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Can I give my dog Benadryl and Melatonin together for storm fear?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | American Pit Bull Terrier | Female | spayed | 5 years and 6 months old | 51 lbs

Can I give my dog Benadryl and Melatonin for anxiety at the same time. It’s raining really bad and hard. Hurricane Delta is heading out way.

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2 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Dr. Melanie, BVSc MS

Veterinarian

Published on October 8th, 2020

I'm sorry that Belle is suffering from some anxiety. Unfortunately Benadryl can have the opposite effect on dogs; instead of sedation, it can make them more anxious. In addition, I cannot legally recommend giving her either drug without seeing her in person. Put her in a dark quiet room by herself to self-soothe. You can also turn on the TV or music to block out the sound. One important thing to do to when your dog acts scared is not to reassure her. We think we are comforting her when we do that, but it's actually reinforcing the behavior and telling her it's ok to be scared. Give her vet a call to see if you can get something prescribed to help with her anxiety. Best of luck.

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Related Answers from Veterinarians

  • Published on April 4th, 2017

    Benadryl is a very safe medication but I can't legally give you a specific dose because I haven't seen your pet in person. However, if your dog has severe anxiety in the face of storms, benadryl is not an appropriate medication to use because it is not designed for anxiety/fear/stress--it is an antihistamine for allergic reactions. In the future, you need to visit your veterinarian and ask for anxiety medication like Lorazepam (off label) that works very effectively for this purpose. Benadryl will likely never work well for your dog for this purpose.

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