Dog has allergies

Question
Every few years my dog will get allergies. They are very intense she scratches herself till she bleeds. Most of her hair on her back near her tail will fall out and she'll have blackish/reddish sores left after she's done scratching. I have checked her for fleas and flea dirt and there is none. I was wondering, my sister is in school to be a vet tech and works at a vet hospital, she said I could give her claritin. I was wondering if that was ok.

                     Thank You, Traci Goss

Answer
I would still recommend applying Advantage to her to rule out flea bite allergy as it can sometimes just be one or two bites and you may not see evidence of fleas  www.nomorefleas.com

Yes, you can use Claritin, but Benadryl in my opinion is more effective and less expensive.  Benadryl (or generic diphenhydramine) dose is 1 mg per pound of weight 2-3 times daily.

Also for allergies, load up on Omega 3 Fatty Acids such as those found in Fish Oil.