paw covered in hair. Right?  Well, boy was I wrong.

Dallas was a rescue dog. I adopted him for Lucky Dog Animal Rescue (I would highly recommend this animal rescue place!)  He is sweet as ever, but is a little jumpy with new people and environments – rightly so. 

Well, while he was in Texas for Christmas with my family, he had a bad experience at the groomers. Though Petsmart would not say – I think someone pinched his paws with the nail clippers and he has never been the same since. My sweet dog, growls at me when I reach down to touch his little feet. 

No one would groom him – because they could not muzzle him. Nightmare of my life because he is Cocker Spaniel and has pretty unruly hair (not really, I am being dramatic. But, it was a serious problem.) 

I went to an online forum and looked into “how to groom a dog’s paws” and found lots of methods…etc. One thing I saw as a sedative was Benadryl. Now, I am not one to medicate my dog. But, desperate times call for desperate measures. 

Apparently, dosage wise you are supposed to give your dog 1 mg. per pound. That means Dallas needed to have one pill because he is 25 lbs. Let me tell you, after one pill he was not feeling a thing. I don’t know if my dog has some sort of pill resistance, but I doubled the dosage up. DISCLAIMER: I am not an animal professional. 

However, two pills actually helped out a lot. It’s not like he was a peach to groom – but my boyfriend and I could actually hold him down to shave. And these are the results - ABOVE!

If your dog has paw sensitivity, I would highly recommend Benadryl. Remember 1 mg per pound. But, as a dog-lover know you want the best for your pet – and having gross hair matt up their feet is not the best! 

Feel free to share your best practices below!