Apoquel

[annclare]

This morning I took Matte to the vet to discuss his itchiness (when I got him 5 years ago - now aged 9 - I was told he had always been an itchy dog) but I do feel it has got worse of late. I thought things would have gone back to more 'normal' there but no such luck - still sitting out in the car, taking dog in alone for examination, and then coming back out to discuss; was allowed in (with mask) to pay and collect meds. I  found it stressful as I am deaf with hearing aids, wear glasses + mask - a bit much for my shell-likes! - also the rain was torrential! Anyway, to get back to the reason for my post, has anyone any experience of Apoquel which he is now on for initial 2 weeks; she also mentioned injections as another form of treatment. x   

[Nicnac49]

Hi
I sympathise with your experience at the vets. We have an elaborate procedure at ours with texting and a shrill pager (which was the final straw for my scared little dog) before you are allowed in with a mask.
Apoquel has a very bad reputation if you Google it you will find lots of reports of it causing long term harm.
I have used it before I knew any of this and it was like a miracle drug stopping my Collies misery and itching in one dose. It then took ages to get him off it, each time the dose was even reduced it came back which I believe is a common theme.
Better to try and find the cause of the itching if you can.  Not an easy task. If it's food rather than environmental Chicken and beef are common culprits so cutting these out can be a starting point. I have just done this with my Labrador.

[cazza]

Sorry to hear about Matte, I have never heard of apoquel so can’t comment on that - hope you can find out the cause of the itching

As to the vet visit, ours is the same - we have to phone when we arrive in the car park for the appointment and they take the dog in and come back out to discuss

As for picking up medicine they put it on a trolley just inside the porch area for you to pick up and payment is done over the phone- we don’t get to go in even with a mask on

August I did get to go in though when I had to put my last dog down and they were very good. A friend had to have her dog put down a month back and instead go going to the vets the vet popped to their house and the deed was done in the garden

Wishing you and Matte all the best 

[rubyduby]

Apoquel does work qute well, but sadly has some nasty side effects so finding the cause of the itchiness , the injection is Cytopoint, my girl had it 4 times (it is marginally safer than Apoque) but the 5th time she came out in hives and having read further information on the injection found that this also can have some horrifying side effects and not all after the first jab and in the first 24hrs as some vets insist

[Coalman1959]

Hiya... I know this is a little late in the day.
My cocker has been on Apoquel for nearly 3 weeks now.  He has 8mg a day and he has suffered no adverse reaction to this drug.  But!  His 'air scratching/ like starting a motorbike! ' without touching his skin has virtually stopped.  We love this drug ... and so does he.  He was desperate for relief from the constant rear leg movements that he could not stop. This drug stopped this problem within 36 hours.  As for side effects, we have not seen any and at 14 yrs of age ( yesterday! ) we are not too concerned with cancers and other long term problems that Apoquel may bring as his current contentment is uppermost in our concerns.  I hope that your Matte is coping with the scratching.

[siam]

This morning I took Matte to the vet to discuss his itchiness (when I got him 5 years ago - now aged 9 - I was told he had always been an itchy dog) but I do feel it has got worse of late. I thought things would have gone back to more 'normal' there but no such luck - still sitting out in the car, taking dog in alone for examination, and then coming back out to discuss; was allowed in (with mask) to pay and collect meds. I  found it stressful as I am deaf with hearing aids, wear glasses + mask - a bit much for my shell-likes! - also the rain was torrential! Anyway, to get back to the reason for my post, has anyone any experience of Apoquel which he is now on for initial 2 weeks; she also mentioned injections as another form of treatment. x   

Alfie, my cocker spaniel who we very very recently had to let go aged 12yrs was on Apoquel for over 10 years due to pollen related allergies. He was usually on it from April to late November when the allergies were at their worst. He suffered no side effects from them and it made a huge difference to the itchiness of his skin.

[Mudmagnets]

Could you try the Apoquel on a trial basis and see if it works or whether it does have nasty side effects for your boy (what affects one does not automatically mean it will have adverse effects for all, just like human medication)

I would imagine the vet would be happy to go along with this.

[Coalman1959]

This is my post and comments about costs and performance of Apoquel...
http://www.cockersonline.co.uk/discuss/index.php?topic=121126.0

[Coalman1959]

##UPDATE##
So! For no apparent reason ( weather, warmth, cold, hayfever etc. ) Archie started to have his air-scratching episodes once more. No where near the worst, but enough for me to get more tablets from the vet.  I gave him 1/2 x 16mg ( 8mg) yesterday tea-time and another one this morning and we have seen an improvement.  He has barely scratched at all today, so it looks like these Apoquel tablets work from minute 1. He has possibly slept a little bit more, but he is 14! I will give him 8mg for next couple of days now and se how he is at the weekend.
He is still a Happy Chappie 
Thanks for your interest.
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[Mudmagnets]

You (and he) must be relieved that the Apoquel works to well and that you can get some more if needed.

[Coalman1959]

 

[Archie bean]

Quick note if your dog has any small warty bumps. Archie is plagued by hotspots and skin chewing. They are the bane of our summer - often becoming infected but resistant to all but the most expensive (and only given as a last resort)  antibiotic - because obviously!!! After his latest bout a new vet gave him Apoquel. It reacted with all his small warts leaving them bleeding and crusty. Of course he nibbled the one on his foot (of COURSE he did) so here we are again back to the tried and trusted steroid treatment. It’s a rare but known side effect. I should have known. If there’s a side effect going…..Archie will suffer from it.
Deep. Deep Joy!!

[Coalman1959]

Hiya.  Yes my Archie does have warts and lumps, but as yet, he hasn't really bitten at any of them.  He has chewed at his (removed) testicle area which left him sore for a day, but that was a one-off for some reason.  He sleeps a lot more now that he is on these tablets, but at least he is not having the 'scratching' spasms whilst he sleeps. I have decided to give him 8mg daily now as he does have a few 'scratches' per day.
However, I am more and more convinced that these spasms are caused by his hips becoming brittle(?) and failing him, which cocker spaniels do suffer from, and a nerve is trapped in that region..... but I aint no vet! lol