? Allergy Medication (Benadryl, other options)

A little background - for a couple years, pre-diagnosis, Murray has been dealing with allergies (diagnosed by the vet and presumably airborne). When his allergies act up, he will lick one of his hip joints/thighs raw to the point that it has gotten infected a few times. When this happened in the past, we would treat with antibiotics if necessary and prednisolone. A low dose of the prednisolone was the only thing actually keeping the sores away throughout the allergy season (he has been totally off it for ~9 months).

So, where we're at now - Murray was diagnosed with diabetes in May. His allergies flared up in July/August, and my vet prescribed a half tab of Benadryl up to 3 times a day. The Benadryl helped clear it up, but he HATED it. He would not take it mixed in wet food (which he had no issues w/ with other meds) so I was forcing pills down his throat, but after a couple days he got really good at not letting me do that. We got flavored liquid from a specialty pharmacist, but he won't take that mixed in food either and still would not let me force it down his throat. He takes the insulin shots really well and will take any pills that aren't so dang bitter...

I have a couple different questions. Have any of you had success making Benadryl more appetizing? Or have you used another antihistamine that's any less bitter? Any experience in this area would be greatly appreciated. TIA!

 

I give willow Zyrtec daily. It is a second generation antihistamine and does not cross the blood brain barrier like first generation ones (like Benadryl), so it does not cause the drowsiness those can. She is only 7 lbs, and I give her 1/4 of a 10mg tablet. The vet said you can go up to 1/2 a tablet. I put it in a gel cap (size 4...couldn't find 5), so she never has to taste it at all. She has always hated being given pills, but we have been doing this awhile now, and she is used to it. She gets a little bowl of treats afterwards, and that is the only time she gets those treats, so that is what she focuses on. I drop the pill to the back of her mouth, and gently hold her mouth closed a few seconds to make sure she swallows. Then, when I let go, she dives in to her treats.