# Apoquel



## diane0905 (Aug 20, 2010)

Have y'all heard of Apoquel? Anyone using it?

Luke has environmental allergies pretty badly, so he is on a weekly allergy shots. The shots have helped tremendously, but every once in a while he has a flare up and gets bumps and itchy. The vet told me I might want to look into Apoquel. It's not a steroid and supposedly safe and very effective.

Apoquel safety: how Apoquel is like fine wine â€“ Part 1 | SkinVet

FDA Approves APOQUEL® (oclacitinib tablet) to Control Itch and Inflammation in Allergic Dogs | Press Releases | Zoetis


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## TuckersMom (Sep 26, 2010)

We just got an email from our vet about this. Tucker has really bad allergies to grass and is constantly licking his paws. We have had him on a steroid pill too and are well aware of the side effects. Definitely interested in this new pill if it works well! Sounds like it was just released though so I wonder how accurate the evaluations are.


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## rgejohnson (Aug 31, 2010)

Yesterday my dog dermatologist gave me infor on this to investigate. My Bob has been on cyclosporine for 9 months and has been hot spot free. He has the side effects of increased hair.
His hair is now thick and long. he looks like a puppy. Everyone thinks he a show dog. He gets 100 mg every other day. I am considering this new drug because he like to swim in our pool. His hair will be one big knot. The cost will be a little cheaper but the drug is hard to get verses cyclosporine at Cosco. I did do food trial but not allergies test. It seems like a lot of money and it only helps 30 percent or so. Give me feed back on this.
Hello from Minnesota.........................................


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## Sally's Mom (Sep 20, 2010)

A Zoetis rep is coming to talk to us about it next week.


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## snk3022 (Mar 2, 2014)

We have had our dog on this med for about a month, and it's like a miracle. She was always scratching and licking despite food changes, supplements, bathing with special shampoos and moisturizers, antidepressants, etc. She stopped intching immediately and it has not returned. She appears so relaxed and comfortable, it's just amazing. Now if we can only find the medication, the vet runs out a few days after each shipment when they can get it.


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## CAROLINA MOM (May 12, 2009)

Allivet carries it-

Apoquel Tablet for Dogs| Dog Allergy & Skin Medication - Allivet

They are an accredited VIPPS Pharmacy

Allivet Trusted Pet Pharmacy Accreditation


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## diane0905 (Aug 20, 2010)

Thank y'all for all the responses. I haven't started Luke on it yet, but I'm going to ask his doggie dermatologist this week about it. My regular vet suggested it. He's already started his springtime (we've had some 70s weather here) scratching, ear shaking and butt scootching. He whines when scooting his butt across the carpet, floor, etc. I think I'm willing to give it a try. He's been getting allergy shots since last Fall and I'm going to keep that up at least a year and a half to see if it is effective. 

I will let y'all know if I start Luke on this med and whether or not it is effective.

By the way, Luke cannot even take 1.5 pills of the six suggested of Prednisone without getting bad incontinence. His system is just very sensitive to it, so I'll pass on that route.

Luke will be four in June. I'm adding that because his ticker in my signature has obviously glitched.


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## Sally's Mom (Sep 20, 2010)

It is in short supply. They sold a years worth of it in one month. It certainly sounds like the perfect drug for itchy dogs. It is back ordered for us until April.


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## diane0905 (Aug 20, 2010)

rgejohnson said:


> Yesterday my dog dermatologist gave me infor on this to investigate. My Bob has been on cyclosporine for 9 months and has been hot spot free. He has the side effects of increased hair.
> His hair is now thick and long. he looks like a puppy. Everyone thinks he a show dog. He gets 100 mg every other day. I am considering this new drug because he like to swim in our pool. His hair will be one big knot. The cost will be a little cheaper but the drug is hard to get verses cyclosporine at Cosco. I did do food trial but not allergies test. It seems like a lot of money and it only helps 30 percent or so. Give me feed back on this.
> Hello from Minnesota.........................................


Luke has tons of hair and swims daily in the summer! It really is't a problem for him. I brush him about 5 to 10 minutes each day. I will keep you updated on the Apoquel.

The stats on the allergy shots are in the 65 to 85% effective range. I have actually seen a big improvement with Luke. He had a terrible bacterial skin infection, so many bumps there were more than smooth skin and was so uncomfortable. That, thankfully, has not come back since he began the shots about seven months ago. I think the shots are helping greatly in comparison to how he was before. He's allergic to a LOT of environmental things. Allergy season here is awful -- for both people and pets.

It is a lot of money. That part can't be denied. I had Luke on an antibiotic for a couple of months, but do not want to keep that up long term. He cannot take prednisone without complications and I also don't want to keep him on that long term.


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## diane0905 (Aug 20, 2010)

snk3022 said:


> We have had our dog on this med for about a month, and it's like a miracle. She was always scratching and licking despite food changes, supplements, bathing with special shampoos and moisturizers, antidepressants, etc. She stopped intching immediately and it has not returned. She appears so relaxed and comfortable, it's just amazing. Now if we can only find the medication, the vet runs out a few days after each shipment when they can get it.


Good to know. I hope you will be able to get it regularly. I've tried all the things you listed but the antidepressant -- plus antibiotics, prednisone (for a short period) and getting rid of every wool rug in my home.


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## diane0905 (Aug 20, 2010)

I talked to the regular vet about the Apoquel and she seemed gung ho about it. She said she would draw up a prescription and the people using it so far out of their office are all saying very positive things about it.

I talked to the dermatologist we've been using for Luke (allergy shots) and she said it is like Atopica and tinkers with/manipulates the immune system, just in a different way by suppressing its reaction to allergies. She said it's 67% effective in twice daily dosages. The company recommends two weeks of twice daily and then down to once daily for a month. She said it ISN'T recommended for use longterm. She added she feels cautious with the drug because it has only been used in three month long trials, so they don't know the long term effects. She added side effects are vomiting, diarrhea, lumps and bumps or skin masses in the short study. 

She also mentioned bloodwork would be needed, and the regular vet did not mention this. She said it's on backorder, so all they have is what they have in stock.

All of that made me feel wary.


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## diane0905 (Aug 20, 2010)

My husband took our Golden by the vet this morning because he has been scooting his butt on the floor/carpet. The vet expressed his anal glands and said they were very full. Yay for relief from that. Anyway, my husband told the vet I was going to wait on the Apoquel due to the newness of the drug. The vet said the drug has been used in Europe for years, but was just approved recently in the U.S.

Still researching......


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## diane0905 (Aug 20, 2010)

Bit the bullet today and going to try it a month and see how he does. He's still scooting, whining and itching and I'd like to give him some relief.


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## TuckersMom (Sep 26, 2010)

We just started Tucker on Apoquel today. Our first round is 2x daily for 14 days, then 1x daily or as needed after that. Fingers and paws crossed!!


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## TuckersMom (Sep 26, 2010)

Diane do you have any updates?


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## CAROLINA MOM (May 12, 2009)

Best of luck with the Apoquel to you both for your dogs. 

Hope your pups get some much needed relief. 

The only thing I've seen so far for Apoquel is a few ads in some Magazines I take.


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## diane0905 (Aug 20, 2010)

TuckersMom said:


> Diane do you have any updates?


Yes. Sorry -- I didn't mean to disappear. Luke has been on it for about a week now. He also started with two pills a day for the first two weeks and then down to one after that.

Luke has not been scratching any and I haven't seen him scoot on his butt and cry/whine since I gave him the first pill. They say it works within four hours and I believe it. It was awful watching him itching so much he was whining. I took him to have his anal glands expressed and that didn't work, so I went ahead and started the Apoquel. It's working like a charm so far and we are at the beginning of pollen and allergy season. It gets bad here.

The only side effect I've noticed is a little bit of lethargy, but the vet says that will resolve as he grows used to the medication. 

I will keep y'all updated as we go along.

Good luck to Tucker!


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## TuckersMom (Sep 26, 2010)

We saw an instant improvement too! Today marks one week and he has improved leaps and bounds. He does seem a little sleepy too, I didn't even think about lethargy as a side effect. Other than that though, he just seems SO much happier. He's not antsy, not itching, and his coat seems to be a little fuller! Just him being able to relax is incredible. 

I am so glad it is working for you, too! I whole heartedly believe this is a miracle drug.


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## diane0905 (Aug 20, 2010)

Luke is still doing well. I switched him to one pill a day yesterday, so hopefully it will still work well.


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## Brave (Oct 26, 2012)

What's the price point on this? Is it better than an allergy shot? In effectiveness and price and ease of administering?

Bear's seasonal allergies are back and I can't watch him be all itchy. Poor baby.


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## cartersgma (Mar 31, 2014)

Thanks for info
Carter has had bad allergies for the last 2 summers, and I'm anxious he will again, so this gives me another possible option. Is it only available from the vets?

Sent from Petguide.com Free App


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## diane0905 (Aug 20, 2010)

Brave said:


> What's the price point on this? Is it better than an allergy shot? In effectiveness and price and ease of administering?
> 
> Bear's seasonal allergies are back and I can't watch him be all itchy. Poor baby.


I'm doing both the allergy shots year around and the Apoquel during peak allergy season. We've been moving into an apartment while we're renovating our home, so I don't remember the exact price. I feel like it was about $75 to $80 for this first round. I think I'm going to go one more round as our pollen season is from Hell and it's in full force right now -- I'm totally stuffy myself.

I don't think the Apoquel is super high priced. It's definitely cheaper than the allergy shots. I'd like to do a dual treatment plan and hopefully, only need the Apoquel during higher allergy periods.

It's pretty easy to administer if your dog will take a pill. Luke loves it in a little bit of sliced roast beef. 

The next refill is in about a week, I'll let you know what I'm paying.

I will say it has been night and day here on the itching scale. Luke's doing great so far on it with no noticeable sides.


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## diane0905 (Aug 20, 2010)

cartersgma said:


> Thanks for info
> Carter has had bad allergies for the last 2 summers, and I'm anxious he will again, so this gives me another possible option. Is it only available from the vets?
> 
> Sent from Petguide.com Free App


I'm pretty sure it is prescription only. The FDA just recently approved it.


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## xoerika620xo (May 25, 2012)

Thank you carolinamom for sending me to this thread. I'm sending our vet a email about Apoquel and see what she thinks.

How has it been going for luke?


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## diane0905 (Aug 20, 2010)

xoerika620xo said:


> Thank you carolinamom for sending me to this thread. I'm sending our vet a email about Apoquel and see what she thinks.
> 
> How has it been going for luke?


Actually it has been going fantastic for Luke, but apparently there is a shortage of Apoquel. :no: Luke has about 12 more days of the medication and if the vet doesn't get any more by then, I guess we're back to butt scooting and scratching. 

Apoquel: now you see it, now you don’t | SkinVet


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## TuckersMom (Sep 26, 2010)

Tucker has developed some sort of irritation on his tail. It looks like he may have chewed himself a small hot spot! He hasn't touched it since I noticed it two days ago, and I am putting hydrocortisone on it. I am not sure if this is a side effect of the Apoquel, but it's definitely a new development. He's been on Apoquel for about 3 months now. We love it and he does too, but this kind of makes me nervous. Gonna give him a bath today, it might just be dry skin from the weather. He seems to be itching this week a little more than usual. 

Our vet has been able to gain access to the drug quite easily and she is giving us 2 month supplies at a time. For the 2 month supply it's about $100. We find it well worth it because he's not having to wear his cone and be miserable all the time! I'll keep you posted on his tail spot


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## snk3022 (Mar 2, 2014)

If anyone knows where to get Apoquel, my vet and I would love to know! I have seeing my poor dog suffer when there is a fix for it out there, but not available. I am investigating trying to get it from the UK. Any suggestions?


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## Tayla's Mom (Apr 20, 2012)

Spoke to my vet about it yesterday. Apparently, no one can get it at this time. He said it looked like a great product, but its just not available at this time.


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## TuckersMom (Sep 26, 2010)

I read that current customers can continue to get it but they're not taking new orders. They predict the medicine won't be widely available until early 2015. 

Unfortunately our latest batch seems to not be working as well. He isn't chewing his tail but he's back to licking his feet and legs again. Going to call the vet on Tuesday, I'm curious if our vet is able to get them because they're some sort of knock off...


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## diane0905 (Aug 20, 2010)

Luke had to miss a few days due to the shortage, but I guess since he was a current customer he was able to get it again. We haven't missed any more than the few days, and it has been available since.

I don't know what is best. Luke is on allergy shots. I know they have helped some. Apoquel has helped a lot also. I think he would be much worse off without either or both at the moment. But I can't be certain as to the future, because what side effects could occur as time goes on? Does Apoquel as an immunomodulator cause problems? Should we not be messing with these things unless something dire comes up? 

I worry about any and everything I give him as far as drugs are concerned. I don't want him to be highly uncomfortable either with medical things that come up. Figuring out what to do sucks because there is no way to know.


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## TuckersMom (Sep 26, 2010)

We didn't want Tucker to be on allergy shots because of the negative long term effects of steroids. My vet is adamant that apoquel has far less side effects and has even gone far enough to say there virtually are none. Hopefully she is right!


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## jennretz (Jul 24, 2013)

I am picking up the Rx for Duke tonight. He is getting an allergy test (environmental) in 2 weeks and had to be taken off the Clariton for that. I had concerns about the long-term affects of this medication and whether there is a link to cancer. Duke is so miserable right now (non-stop itching/licking/scratching) plus 3 hot spots in 3 weeks (2 at the same time right now). I will try it short-term until we get the results of the allergy tests. Then I have some decisions to make. If all allergy shots are prednisone/steroid based, he will not be able to take them as he has severe allergic reaction and incontinence/inability to urinate as well (both).

What have others who've used this for a while experienced and how concerned are you about the potential link to cancer?


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## rgejohnson (Aug 31, 2010)

*Cyclosporine*

Bob was on cyclosporine for one year maybe 2. Last winter I gradually cut back and Bob hasn't been on any medicine since January. Bob had the side effects of excess hair(Looks like a mountain dog) and his gumbs covering his teeth. In may i took Bob to a new groomer and said she didn't think his hair
will be like a golden. She cut Bobs hair really short because he swims in our pool. Its very easy to wash him after he takes a swim. His hair is growing back and he now looks like a year old golden. He has not had any hot spots
as of today. I want his hair to grow. Not sure if I would do that again.
Bob is due for a check up with the Dermotogist.


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## jennretz (Jul 24, 2013)

rgejohnson said:


> Bob was on cyclosporine for one year maybe 2. Last winter I gradually cut back and Bob hasn't been on any medicine since January. Bob had the side effects of excess hair(Looks like a mountain dog) and his gumbs covering his teeth. In may i took Bob to a new groomer and said she didn't think his hair
> will be like a golden. She cut Bobs hair really short because he swims in our pool. Its very easy to wash him after he takes a swim. His hair is growing back and he now looks like a year old golden. He has not had any hot spots
> as of today. I want his hair to grow. Not sure if I would do that again.
> Bob is due for a check up with the Dermotogist.



Have you ever tried Apoquel. Duke stopped the bulk of his itching in a day but I worry about its newness.


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## rgejohnson (Aug 31, 2010)

My dog didn't take APOQUEL as it was to hard to get, When it did come available he would have started from the beginning and the cost would be more. 
No hotspots and he has been off the meds since December. I will keep my fingers crossed.


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