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Why is my dog peeing less after taking Benadryl for allergies?

Updated on September 23, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Shih Tzu | Male | neutered | 8 years and 9 months old | 12 lbs

Romeo took half of a Benadryl per vet advice for allergies. He has peed 3 times today normally. He just peed again but it wasn’t much volume of pee. Can Benadryl reduce urine output ? He’s eating good and playful so it might not be nothing to be overly concerned about but wanted to ask. This was his first time taking Benadryl

1 Answer

Most Helpful Answer

Linda G,  MS, DVM

Answered By Linda G, MS, DVM

Veterinarian

Published on November 5, 2021

Hello. This is not a known side effect of Benadryl, but excessive amounts may result in urinary retention. It is very unlikely that this has happened on his very first dose. Benadryl generally does a very poor job addressing allergies. We have much better medications. However, if this is all you have at this time, I would double check your dose ( 1 mg per pound of body weight every 12 hours ) & make sure you are not giving him too much. If he continues to have difficulties urinating, then I would be more suspicious of a UTI, or the presence of urinary calculi, or stones. For this, please contact your veterinarian. I hope all is well with Romeo & thanks for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.
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