Spinoff of the scratching dogs thread…
Our dog has been on Apoquel for ~3 or 4 months now, and while I think it has helped some, she is still itching a lot. I’m starting to wonder if maybe we go the Cytopoint route instead to see if that brings her any more relief. Has anyone done one vs the other and found better results?
Our next step would be to do allergy testing, but she is a Pitty so she’s probably allergic to everything in my yard + the sun.
I have not tried Apoquel on any of my dogs, but one of mine has had Cytopoint and it relieved her itching at a fraction of the cost of Apoquel would have been. I would try the Cytopoint to see if it works for your pup, it is significantly cheaper than Apoquel. I will say my girl has seasonal allergies that Zyrtec was not touching, so she does not need the Cytopoint year round.
My 11.5 boxer has been on Cytopoint for about 6 years. He’s allergic to certain grasses, pollens and molds. He used to only get shots in spring and summer, but for about 2.5 years has been getting them year round, every 8 weeks like clockwork. It’s been miraculous for us - at 7 weeks 6 days he starts scratching his ears and chewing his feet, he gets the shot the next day, and the symptoms vanish. Prior to Cytopoint he was suffering from constant ear and paw infections. Our vet does it as a ten minute tech appointment but at his weight it is still $200+ for each dose. He also has a seizure disorder and has taken numerous medications for that but there have never been any interaction issues.
Apoquel didn’t do anything for my itchy pup. Putting her on a gut supplement and washing her in medicated shampoo every few days stopped the itching.
Have done both…have 2 JRTs (half sisters) who both have some allergies.
Both have been on cytopoint for a few years (frequency depends…fall/spring seem to be worse for the itching). Mine did get this odd growth on her paw that can happen with the cytopoint. My mom’s dog didn’t seem to have a good response to cytopoint the last time.
This fall they were both being super itchy again…my mom decided to try the Apoquel on her dog. It has made a very significant difference. I was going to try that with my dog…but the vet said the growth on the paw would be more likely to happen again with the apoquel so we went and stuck with cytopoint. It has helped…we were also doing either claritin or zyrtec before the cytopoint.
I also listened to a horse allergy webinar not long ago and they commented that if you don’t see a good response with apoquel in the first 2 weeks, then it probably won’t work for that animal. They were talking about horses, but guessing it’s similar with the dogs. My mare is on allergy shots and I will say that they have helped her a lot! My dog is older, so starting the shots now just didn’t really make sense…my mare is young, so hoping that the shots will get her symptoms to be more manageable.
Apoquel did nothing for my guy with chronic hotspots. Cytopoint worked for 6 weeks the first time and 4 the next time. Finally in frustration I started him on ceterizine/Zyrtec and so far so good. It has only been about a month but the price point and results are working for us.
Apoquel was a miracle for my allergic to everything American Bulldog. I tried allergy shots and cytopoint which did absolutely nothing. Apoquel was the only thing that gave him relief. He took Apoquel from the age of 6mo to 11yo (%&^$ cancer, lost him early this year). Without Apoquel he had hives, yeast, infections, scratched till he bled, etc. He was allergic to 85% of things they tested for (all grass, human dander, eggs, potato, oat, etc etc). I would definitely try cytopoint or allergy shots to see if that helps. Also get that allergy test (helps figuring out what to avoid… every oat shampoo they suggested for allergies caused major flares ups for my guy and I never even considered it was because of an oat allergy). Every dog is different. I hope you find what helps yours. Allergies and dogs are no fun and very expensive, but worth every penny imo.
I am laughing because this is so freaking true!
Way back when I had my pitty tested it was like she needed a bubble to live in, no dust, no grass, no dirt, etc.
I wish you luck finding what helps yours the most!
My dog has been on apoquel since she was about 1.5 years old and she’s now 6.5. She’s very allergic to grass and probably some other stuff outside. It’s worked well for her so I’ve never had to try the cytopoint. For my dog’s size, the cytopoint would be a lot more expensive than the apoquel is. My vet said the same thing echoed in this thread, for some dogs the apoquel will work great, for others it won’t and try the cytopoint. I’d definitely try the cytopoint if your dog hasn’t improved with the apoquel.
Cytopoint worked very well on both of my dogs that had terrible allergies. (The allergies went away when I had the old house torn down and moved into a new build. Clearly it was something environmental for them.)
My vet recommended against Apoquel because both of these dogs came from our municipal shelter as middle-aged strays, and she was afraid there might be some cancer lurking in one or both that could accelerate on the drug, since we had no medical histories to fall back on. She commented that she didn’t want to risk the unintended consequence of shortening their lives if another option worked decently for them.
By submitting your email, you agree to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. You may also receive promotional emails from The Chronicle of the Horse. You can opt out at any time.
For Customers
Company
Terms of Use
