Acepromazine vs Benadryl.

[Amandasmom]

I'm having a lot of trouble keeping Amanda quiet after her surgery. The vet said he would send me home with acepromazine but also gave me instructions on giving benadryl if she is too active. Well he forgot to give me the Acepromazine. I have already given her 100 mg of benadryl to try to slow her down and so far no change. That was 2 hours ago. I think I'm going to have to go to my vet tomorrow and get some Acepromazine. What is the difference between the two? Will the ace knock her out or just take the edge off. Her problem is she is very nervous. I feel like I have a fish on the line when I try to get her out the door. She is afraid of her ramp, the snow, the birds......

[arki]

I only know two things and they probably won't help much. LOL

Miles, my 90 lb Lab gets one tablespoon (15ml) of liquid Benadryl (?mg) for his allergies, several times during the summer and it makes him sleepy enough not to scratch.

Mabel, who is less than 80 lbs, got half a tablet of Ace (?mg) an hour before we went to the vet for her spay and she was so tired she could barely stand.

I think Amanda and Mabel must be very much alike when it comes to nervousness. I have tried just about everything, unfortunately without much success...

Best of luck!

[Traci]

Acepromazine and benadryl differ in that, ace has tranquilizer effects, while benadryl is an antihistamine and produces sedative-like effects. In Amanda's case, she would probably benefit more from ace, as far as helping to keep her quiet and her activity more restricted.

[Amandasmom]

I guess it would be better to go get the ace then to tie her ankles together. I just took her out to pee and she is jumping backward on the leash. I had it pretty tight and she still manages to act like a nut. But on a good note, she is putting weight on the bad leg. She'll even take a few steps walking on all fours. Remy was walking at 5 days after surgery so this is a good sign.

[Amandasmom]

Ok, now that Amanda is on Ace, she has lost bladder control which is what has happened in the past. That was ~12 mg bid, I cut that dose in half. Well no more accidents but she is back to jumping 2 feet off the ground when I walk in the house. I'm going to the vet on Monday to have her staples removed. Any suggestions for other medications? I always try to sound like I know what I'm talking about when I go to the vet. I'll deal with the bladder issues if it means saving her leg.

[davet]

shoot, i think my reply got lost...so opinion onlyt but for seadtion and quiet i think Benadryl is much better, even at higher doses than reccomended....Ace is supposed to "tranquilize" but they get tranquilized when the sedative effect blows in..ie both get them tired but usually benadryl is more effective......if previous post shows up,,,that life

[arki]

Not good.
Pretty scary, actually.
I agree with you, I would also want to change to something different.

As davet seems to suggest, Benadryl in the correct dosage, would probably be better for her after all.

Maybe it's completely inappropriate, but have you looked into Clomicalm?
I know, it's an anti separation anxiety drug, but I strongly believe that many of our "more lively" Bernese (usually girls, interestingly) have anxiety/panic disorder issues in some shape or form: Having a hard time getting used to new situations, not liking to be left alone etc.
Now, combine that with their immense joie de vivre and the "clinical need" for keeping calm, and well...

Just a thought.


Edit:

(Clomicalm) "... does not have an immediate effect."

Maybe this helps:

http://www.lansdown-vets.co.uk/pdf/seda ... 20pets.pdf


Edit 2:

Not the link I meant, but can't find the one I did mean. I give up...
Probably need some Valium or something, myself. LOL

[Amandasmom]

I really loaded her up on benadryl with no effect at all. At least with the small dosage of Ace, I can see her eyes drooping and she is sleeping more. I'm going to the vet monday so we'll come up with something. I'll ask about the Clomicalm.

Just thought of something. I could change my behavior. When I get home, I won't open the garage doors like normal and I'll come in a different door. This way I'll be in the house and have a leash on Amanda before she even has a chance to get out of bed. Sometimes the simple solutions work the best.

[arki]

I could change my behavior. When I get home, I won't open the garage doors like normal and I'll come in a different door. This way I'll be in the house and have a leash on Amanda before she even has a chance to get out of bed.

Behavior modification on the owner's part: now that is brilliant thinking!
I bet it will make a difference.

Not sure if you still have that "fish-on-the-line" problem (we call it the "flip-flopping flounder impersonation") you mentioned somewhere.
A little late, but it suddenly occurred to me how we solved that one in handling class and I think this exercise could probably be used for your potty trips, no matter what chemical assistance Amanda gets at the same time.

I was taught to string up my girl, hold a treat directly under her nose and start walking.
"Stringing up" sounds horrible, I know, and it looks terrible, too. It also shouldn't be done in the ring with breeds like ours and we only did it until Mabel learned to "behave" without it, but I remember the immediate difference it made.
If you don't have a very short show lead, you can just use the collar Amanda is wearing and let her regular leash drag along until she is ready to do her business.

I hope I can explain it properly:

Get a handful of her absolute favorite treats (cheese cubes?).
Give her a Stand-Stay command.
Grab her collar, pull it up high under her chin and straight up behind her ears, while holding a treat in front of her nose with your other hand (close enough that she can lick it, but not eat it) and start walking slowly out the door.

She should now concentrate on the treat, and because her neck is (somewhat) immobilized, that big, fluffy butt of hers shouldn't wiggle quite as much.
Loosen the collar the second you see that she wiggles just a tiny bit less.
Give her the treat and let her swallow.
Pull the collar up again and immediately bait her with a new treat.
All while walking very slowly.
She will probably hate it, but the super yummy treat should compensate for that.

After every treat you should be able to loosen the grip on the collar just a little bit longer.
Keep observing that rear end: crazy movement = stringing up more, less crazy movement = looser collar.

Just another piece of unsolicited advice from that Bernese nut and Amanda fan at the rear end of the planet.

[Traci]

AM, I'm not sure you are going to get the 'perfect' sedative effect for Amanda. Since she seems nervous, talk about both the ace and benadryl with your vet, he knows her best, and can tell you at what doses would be most beneficial for her in particular. I suggested the ace because during the initial recovery period, you don't want her doing too much too soon, not overdoing it....as you've noted, the benadryl isn't achieving the effect you want.