Allergy season is in full swing and our pets are feeling the effects. Dogs and cats across the country are suffering from the effects of airborne allergens that often times cannot be practically contained or minimized. Clinical signs of allergies in pets include itching, scratching, watery eyes and sneezing. Relief from these symptoms, however, is often close at hand. Many pet owners are aware that they can use benadryl to help treat the clinical signs associated with allergies in pets. Many, however, are unaware that they may also safely administer claritin (aka loratidine) to their dog or cat to achieve the same relief or better. Both are antihistamines, but claritin has some added advantages.
Loratadine (the generic drug name of the antihistamine found in the brand claritin) represents a new generation of antihistamine that does not cross the blood-brain barrier and does not cause drowsiness. It also is much longer lasting than some of the classic antihistamines in use. The size of this tablet and its’ once or twice a day dosing schedule make it a convenient antihistamine for pet usage.
Medications Forms: 10mg tablets, syrup liquid suspension, oral dissolving strip
Recommended Starting Dosage for Dogs & Cats: 0.5 mg per kg administered orally once to twice a day
Warnings: Only purchase and administer Regular claritin to pets (NOT claritin-D or other variations that may contain additional medications).
This medication has not been evaluated for safety in pregnancy or lactation and thus should not be used in either situation.
This medication will interfere with allergic skin testing. Check with your veterinary dermatologist regarding how far in advance this medication should be withheld.
1mg per lb administered orally once to twice a day IS THE WRONG DOSE!
5 mg daily for small to mid size dogs
10 mg daily for larger dogs like Labs.
Right you are Charlie. Thank you for catching the typo! It should have read 0.5 mg per kg (not 1 mg per lb). Many pet owners have requested that we provide the dosing recommendations in mg per lb rather than the mg per kg format which veterinarians typically employ. This was a mistake in converting the units of weight…. which brings up a very important point: Always confirm mg/kg vs mg/lb dosing (1kg=2.2lbs). Thanks again for your sharp eye!
Thanks for the info. I’ve been battling this skin allergy for about a year now, I’ve even changed Vets recently, so all the info. I can get helps me a lot. thanks you again. Leon.
Hello Leon,
Thank you so much for your comment. It’s so nice to get a simple “Thank you” and reminds us why we devote so much time and energy to the website! Happy New year!
Thanks so much. It is great to be able to find such pertinant info. I picked it up yesterday but was unsure of the dose for my little schnauzer. She licks her feet and shakes her head all the time. Benadryl alone doesn’t seem to cut it. My vet said it can actually be given together. Just forgot to get the dose. Hats off Doc!!
You bet Kathy! I’m glad you found the post helpful. I know its hard for people to remember specifics when they are overloaded with so much information at the Vet’s office!
Still 0.5 mg per Kg is a lot higher than the human dose. Theoretically I could give my 70 pound (32 Kg) dog 1.5 10 mg Claritan pills per day. I weigh just over 100 kg, but 1 10 mg Claritan is enough to last me a full 24 hours. That’s a dose of 0.1 mg per Kg for me. Why is there such a large difference in dosing between dogs and humans?
That’s very interesting and a good question. The best I can answer is that the doses listed in this article appear to have been the most effective amounts of medication (with the best clinical results) when loratadine was tested by the researchers who published the veterinary drug formulary.
Thanks. Sadie is going crazy itching and I searched and searched until I found this.
Hello Mary,
I’m so glad that the Claritin could provide Sadie with some relief!
I am just trying Claritin for the first time. I really hope my Sadie finds relief. Unfortunately, she went blind from using prednisone! So we need to step it down and hopefully this is it! Thanks so much for all the great info.
Hi. Can I give my dog Claritin in the morning and Benadryl before bedtime? Thanks.
Hi Steve,
Yes, as long as they are given at the appropriate doses, many vets will recommend a combination of multiple anti-histamines at the same time ( The Claritin & Benadryl combo being the most common)
Just can’t stop the skin reaction from allergies in Newf. 4th year of this and we’re finally used to seeing her eyes get leaky and her skin itch. About to start Claritin. She blew up a few weeks ago as the allergy season hit and now on Doxycycline. Can both Claritin and Doxy be administered at the same time?
Thanks.
Thanks Dr. Doug