Apoquel for Dogs: How the Medicine Calms My Pet’s Allergies
Key takeaways:
As a puppy, Andrea Tortora’s dog Daisy began constantly licking and biting her red, irritated paws. Daisy had repeated ear infections and developed a scaly patch of skin on her back.
After trying various anti-inflammatory treatments on Daisy for almost a year, their vet prescribed Apoquel.
Daisy now takes Apoquel daily, with great results and no side effects.
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Our spaniel mix, Daisy, spends some time every day licking and gnawing at her paws. To keep her allergy-related itchiness and irritation at bay, she takes a daily dose of Apoquel for dogs.
It took some time to figure out what worked best for her symptoms. Daisy’s been taking Apoquel for 2 years. We haven’t noticed any negative side effects.
Daisy joined our family in June 2020 when she was 6 months old. We adopted her, our second dog, at the suggestion of our veterinarian. Our older Great Pyrenees mix, Trixie, was struggling to stay active after a knee surgery. The vet said being around another dog might encourage Trixie to move more. He was right.
Our shy pandemic puppy came to us from a no-kill shelter. She was already chipped, fixed, and potty-trained. She liked spending time in her crate. She was easy to manage.
For the first month, Daisy preferred hiding out under the dining room table or in the backyard with her canine sibling. The two became fast friends. Daisy also enjoys walks and quickly learned how to behave on a leash.
After she warmed up to us and her new surroundings, I began to see her quirks.
Excessive paw-biting and paw-licking
The most noticeable was how often Daisy licked and bit her paws and chomped on her toenails. My initial thought was, “Great, she trims her own toenails!”
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When the licking became excessive, we asked the vet about it.
He thought it could be an infection. Her paws were red between her toes. He prescribed some medicine, which did help.
After about a month, Daisy started attacking her feet again. And scratching at her ears.
This time, when we visited the vet, Daisy had an ear infection. Our vet thought something in the grass or air might be irritating her paws, causing environmental allergies. He prescribed an anti-allergy shot and ear medicine.
Both did the trick. But after about 3 months, we were back at the vet for the same issues. By now, it was early fall. Our vet suggested we wipe off Daisy’s paws every time she came inside after being outside. He also prescribed more medicine for her ears and gave her another anti-inflammatory shot.
The treatments did seem to help. As we went into winter, Daisy’s symptoms subsided.
Finding a spring in her step
Daisy’s itchy paws returned with spring. She got another shot for her irritated feet and medicine for another ear infection.
When the shot wore off, we were back at the vet’s office. Daisy also developed a new symptom. She had a patch of flaky, dry skin on her back, right above her tail. She spent a lot of time scratching this spot of doggie dandruff.
This time, the doctor recommended Apoquel for 2 weeks, to see how she might tolerate it. She took 8 mg twice a day. The medicine definitely worked. Daisy paid less attention to her feet and wasn’t scratching her ears. She didn’t experience any side effects. She ate well and was her usual active self.
We also added an omega-3 fatty acid supplement to her food. That patch of scaly skin began to heal.
When the script for Apoquel ran out, Daisy’s symptoms returned.
Worth the cost
When I took Daisy back to the vet for a recheck, we talked about how to manage what seemed to be allergy-related symptoms. He suggested keeping her on a daily dose of Apoquel.
Daisy, who weighs 45 pounds, now takes 8 mg (half a 16 mg pill) once a day. I usually give it to her with breakfast in a dab of peanut butter.
The medicine can be expensive. When I fill Daisy’s prescription at our vet’s office, I typically pay $140 for a month’s supply. I can get a discount by purchasing the medication on Chewy.com. Zoetis, the maker of Apoquel, also offers a rewards program. When you submit your receipt online, it loads funds onto a rebate card that can be used at any vet’s office.
Apoquel was a game-changer for Daisy. The scaly patch of skin on her back disappeared and hasn’t returned.
Her paws bother her less often. She does still lick between her toes, but not in the excessive way she used to. And the spaces between her paw pads are no longer red and irritated.
Daisy also hasn’t had an ear infection since she started taking Apoquel every day.
Side effects are not an issue for her. She still eats well, is treat-motivated and is full of energy.
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