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Spinner has been sneezing for about 2 days now and his eyes are watering....I think he has a cold or allergy....He's eating and drinking all right...but he looks so miserable......the gals at the pet kennel advised to give him a half of a benedryl and it seems to help for awhile...he's weight is 24.5 pounds, those who have had experience with this, doing you think I could give him a whole pill?? I have caplets not capsules. easy to hide in something I likes to eat....no issues there....Any other suggestions out there??

I am sure you already considered this, but have you introduced anything new to him, i.e., new food, new bedding, washed bedding in detergent, new little throw rugs or any outside sniffy places that he shouldn't have sniffed; just anything like that? Didn't the vet consider his weight before the 1/2 tablet benedryle suggestion? I remember my vet saying that a cold in the head/nose with watery eyes should clear in time...it's the coughing and hacking you have to watch for that means it went to the lungs and that's when you want to take them to the vet..their little lungs aren't as big and hearty as ours. I think it's so amazing that they rarely get sick to begin with....I am a praying type person so I will remember the little wee one in my prayers.

No help here but wanted to send hugs to Spinner, poor guy.

Bandit was 17 lbs and he took a whole benadryl. It helps with the watery eyes and sneezing,
and if its allergies, thats what it for. Take his temp, you could do it in his armpit, dogs
run a higher normal temp than adults, usually 104 is normal for a dog. If he has no temp
its allergies, if he has a temp, he's getting sick. Beth is really knowledgeable with the dog
stuff, maybe she'll see this post and respond.
Give Spinner some extra hugs from me and a little extra cuddling wouldn't hurt.

No fever...as best as I can get with a squirming pup who thinks Mom needs to rub the belly more than take the temp in his arm pit.... so we'll continue with the Benadryl....he's still his normal self, just sneezy and watery eyes.....but found out that the doggie daycare folks also have a few furkids with the sneezing...so guess it's something going around in the K9 world.... who knows.....thanks, Ava, for the hints....hope Beth reads here too....maybe she can give some advice, too...

Chewy has allergies, but hers manifests with itchy skin, runny eyes and sneezing. If other pups from the kennel have the same thing, that pretty much rules out allergies. Might be time for a vet visit for the poor little guy.

The foresters have been digging and burning to clear areas for a "dog park" and a "paintball/skeet range" office near by.....and that's what the kennel gals seem to think what's causing the sneezing issue....which it could be....the coughing isn't a constant thing, just once in awhile....so guess we'll wait and see how he is in the morning....no sneezing when he's laying down and sleeping....oh, I don't know. ...will keep you all posted....

Here's a good article on things to watch for:
http://pets.webmd.com/dogs/dog-sneezing

Now, if he has a cold, he has to have caught it somewhere - the most likely place is a boarding kennel, clinic, etc. Has he recently visited a vet or kennel? If so, a cold is a possibllity. But a cold in a dog usually does also include a fever and/or lethargy. So if he's still his happy, energetic self and you don't believe he has a fever, I'm more likely to believe he has some type of allergic reaction. And it might not be an allergy, but an irritant. If they are working and he's breathing in the dust, etc - that might be doing it.

Watch him closely for signs of it being anything else. And don't overdo the benadryl as if it is a cold, that might mask the symptoms. Give it only as needed, and see if it helps. You just might have to monitor when he goes out while that works going on.

Hugs to Spinner.

Okay, we'll just watch him and see how it goes.....Jack Russells always have their noses to the ground.... and anytime there's a hole, we just got to check it out.... ...so maybe he just sniffed something he shouldn't have....it's been 2 weeks since he was at "Doggie Day Care".......but probably is the burning of stumps and moving the ground around that has him sneezing....One of the Doodles was doing the same thing a couple of days ago....thanks, Beth, for the info...will keep everyone posted....

You didn't mention coughing in the first post, but I see that is mentioned in another. Watch for when he coughs. If it's after exercise or if you press (lightly) on his trachea and he coughs - or when he's excited, he could have picked up kennel cough. And sneezing is a symptom of that also. If he was going to doggy day care, I'm going to guess they required him to be vaccinated so this isn't an issue. But if they didn't require it - and he hasn't been vaccinated against it - this is another possibility.

I don't know what kind of groundcover you all have, but I always pay attention when we're around places that have foxtails. Dogs can sniff those up and they'll cause all sorts of trouble. If he doesn't seem to be symptomatic apart from sneezing I'd be wondering if there's something up his nose ...

Just a thought.

Laura

I hope you feel better, Spinner! Licks from Roe.

Our "Spinny" is doing better this morning....Still sneezing, mostly when we go out to do the potty break....he's eating and drinking well....so, am encourage, but will still keep an eye on him...

Lori, it does sound like allergies, especially if it flares up outside. Must be all that burning going on. Mine get these allergy attacks when neighbors start burning their lawn cuttings, etc. I would keep him inside as much as possible until the burning is finished. Hugs to Spinner. Linda

Hugs to you and Spinner, it's so hard when our little ones are not themselves. My little Andy weighs 23 pounds and the vet says he can take 1 Benadryl twice a day. For some reason they need more than you would think. Hope all is well soon.