A snippet of a quote about Apoquel

[Manydogs]

"Meanwhile, this new drug that stops that worrisome and at times intolerable itching, causes low white cell count, low red cell count, stunted growth – and can increase your dog’s risk of cancer." Apoquel was only studied for 30 days before it's release.
Use with caution,and as short a time as is possible.

 

[rjisaterp]

Thanks for the heads-up.

 

[punky]

i have been trying to get more info on this medicine because my abbey is on it and been on it a while now.. its the only thing that helps her itching and has made her able to be a dog now. she plays and feels so much better.. i am hoping we will be able to wean her off it soon.. all medicines have side effects i know.. i just hope she won't need to be on it long.. its hard making the right choices for their health.. just like people.. one thing makes you better but then cause other problems.. i hate this..

 

[helsonwheels]

Like human drugs. You take this "drug" to help you with your system and the side effects..... you can die! Pharmaceutical for you. Controls the government with their multi billions and who care if you're sick or your pet's sick.... ok I will stop or I will go on about the A** lol

 

[2BullyMama]

OH MY.... so many pups are on this drug too? Gonna have do some reading as it is interesting that it was only 'studied' for a month --- how did that happen, if true?

 

[punky]

Like human drugs. You take this "drug" to help you with your system and the side effects..... you can die! Pharmaceutical for you. Controls the government with their multi billions and who care if you're sick or your pet's sick.... ok I will stop or I will go on about the A** lol

i guess i misread your message.. or not understanding.. are you saying this is bad for my dog?.. sorry just was trying to find out all i can about it when she first started it and this is the first i have heard of it have this serious of side effects.. i will talk to my vet about it because if it is really bad for her i will have to go back and try something else for her.. please let me know if you will.. thanks.

 

[helsonwheels]

i guess i misread your message.. or not understanding.. are you saying this is bad for my dog?.. sorry just was trying to find out all i can about it when she first started it and this is the first i have heard of it have this serious of side effects.. i will talk to my vet about it because if it is really bad for her i will have to go back and try something else for her.. please let me know if you will.. thanks.

Put it this way, I wouldn't give it to my dog. Medication today has more side effect than what the med was meant to cure. What's the point of giving meds that can give or risk you or your pet getting cancer? Like [MENTION=2894]2BullyMama[/MENTION] mentioned above a lot of pups are on this drug. Reminds me of ritalin for kids.

 

[Manydogs]

Most dog meds and human vitamins are not regulated by the FDA. The company usually does the testing themselves. I know how miserable the poor dogs can be when they are itching. I would give it to my dog to provide relief,but long term use? I would be trying to find another solution. I compromises the immune system,and that's how it stops the itch,sort of like interfering with the "nerves" (my version) that say itch! @punky




Depending on your vet,some don't study side effects,some don't want to know because they make big money selling things.

 

[cefe13]

@punky
I know nothing about this drug, but out of curiosity, I checked what the Swedish online database for pharmaceuticals says about Apoquel. It states that Oclacitinib (which I take it is the active ingredient) can affect the dog's immune system and increase the risk for infections. Dogs that are on this drug should therefore be monitored so that potential infections and tumours can be discovered, and for dogs that are on Apoquel for a long period, blood tests etc should be run regularly. So checking with your vet sounds like a good idea.

Best wishes to Abbey!

 

[punky]

@punky
I know nothing about this drug, but out of curiosity, I checked what the Swedish online database for pharmaceuticals says about Apoquel. It states that Oclacitinib (which I take it is the active ingredient) can affect the dog's immune system and increase the risk for infections. Dogs that are on this drug should therefore be monitored so that potential infections and tumours can be discovered, and for dogs that are on Apoquel for a long period, blood tests etc should be run regularly. So checking with your vet sounds like a good idea.

Best wishes to Abbey!

thanks.. i will be talking with my vet now
.. this is very upsetting because she was so miserable that i cried for her, spent a lot of money, gave her allergy shots for long time and did many test,.. she has been through so much and this drug has been like what a lot of people say "a miracle".. it was so sad to watch her scratch, taking bath after bath, and when she wasn't bleeding from scratching she would just sit.. my heart ached from not knowing what else i could do.. when i switched vets and she put her on this drug i could not believe the results. she played and acted like a puppy again.. i was so happy to see her feel better. And yes, i cried again because of the time she lost from suffering..
i feel like i can't take that away from her now.. is it worth suffering again or shortening her life.. i'm not a cruel person. i won't let her suffer like she did before. we have weened her down to just one pill a day.. I will be watching her closely.. shes very special like all the rest of my bullies.
I do not understand why it is not listed as a side effect.. i have searched this drug when she was first put on it.. Its very upsetting if this information is true.
I am very disappointed..

 

[2BullyMama]

thanks.. i will be talking with my vet now
.. this is very upsetting because she was so miserable that i cried for her, spent a lot of money, gave her allergy shots for long time and did many test,.. she has been through so much and this drug has been like what a lot of people say "a miracle".. it was so sad to watch her scratch, taking bath after bath, and when she wasn't bleeding from scratching she would just sit.. my heart ached from not knowing what else i could do.. when i switched vets and she put her on this drug i could not believe the results. she played and acted like a puppy again.. i was so happy to see her feel better. And yes, i cried again because of the time she lost from suffering..
i feel like i can't take that away from her now.. is it worth suffering again or shortening her life.. i'm not a cruel person. i won't let her suffer like she did before. we have weened her down to just one pill a day.. I will be watching her closely.. shes very special like all the rest of my bullies.
I do not understand why it is not listed as a side effect.. i have searched this drug when she was first put on it.. Its very upsetting if this information is true.
I am very disappointed..

As you said... weight the pros/cons. Get all the information you can and then decide what is best.

Most drugs are like this, it is just the first i heard of it... since i did not have a need i did not fully read up on it. I know with Rimadal (spelling ?) vets only want a dog on it fir short periods of time and if long term usage they will run blood and liver tests.


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[cefe13]

thanks.. i will be talking with my vet now
.. this is very upsetting because she was so miserable that i cried for her, spent a lot of money, gave her allergy shots for long time and did many test,.. she has been through so much and this drug has been like what a lot of people say "a miracle".. it was so sad to watch her scratch, taking bath after bath, and when she wasn't bleeding from scratching she would just sit.. my heart ached from not knowing what else i could do.. when i switched vets and she put her on this drug i could not believe the results. she played and acted like a puppy again.. i was so happy to see her feel better. And yes, i cried again because of the time she lost from suffering..
i feel like i can't take that away from her now.. is it worth suffering again or shortening her life.. i'm not a cruel person. i won't let her suffer like she did before. we have weened her down to just one pill a day.. I will be watching her closely.. shes very special like all the rest of my bullies.
I do not understand why it is not listed as a side effect.. i have searched this drug when she was first put on it.. Its very upsetting if this information is true.
I am very disappointed..

I understand the difficult situation. Although there appear to be potential risks of this drug, that it offers relief to Abbey is a positive thing and you must weigh that in. There are side effects of many drugs and I suppose the best thing to do is to weigh the positive effects against the risks involved. As far as I understand the text I read it doesn't say that dogs who take Apoquel will get tumours - what it says is that dogs on the drug should be monitored as their is an increased risk.

Thinking of you and Abbey and hoping that your vet will be able to help you with the facts and to decide what is the best course of action for Abbey.

 

[punky]

thanks.. gosh, i feel like a bad doggie parent sometimes.. i have decided, along with my vet, we will keep her on the drug and hopefully ween her from it completely soon.. shes still happy and plays more then i ever seen her play.. so as long as she feels good, i feel good.. gosh is this how it is being a parent to kids?, (i didn't have any) don't think i could of handled it.. this is bad enough.. lol..

 

[Katmarie]

I had 3 dogs on apoquel. The first one had allergies so bad he could barely function...he was a lab mix. It was a miracle for him. He was on it a year before he passed...he was pretty old. Then I had my Boston Terrier and Yorkie on it. Both on it for around a year. It messed up their immune systems bad. Both ended up getting fungal infections, ear infections, hair loss, a bloated look to bellies and stomach issues. It does take care of allergies, just use it sparingly. My dogs were on it everyday for almost a year...not good. I will always wonder if it contributed to the death of my Lab...probably so.

 

[Cali Doll]

Apoquel has been a life-saver for Bella, just like it's been for Abbey. Bella had gotten to the point where she would scratch constantly. It was all she did. She was miserable. Now, she's normal again. I give her 1/2 pill every day, which works most of the time. (I was doing one whole pill per day for a short while.)

I know the vet loves her enough to not risk her life. (They're the ones who told me to stop giving her one whole pill a day.)

Those side-effects are scary as hell, so I will monitor her. I'm very aware, though, that all meds (dog and human) have horrible side-effects as worst-case situations.

Thanks for the info. It's good to be aware.

Punky, you are NOT a bad parent. You love your dogs, that's obvious. If you're bad, I'm bad...and I'm not bad. LOL!