Apoquel for dog dermatitis

Millem

Hi
I was just wondering does anyone have any experience with apoquel?
Thanks in advance

DBB

It's fairly new on the market I think?
I know one westie with bad atopic dermatitis who has been treated with it, and is doing really well. It's a pity it hasn't been tested yet with the other meds usually used in the treatment of atopic dermatitis, as I *think* it may become less effective over time (that's what I was told, but I'd like to check for myself with a more reliable source )
I guess it gives the skin a chance to recover without the dog undoing any healing by scratching... Which they will do on the usual treatments.

Millem

DBB wrote: »

It's fairly new on the market I think?
I know one westie with bad atopic dermatitis who has been treated with it, and is doing really well. It's a pity it hasn't been tested yet with the other meds usually used in the treatment of atopic dermatitis, as I *think* it may become less effective over time (that's what I was told, but I'd like to check for myself with a more reliable source )
I guess it gives the skin a chance to recover without the dog undoing any healing by scratching... Which they will do on the usual treatments.

Yes, vet said very new but launched in uk last year and they ran out of it!!!
Basically atopica was a disaster, we tried it for ages. Very very expensive too also got the blood test done which caused her a lot of suffering as she was not allowed any steroids leading up to it and it came back that the allergies were not high enough for the vaccine treatment
I suppose I am apprehensive switching in case it doesn't work and she is uncomfortable for a month etc her ears, tummy, privates and paws get very sore

DBB

Atopica definitely doesn't work for all dogs with atopic dermatitis, but for such dogs I have had very favourable reports about a similar product which has been released since Atopica was delicensed a year or two ago. I can't for the lif eof me remember the neame of it, but I'll find out for you.
It is slightly different in the delivery, whether that makes a difference or not I don't know. But instead of giving the dog a big old capsule of meds, which has a rather wide dosage range meaning that some dogs are getting really big doses, causing them to feel ill, often yakking up the bloody medication before it has taken effect, this stuff comes in a bottle with a syringe which lets you draw off exactly how much your dog needs for her weight. It's considerably cheaper than Atopica too.
I don't know why it'd be different to Atopica, but I have heard of a number of examples of dogs that had not done well on Atopica, but responded really well to this stuff.
That said, because the Apoquel has a very different modus operandi, if I were in your position I'd be very tempted to give it a go. It only takes hours to take effect, and doesn't seem to have so many potentially nasty side-effects.

Millem

Wow thanks dbb. I had googled and I thought I had to give it to her twice a day for 14 days then go onto 1 tablet a day? Vet said cheaper than atopica. I think atopica was something like €200 per month for her size maybe 6 years ago :eek: anyway we have pet insurance so only pay the excess think it's 35%. She used to vomit with atopica

Edit: just saw online it won't stop reoccur-ant ear infections. This would be her main problem then her paws I will ask my usual vet as it was new vet who saw her.

DBB

Millem wrote: »

Wow thanks dbb. I had googled and I thought I had to give it to her twice a day for 14 days then go onto 1 tablet a day?

You do... that's the dosage regime, but according to their brochure, it starts to work by 4 hours, and has full effect by 24 hours
https://www.zoetisus.com/products/pages/apoqueldvm/pdfs/Pet_Owner_Brochure.pdf

Millem

I will ask my usual vet about it in relation to her ears. If he thinks it is worth it I will try it. God love her she is such a good girl around toddler, never complains and probably always never has ears 100%. She has to go back for some vaccination. Something to do with new extra vaccine

kitser

Hi. You should try mixing equal parts water and braggs ACV and spraying it on the infected area a few times a day. Also add a teaspoon of ACV to dogs water as this helps their digestion. A bit of olive oil with their food is great for them. There's a lot of evidence that it's the food that causes all these problems, too much cereal and chemicals in the dog food, when they have eaten raw food naturally. Too many unnecessary vaccine boosters isn't helping either. The vaccine makers advise every three years but vets give yearly. Dogsfirst.ie is a good site and they have a good article in their blog section called food allergies in dogs which is a good read. It's one thing to treat the dermatitis, but finding the cause is better. Best of luck

tk123

kitser wrote: »

There's a lot of evidence that it's the food that causes all these problems, too much cereal and chemicals in the dog food, when they have eaten raw food naturally. Too many unnecessary vaccine boosters isn't helping either. The vaccine makers advise every three years but vets give yearly.

Plenty of raw fed dogs suffer from allergies either from certain proteins or environmental causes - it's not a magical cure to fix and prevent all ailments (my dogs are raw fed btw). As for vaccinations again contrary to popular belief (mainly from pro-raw propaganda sites) evil vets don't give the core vaccinations yearly and not all vets push their clients to vaccinate.

DBB

It has been concluded, from the scientific research, that food allergies cause about 25% of skin problems in Westies at least. So, although that's a sizeable chunk of the population, it leaves a lot of dogs that suffer from skin problems that are not caused primarily by diet.
Many of these skin problems are autoimmune conditions as a result of poor breeding practices... Inherited.
Skin conditions tend to be really quite complex and can be difficult to diagnose... One thing's for sure... There is no one answer and no one cause that accounts for bad skin across the board.

Latatian

Yup. No-one wants to hear it's the breeding, and the steadily decreasing genetic variation due to inbreeding and no outcrossing, rather than something outside to blame. Vaccines, food, 'chemicals', 'toxins', all easy ways to find something to blame that means no-one has to change anything, we can all keep going as we are.

kitser

Agree totally. I was just offering options and possible causes. Many vets do push yearly shots and so does one insurer insist or your dog ain't covered.

kitser

Agree. Nothing healthier than a mongrel! New gene pool and rarely get sick

Millem

kitser wrote: »

Agree. Nothing healthier than a mongrel! New gene pool and rarely get sick

The dog in question is a labradorX and a rescue.

DBB

... And unless we're talking about a real Heinz 57 mixture of just about anything, if crossbred dogs are any healthier than purebred, the difference across the population is not all that big.

omicron

Millem wrote: »

Hi
I was just wondering does anyone have any experience with apoquel?
Thanks in advance

Unfortunately I don't think you'll be able to get hold of it any time soon, it seems to be in very short supply and there doesn't appear to be any coming in to the country yet since the initial first batch.

DBB

The Westie I know who is on it lives in the north. I wonder is it easier to get there?

omicron

DBB wrote: »

The Westie I know who is on it lives in the north. I wonder is it easier to get there?

As far as I know it was launched in the UK earlier so probably easier to get than here.

tk123

The vet in Coldwinters just off the M50 has clinics in Dundalk and Newry so might source it for you/bring it down from the north. He's meant to be very reasonable with prices too. Bailey used to do his hydro in the same yard (the vet is in one building and hydro in another) and the odd time we went on a Saturday morning there'd be a queue to get into the vets!

http://www.ancuveterinary.com/index.php/find-us

Bells21

Sorry to drag back up this thread but I just wanted to share my experience of Apoquel. Our JRTx has had steroids, Atopica and has had allergy tests which showed that he had an allergy to grass. He then started immunotherapy which seemed to be helping, he wasn't tearing the skin but was still scratching. After reading suggestions about Apoquel we spoke to our vet about trying this. He has only been on these 3 days and I have to say that change in him is unreal! He has been out in the garden all day running around in the grass with our other dog and hasn't scratched once! His skin isn't even hot to touch anymore. It's early days but I'm very hopeful that this will give him lots of relief.

irishlady29

Bells21 wrote:

Sorry to drag back up this thread but I just wanted to share my experience of Apoquel. Our JRTx has had steroids, Atopica and has had allergy tests which showed that he had an allergy to grass. He then started immunotherapy which seemed to be helping, he wasn't tearing the skin but was still scratching. After reading suggestions about Apoquel we spoke to our vet about trying this. He has only been on these 3 days and I have to say that change in him is unreal! He has been out in the garden all day running around in the grass with our other dog and hasn't scratched once! His skin isn't even hot to touch anymore. It's early days but I'm very hopeful that this will give him lots of relief.

Your lucky. Didn't work for my last.

Bells21

irishlady29 wrote:

Your lucky. Didn't work for my last.

Sorry to hear that, we've tried everything and it's been upsetting to see him so irritated. We're hoping this will give him relief until the desensitising injections take hold.

thegreatgonzo

Just about the availability of apoquel, I work in a practice in Tipperary and we've had no supply issues.