My mini aussie has suffered with being very itchy during the warmer months for the last few years. I have tried Zyrtec, Benadryl, local honey, medicated baths, steroids with no results. A horse acquaintance mentioned that she had a dog that had severe skin/allergy issues. She had been told about a drug called Apoquel. I went to the vet the other day because my dog was already starting to itch now that pollen is coming out and had developed a hot spot already. I asked about this and they started her on it. I will update when I see how it works for her.
Good luck getting a steady supply of it. great medication that has been a miracle for many dogs, but the supply is not steady 
My sheltie’s allergies (food + enviromental) are awful. Before we switched her from OTC to Temaril-P, she rubbed off so much fur a new vet thought she had mange. But she gained weight absurdly fast (went from a healthy 17lbs to 21lbs in less than 6 months without a change in diet or exercise after maintaining for a couple of years) and didn’t have the energy she used to, even after shedding the weight.
Our old vet (the clinic was the home clinic for several presidents’ dogs so not a a backwoods type) couldn’t get Apoquel in any form until last August. We moved before that and our current vet somehow gets a consistent supply (we re-fill monthly.) It’s not cheap but she’s kept a good weight, no hot spots, minimal itching, and has enough energy to keep up with medium-sized sheep.
So yes, we’ve had good results with apoquel. Honestly, I don’t think I’ve heard a bad reaction.
Try coconut oil. Put a teaspoon in their food and also rub some in their fur. It helps my dogs with dry itchy skin, even the one with the flea allergy. Also they’re getting feed with fish for the protein. It will take a little while to see the full effects, but they don’t itch anymore and all their hotspots are gone. It’s inexpensive and harmless to try.
Apoquel is a miracle drug to many dogs. The clinic I work for has just managed to get a steady supply. The manufacturer vastly underestimated the demand and couldn’t keep up. There has been one dog in probably 200 that did not respond to the Apoquel. It helps immensely with chronically itchy dogs. It blocks the itch so the dogs don’t scratch. Food or environmental allergies should still be managed, since the Apoquel doesn’t stop them, just the itch response. But it is a Godsend to many who have dogs that get chronic hot spots, chewing on paws, etc.
We use a lot of apoquel, and we have not ran out. We have an allotment we are allowed to buy, but it is plenty to serve our clients.
It’s expensive but worth it! Love the stuff.
My vet told me that the supply recently improved and they no longer have trouble getting it.
It does suppress the immune system. My dog has bad allergies, and will sometimes get a yeast infection in his feet along with the inflammation from his allergies. If he gets that we don’t use the apoquel until we get the yeast infection under control.
I took my dog to a vet dermatologist and we do the weekly allergy shots. That helps a great deal about 80% of the time. He still has trouble with flare ups in the spring when the pollen is strong, and if the fleas get bad, but it’s better than before.
Wish it had been around when our white Bull Terrier was still alive - but it was during the time that the supply was short. He had life-long yeasty conditions and nothing worked until we put him on prednisone…tried so many things that helped but did not last. He would have been a test for this product, dear old man.
Spotted draft filly, unfortunately my dog can’t have extra oils in her diet due to developing pancreatitis when I tried a skin and coat oil. She is on a special diet. My vet recommended that I feed her canned food that will work with her food restrictions. My vet said that they had not really had any problems getting a supply so far.
Apoquel - I have a supply of it for when my older BC breaks out with the itches. It works well … but I only use it for a 2-week window as her itchiness appears to be related to food (no gluten) and arthritis
my dog was on it, but it did not help him. I wish there was something that would help. so far the only thing that helps is steroids.
A friend of mine is a vet and she said a new drug is getting ready to be released that is in shot form. I think she said it is given once per month. Forget what she said the name is, but will check with her and post.
[QUOTE=Simbalism;8616767]
A friend of mine is a vet and she said a new drug is getting ready to be released that is in shot form. I think she said it is given once per month. Forget what she said the name is, but will check with her and post.[/QUOTE]
The practice I work for has the canine atopy immunotherapy injection, which is taking the place of Apoquel for many.
It’s been a miracle drug for my dog, although I am hoping we can figure out the root cause of her itching and stop using it. In the meantime though, literally if she misses a single dose she itches, licks, and develops a raging yeast infection inside of 12 hours, bacterial within 24. It’s very depressing (especially funding Apoquel 2x/day for a 110 lb dog :-))
A year ago I got voluntold into fostering a little pit mix girl. I didn’t realize until then that pibbles often have skin issues/food allergies. Apoquel was an absolute miracle drug for her. My awesome clinic was able to keep a steady supply in and I managed to wean her off this winter. Alas, it’s spring and she’s itchy again, so we’ll go back on meds as soon as I can remember to call the vet…
Apoquel has saved my dog. He is an all white but used to be all red and scratched up due to itching all day long ABD. I had him tested for allergies and he is allergic to a lot of foods, environmental stuff, and even HUMAN DANDER. My own dog is allergic to me. I did allergy injections for 6 months but didn’t notice a difference. Benadryl does not do anything for really bad allergies (for me or my dog). Prednisone makes him pee everywhere and it did not really help. We just started Apoquel 2.5 months ago and the itching is GONE. He hasn’t been red or scratched up since we started. The dose we began with was 2x a day but he has been doing fine on 1x a day now even though the outdoor stuff is in full bloom. While the Apoquel isn’t the cheapest it sure beats my hundreds of dollars worth of frequent vet visits and allergy injections and it actually works.
If your dog REALLY needs the Apoquel and you have a good vet you will be able to get it just fine. My vet has not run out. I too read about how hard it is to come across and brought up that concern to my vet. While he said it is in limited supply they have not run out and conserve it for the dogs who are really just in horrid condition without it.
Anybody willing to share what it actually costs?
For 28 pills I just paid $49.44.
The allergy test was about $250-300, injections plus a supply of needles for a 4ish month period was another $250, regular visits to the vet ran from $50+, getting a blood test with all the extras was $180. That was just over part of last year. I definitely do not have extra money like that just sitting around. However, I’ll gladly pay $49.44 if it means I don’t have the surprise costs! I’d rather not, but I love my dog and this is all that works.
I paid very close to what rockonxox paid.
The problem with Apoquel is that it does not address the reason for the itch. It is just serving as a bandade and people go around thinking that they have ‘cured’ their dog and they won’t investigate further to find the actual cause.
It also comes with a warning about increased rates of infection, demadocosis and increased risk of neoplasia and exacerbating existing neoplasia. Your dog could have a horrific skin infection and you’d never know it because the dog isn’t itching.
It is fantastic to use while you figure out what is wrong, and that includes visiting a dermatologist for those itchy signs that your primary DVM can’t figure out.
