Dog · Canis lupus familiaris · typical adult weight 2.00–80.00 kg
Cetirizine is dosed at 1–2 mg/kg PO q24h in dogs, per Plumb's Veterinary Drug Handbook, 10th ed (2023, held copy; the original seed cited the 9th, which was never consulted), printed p.240 (corpus PDF p.267), Cetirizine, Dosages, DOGS — SOURCE EDITION: Plumb's Veterinary Drug Handbook — ISBN 9781394172207, https://openlibrary.org/isbn/9781394172207. Cetirizine is used in dogs for Allergic pruritus. Routes documented in dogs: PO. A typical adult dog weighs 2.00–80.00 kg. ExoticRx lists 1 cited dose rule for Cetirizine in dogs, drawn from published veterinary references. Verify against current literature before clinical use.
US trade names: Zyrtec
| Route | Dose | Frequency | Duration | Indication | Evidence | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PO | 1–2 mg/kg | q24h | Long-term | Allergic pruritus | Weak | Plumb's Veterinary Drug Handbook, 10th ed (2023, held copy; the original seed cited the 9th, which was never consulted), printed p.240 (corpus PDF p.267), Cetirizine, Dosages, DOGS — SOURCE EDITION: Plumb's Veterinary Drug Handbook — ISBN 9781394172207, https://openlibrary.org/isbn/9781394172207 |
Every held source for this drug and species, as printed. Where they differ, both are shown — the choice is yours, not ours.
The sources disagree for this combination. The ranges below do not overlap on a comparable route. This is not an error in one of them — published veterinary references differ, and reconciling them for a particular patient is a clinical judgement.
| Dose (mg/kg) | Route | Source | As printed |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | PO | BSAVA Small Animal Formulary, 10th ed — Part A (Canine and Feline)p.90 | Antihistamine 1 mg/kg p.o. q24h |
| 2 | PO | Papich Saunders Handbook of Veterinary Drugs, 4th edp.173 | • 2 mg/kg q12h, PO. • 1 mg/kg daily, PO. |
| 1 | PO | Papich Saunders Handbook of Veterinary Drugs, 4th edp.173 | • 2 mg/kg q12h, PO. • 1 mg/kg daily, PO. |
Figures are transcribed from the cited page or table of each held edition and are shown for reference only. They are not dose recommendations, they do not feed the calculator, and none has been reviewed by a veterinarian.
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These ranges are per kg. Enter your dog's weight to get the precise dose and draw-up volume — unit and concentration math done for you.
Active metabolite of hydroxyzine. Selective peripheral H1 receptor antagonist with minimal CNS penetration and minimal anticholinergic activity.
Less sedating than first-generation antihistamines. Ensure human product does not contain pseudoephedrine (Zyrtec-D). Used for allergic pruritus. Limited efficacy as sole anti-pruritic agent.
Species-specific contraindications and adverse-reaction reports for dogs may differ from canine / feline reference data — consult the primary citations listed with each rule.
Cetirizine dose range in dogs, with cited source references: PO 1–2 mg/kg q24h. Reference ranges from cited sources — verify against current literature before clinical use.
Documented routes for Cetirizine in dogs: PO.
Cited course lengths for Cetirizine in dogs include: Long-term. Duration depends on the indication — match it to the specific dose rule in the table above.
Cetirizine is indicated in dogs for: Allergic pruritus.
These are general warnings for Cetirizine across species; consult the dog dosing table above for species-specific guidance. Less sedating than first-generation antihistamines. Ensure human product does not contain pseudoephedrine (Zyrtec-D). Used for allergic pruritus. Limited efficacy as sole anti-pruritic agent.
Why a species-specific page? Cetirizine pharmacokinetics differ across species: dose ranges, intervals, and route preferences are not interchangeable. Cross-extrapolation from canine doses is unsafe in dogs — the rules above are the citations specific to this species, not generic recommendations.
Sourced from published veterinary references; awaiting credentialed clinical reviewer. See our editorial process. Reference only — not veterinary advice.