German Shepherds Forum banner

Does anyone give their dog Apoquel for extreme itching?

20K views 74 replies 20 participants last post by  Stonemoore 
#1 ·
Hi. Over the past month Finn has been uncomfortable due to excessive itching.
He also had a lg sore on his back that had scabbed over and a round sore on his hind paw.

The vet shaved the scab and said the sore on his back and paw were hot spots.
(He had these same skin issues last spring/summer).

The vet prescribed Apoquel 2 x a day for two weeks then one a day after that, plus an anti-biotic.
He also said to bathe him with the shampoo, Selsun Blue twice a month.

The vet said this skin condition is common in GSDs.
So, I'm just wondering if anyone else is having the same issue.

Ps. The Apoquel seems to have cured his itching.
 
#2 ·
Some swear by it.....some say it promotes an aggression problem....so seems to depend on the dog.

Are you giving a probiotic with the antibiotic?

Antibiotic kills the good bacteria in the gut and can create all kinds of problems.

About 75% of the immune system lies in the gut so you MUST keep it healthy.

Here are 3 Human Grade products:
Sunday Sundae: (Digestive Enzyme/ProBiotic Combo) http://ineedthat.corecommerce.com/Sunday-Sundae.html
Gut Sense: (ProBiotic) GutSense - certified organic probiotic for dogs
Digest All Plus: (Digestive Enzyme/ProBiotic Combo) http://www.thewholisticpet.com/products/canine-product-line/digestive-support/wholistic-digest-all-plustm.html



Moms:)
 
#3 ·
Mine is on it now. She's a little over a year old and early last winter we started to notice she was getting really itchy. She would itch herself to the point where she'd have open sores and she had really dull skin and coat. After taking her to the vet, they thought it might be allergies but recommended we give her Apoquel for a few months to see if it helps.

She's been on it for about a month and a half and although the itching hasn't completely stopped, it's far less than it was and her coat is looking better. But, for transparency, we also changed out her food to grain free.

We never noticed any behavioral changes while on it. While it's important to try and decipher the cause of the itching, Apoquel seems to work.
 
#4 ·
I will be starting Jazz on it tomorrow. My vet has just now been able to get it here in Canada. Prior to this, she's been on Atopica, which does a pretty good job, but does not get rid of the itch entirely. I'm hoping the Apoquel does a better job. The long term plan is to have Jazz tested for environmental allergies. I just need to save up for the testing. Once the testing results come in, the plan is to start with the allergy shots or drops. I hope to not have to have her on these drugs for long term.
 
#5 ·
Hi. Over the past month Finn has been uncomfortable due to excessive itching.
He also had a lg sore on his back that had scabbed over and a round sore on his hind paw.

The vet shaved the scab and said the sore on his back and paw were hot spots.
(He had these same skin issues last spring/summer).

The vet prescribed Apoquel 2 x a day for two weeks then one a day after that, plus an anti-biotic.
He also said to bathe him with the shampoo, Selsun Blue twice a month.

The vet said this skin condition is common in GSDs.
So, I'm just wondering if anyone else is having the same issue.

Ps. The Apoquel seems to have cured his itching.

Findlay,
I believe that was what the vet prescribed for Titan and his scab and his baldness is completely gone! It is so nice to see that his hair has grown back. Tonight I will post a pic of before and now.......
 
#6 · (Edited)
The anti-biotic caused diarrhea, so he's not on that anymore. But thanks for the info on probiotics.
We're treating the sores with a prescription spray called, GentaSpray.

My vet's GSD has been on Apoquel for over a year. And he has had very good results. That dog also has the itchiness and sores.
There's a name for the skin condition, I'll try and find out what it is.

I asked about side affects and the vet didn't mention aggression, that wouldn't be good.

When this happened last year, I put Finn on Wellness Simple. It's a limited ingredient dog food and he seemed to do well on that through the winter. I'm thinking this issue is seasonal.

I feel the same way about keeping him on a drug long-term But he was so miserable with being itchy and the sores look so raw and painful.

The vet also said the Selsum Blue Shampoo helps. twice a month.

Thanks.
 
#7 ·
Traveler has been on and off it for going on 2 years now. Flea allergy dermatitis was his problem and we could not get rid of every flea outside of his immediate environment so this was our answer.

Absolutely no aggression issues. That's a new one for me. I have never heard of that possibility before today.

Our vet also recommended Selsum Blue but the doggie derm recommended Douxo. It is really, really expensive but he had such bad skin (scales and greasy) he really needed something stronger.

We had no adverse effects.

Lynn & Traveler
 
#9 ·
Our vet also recommended Selsum Blue but the doggie derm recommended Douxo. It is really, really expensive but he had such bad skin (scales and greasy) he really needed something stronger.
You can find Douxo on Amazon. It's a chlorhexidene formula.

If you want to experiment, you might be able save even more by switching to a different brand of chlorhex shampoo (like Trizchlor -- half the price at Amazon). I'm not brand loyal to that category -- I've currently got a gallon of a generic 4% chlorhex formula that we use in rescue on dogs with staph and other skin infections, and it works fine. We use a lot of it!
 
#8 ·
I have had Onyx on Apoquel for several months. It is the only thing that gives her relief. I see no side effects. She is 9yrs old and has environmental allergies. Dogs Naturally has a recent article scaring people away, but I have to weigh my options, and so far,there are none. I also know several dogs that are on it, and no side effects~nothing but praise for this drug, which has been used in other countries before the US approved it.
I Wouldn't Give My Dog This New Allergy Drug - Dogs Naturally Magazine
 
#10 ·
My guy has an allergy to dust mites and last year was covered in pimples, open sores and hot spots. It took a month of abx to knock it down to something manageable. For maintenance he is bathed once per week in 2% chlorhexidine shampoo prescribed by the derm. vet and dispensed at the clinic, brand name ProHex by ProConcepts Animal Health, $20.66 CDN. I don't know US Amazon pricing for Douxo shampoo but it is $61.24 for 16 oz. on Amazon.ca. See what your vet can get from his/her suppliers and compare prices.
 
#11 · (Edited)
I don't necessarily see a problem with short term use, but long term down the road issues bother me. It doesn't get rid of the problem, it's more of a band aid. So far I've been able to keep both my dogs with food and environmental allergies off any medications, but there might come a time when it's needed. So I will keep all options open. Midnite did have to be on steroids at one point-twice within a few months. Once I found out what the allergies were I was able to control it with the right food, shampoo, etc.
 
#12 ·
Continuation Field Study
After completing APOQUEL field studies, 239 dogs enrolled in an unmasked (no placebo control), continuation therapy study receiving APOQUEL for an unrestricted period of time. Mean time on this study was 372 days (range 1 to 610 days). Of these 239 dogs, one dog developed demodicosis following 273 days of APOQUEL administration. One dog developed dermal pigmented viral plaques following 266 days of APOQUEL administration. One dog developed a moderately severe bronchopneumonia after 272 days of APOQUEL administration; this infection resolved with antimicrobial treatment and temporary discontinuation of APOQUEL. One dog was euthanized after developing abdominal ascites and pleural effusion of unknown etiology after 450 days of APOQUEL administration. Six dogs were euthanized because of suspected malignant neoplasms: including thoracic metastatic, abdominal metastatic, splenic, frontal sinus, and intracranial neoplasms, and transitional cell carcinoma after 17, 120, 175, 49, 141, and 286 days of APOQUEL administration, respectively. Two dogs each developed a Grade II mast cell tumor after 52 and 91 days of APOQUEL administration, respectively. One dog developed low grade B-cell lymphoma after 392 days of APOQUEL administration. Two dogs each developed an apocrine gland adenocarcinoma (one dermal, one anal sac) after approximately 210 and 320 days of APOQUEL administration, respectively. One dog developed a low grade oral spindle cell sarcoma after 320 days of APOQUEL administration.


From drugs.com
Apoquel for Animal Use - Drugs.com
 
#14 ·
Most dogs that have to go to the extreme of Apoquel are in severe discomfort and other meds haven't worked. SO with that knowledge, is Apoquel the cause of the above, or were there other pre-existing or other medical issues that caused the above? If I can make Onyx comfortable, without constantly chewing herself raw for the next year or two I will. IF she were younger, I'd try to find other methods. But, everything we have tried in the past 7 years has NOT helped her.
She is rawfed, on good supplements, careful use of insect control/HW treatments and minimally vaccinated. The dogs in the stats, what was the vax'ing, topical spot ons, nutrition record for them?
 
#15 ·
I have to agree with Onyx'girl.

You do what you have to do. I tried seemingly everything and Traveler was a total miserable messed up dog until I started with the Apoquel.

I continue to read all the horror stories and I can just about recite by memory the quote GatorBytes posted. The worst part for me was that it was a brand new drug at the time we were prescribed it. There was virtually no experienced resources but when you have tried everything and your dog is suffering to the point you are wondering if you are just prolonging his misery, you do what you think is best. Maybe it is, maybe it isn't. What you do know is that your dog is no longer miserable. Yes, it is a bandaid. Yes, there are plenty of naysayers and alarmist but, in our case, if someone could tell me how to keep my dog in a bubble and pretend he's happy, where were you when I needed your expertise?

I'm sorry but walk in our shoes- try every *^&Y holistic and conventional concoction out there. Then come back and tell me what worked. I'd love to never give Traveler another Apoquel.

Lynn & Traveler
 
#17 · (Edited)
The Apoquel study results posted here raise a lot of questions. Evidence of a correlation cannot be assumed to be causality. (For anyone who wants to understand more about that premise, I highly recommend reading Freakonomics, for some fun summer reading that's accessible and enjoyable for non-math/science types--any public library will have it on the shelves).

This short video helps explain the general idea:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lbODqslc4Tg

And this one is a little better:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t8ADnyw5ou8

The mere presence of dogs who got cancer alone in the Apoquel study group doesn't tell us enough to know the relationship between the drug and the cancers. Causation is extremely tricky to show with cancer, especially multiple kinds of cancer, as here. There could be causality from a drug. Or it could also just be nothing more than statistical "noise."

Things I'd like to know include:

-Age of the dogs in the study who developed cancer (cancer is a leading cause of death in dogs, with about half of all of them dying of it, so we would expect a large number of older dogs in any group to die of cancer).

-Breeds of the dogs who developed cancer (and possibly even the lines they came from), because some cancers (including hemangio) appear likely to be genetic, or at least have a significant genetic component. For example, if the splenic tumors developed in pb Golden Retrievers and German Shepherds from certain showlines where a strong majority of the dogs for several generations have died of hemangio...then those dogs in the study most likely would have died from that cancer no matter what.

-Prior environmental exposures to known carcinogens also ought to be controlled for in the statistical analysis. One example would be farm dogs exposed to heavy loads of farming pesticides and herbicides known to be carcinogenic. Another example would be skin cancers in certain light-coated breeds where the dogs have spent a lot of time in their lives outside, exposed to the sun.

-Most intriguingly, I'd like to know whether itchiness in dogs somehow itself has a systemic connection to cancer. I just read an article about psoriasis in humans correlating to a statistically significant higher risk of death by heart disease (300% higher!). The skin autoimmune disorder in humans has a heart connection, and it's believed to be related to inflammation. Maybe some skin disorders in dogs (which are poorly understood) have a systemic inflammatory component too, and maybe that unseen, internal inflammation could trigger some cancers under some conditions. All this is absolutely unknowable right now, but it makes me wonder if any data might point toward that possibility.

I'm not saying there's no connection between Apoquel and cancer. I'm just saying we don't know if there is -- but I hope more research is done. The connection could end up being like the "ice cream and polio" connection discussed in the first video I posted above....or not.
 
#18 ·
I read through the article and another thing that is not told but makes me curious - what were the dosages for the whole duration? I just got it for my baby, and we were told to give him 1 tablet every 12 hours for the first 2 weeks and then 1 tablet per day. Were the test group dogs given the same 1 tablet a day or 2 tablets for the whole duration? Tablets given with food or without? Did they swallow or chew them? There are a lot of painkillers that will give people ulcers and stuff if taken on an empty stomach and will not do a lot of damage if taken with milk (which coats the stomach lining and protects it). There are definitely a lot of factors to consider, as well as many pointed out - age and condition of the test group and their detailed health records.
The feeding alone - I can't imagine the 300 dogs were fed really well. Given that most of studies have limited funding, they most likely used some just decent food, unlike us owners who feed our babies the best we can afford.
Just my 2 cents:)
 
#19 ·
HappyGoLucky. Finn is on that same regiment. 2 for 2wks then 1 tab a day after that.
I saw a difference in him within 24 hrs of the second dose. He's not itchy anymore but he does seem to be a bit quieter...maybe because he's more comfortable.
Still likes to play and run around.

The vet asked about his behavior and I mentioned that he started chewing things in the house again (he's 22 mos. so thought he was over that)
and he said that could also be due to his discomfort.

I'm wondering if my next step should be to have Finn tested for allergies.
Then whatever meds he would be prescribed would address the real source of his problem???
If a dog has seasonal allergies, is it easier to isolate what the dog is allergic to?

Thanks to everyone who posted here. I appreciate the info, pros and cons : )
And it's so helpful knowing that other people are having the same issues and concerns with their dogs.

Take care, Anna.
 
#20 ·
Testing was my first step....Onyx has environmental allergies, and dust mites are the top trigger. She is still on antihistamines as well as the Apoquel.

Apoquel has been on the market for several years, just not in the US( I think Australia or New Zealand were the first to use it).
The manufacturing process takes about 11 months, so there was a shortage for a year after it became available in the US. And not all vets were able to get it. The pharm reps asked them to start using it, and if they declined during the initial introduction, that vet was not able to source it. It isn't made in the US yet, and Zoetis must know they have a cash cow with this product.
 
#21 ·
Testing was my first step....Onyx has environmental allergies, and dust mites are the top trigger. She is still on antihistamines as well as the Apoquel. QUOTE]

Have you found any environmental modifications to help knock down the dust mite population? I'm dealing with the same problem here.
 
#30 ·
Apoquel has been a lifesaver for Jericho. Also completed environmental testing, dust mites, pine trees are top hitters. He's only 3 but for the last 2 springs has given himself hot spots on his tail, shoulder, and in the crooks of his elbows. He's only on half a pill per day, and much like others have posted, we were unable to find relief with drops, antihistamines, baths, sprays, etc. I know he's super itchy when I throw his chuckit and he stops to itch. So I'm thankful for the apoquel for the moment!
 
#36 ·
The problem is how it affects the immune system. It makes sense that dogs under a year are not okay to take this because they are still building an immune system. Sick dogs shouldn't take it, well that is understandable too. Does it cause actual sickness? Probably not, but it prevents the body from fighting it off.

"So, a big caution here, as with all “miracle” drugs. If it’s interfering with your dog’s immune system, and running out of gas after a certain period of use, is there any hope that it will cure your dog’s itch?

Of course not. As you’ve learned, if you’ve followed along for any length of time, drugs never cure chronic disease. They cannot."

http://vitalanimal.com/apoquel-dog-1/
 
  • Like
Reactions: onyx'girl
#38 ·
The problem is how it affects the immune system. It makes sense that dogs under a year are not okay to take this because they are still building an immune system. Sick dogs shouldn't take it, well that is understandable too. Does it cause actual sickness? Probably not, but it prevents the body from fighting it off.

"So, a big caution here, as with all “miracle” drugs. If it’s interfering with your dog’s immune system, and running out of gas after a certain period of use, is there any hope that it will cure your dog’s itch?

Of course not. As you’ve learned, if you’ve followed along for any length of time, drugs never cure chronic disease. They cannot."

Apoquel: Dog Drug With a Dark Side
I knew from the get-go that it isn't a cure. But it does help the dog to keep from chewing holes into her body and she is not stressed from needing to scratch all the time. I know when it wears off, around 5 am, Onyx starts scratching and is very uncomfortable. My vet said the body does need a break from Apoquel for a few hours at least. Thus the reason for not giving it 2x's a day for the maintenance dose.
 
#41 ·
I forgot to mention:
I talked to a woman at Finn's agility class yesterday,
She has two rescue dogs. They are 7 and 8 years old.

One of them has a severe skin condition. (he had the condition when she rescued him).

That dog has been taking Apoquel since it has been available in the US.

At one point there was a shortage and she said her dog had to go on Prednizone...she swears by Apoquel.
The dog is very active and aside from being overweight seems to be enjoying life.
He very slowly but happily gets through the obstacles at agility...he squeezes through the weaves LOL.
 
#42 ·
So I got a chuckle imagining how slowly he goes through the weave poles:grin2:

I don't know anyone personally(aside from here) that uses this. What I can say is that just because a dog looks healthyon the outside it doesn't mean they are healthy on the inside. These dogs would most likely be in bad shape if they were to pick up kennel cough of canine flu for example. There immune system would most likely not be able to fight it off or it would take a lot longer then a dog with a healthy immune system.
 
#44 ·
Has anyone tried these?

Allergy-Fighting Supplements

Quercetin. Quercetin is a bioflavonoid with anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. I call it 'nature's Benadryl' because it does a great job suppressing histamine release from mast cells and basophiles.

Histamine is what causes much of the inflammation, redness and irritation characteristic of an allergic response. By turning off histamine production with a quercetin supplement, we can suppress or at least moderate the effects of inflammation.

Quercetin also has some other wonderful properties. It inhibits 5-lipooxygenase, an enzyme that upregulates the inflammatory cascade. Quercetin inhibits the production of leukotrienes, another way the body creates inflammation, thereby decreasing the level of bronchoconstriction. Bronchoconstriction occurs in the lung fields as a symptom of asthma. Quercetin can actually suppress how much constriction occurs.

Bromelain and papain. Bromelain and papain are proteolytic enzymes that increase the absorption of quercetin, making it work more effectively. They also suppress histamine production.

One of the reasons I use quercetin, bromelain and papain together is they also suppress prostaglandin release. Prostaglandins are another pathway by which inflammation can occur. By suppressing prostaglandins, we can decrease the pain and inflammation associated with irritated mucous membranes and body parts. Using the three substances in combination provides some natural pain and inflammation control.

Omega-3 fatty acids. Omega-3 fatty acids help decrease inflammation throughout the body. Adding them into the diet of all pets -- particularly pets struggling with seasonal environmental allergies – is very beneficial. The best sources of omega 3s are krill oil, salmon oil, tuna oil, anchovy oil and other fish body oils.

Coconut oil. I also recommend coconut oil for allergic pets. Coconut oil contains lauric acid, which helps decrease the production of yeast. Using a fish body oil with coconut oil before inflammation flares up in your pet's body can help moderate or even suppress the inflammatory response.

http://healthypets.mercola.com/sites/healthypets/archive/2012/06/22/pets-seasonal-allergies.aspx
 
#46 ·
Good to know. My senior has had issues on and off with anal glands. I've been giving bovine colostrum, but I've looked at glandex as a backup plan.
 
#47 ·
Traveler gets fed coconut and krill oils currently. His skin is still dry and flaky which is a real disappointment. If I give more, he has pudding poops. I have tons of shampoos and rinses and my latest is Castile soap and that's not doing the trick either.

I tried the quercitin and bromelain for the itching before but should probably try it again now that his itching is pretty much under control. We have gone a couple of days without dosing on several occasions so those options may work this time. Thanks for reminding me.

Lynn & Traveler
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top