Is Cytopoint safe for long-term use in dogs? What are the risks?

Hi there and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to address your concern. I have several patients that have been on it for a little over a year now and seem to be doing quite well on it. The one thing we routinely monitor is a complete blood count to make sure the immune system is not being suppressed, which Apoquel has been known to do in some patients. Other than that, I really do not see any other side effects of using Apoquel. I hope this helps! Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further.

Hi and thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Sorry to hear about Tiny. I'm not sure anyone can answer that question and the best thing to do is to call the manufacturer of Apoquel and talk with their veterinary consultant team. I'm not sure we have any long term studies on this drug in dogs. Here's the info I copied from the Zoetis website regarding contact information- PRODUCT SUPPORT If you have product-related questions or wish to report an adverse event associated with a Zoetis product, including a human exposure, please contact our Veterinary Medical Information & Product Support Team at 1-888-ZOETIS-1 or 1-888-963-8471 I would advise also discussing with your veterinarian or a Zoetis veterinarian, other treatments for dogs with allergies. These can include medicated bathing, fish oil, antihistamines, corticosteroids, allergy shots, etc. Good luck with Tiny. Allergies can be very challenging but with good care they can be controlled quite well. Also a good flea and tick medicine should be part of the overall treatment.

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! There is some risk with cytopoint and apoquel causing some immunosuppression. A lot of times owners are between a rock and a hard place and need the drug to keep the pet comfortable and maintain a good quality of life. I recommend every 6 month blood work and exams on dogs that take cytopoint or apoquel regularly. You can consider allergy testing Goldbear with a dermatologist and see if there is an allergy vaccine that may help him. I would also consider a prescription hydrolyzed diet like Royal Canin HP or Ultimino, Hill's z/d or Purina HA. Ears and skin are linked with allergies. GoldBear may have an ear infection, so I would have your Vet do an ear cytology and check or a bacterial and/or yeast infection. If he has an infection then the Vet can prescribe medicated drops to add the the ear cleanings. I hope this helps and I wish Goldbear the best!

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Yes, it appears to be. We have to keep allergic dogs on it longterm as it improves their quality of life so much. You can always use it on an as needed basis as there will be times of the year perhaps winter when his allergies will not be as significant. Good luck and have a great day!

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Apoquel can result in a higher propensity of developing infections and the other concerning possible side effect is the higher chance of development of cancer that we think may happen with this drug. For this reason, usually I recommend using it on as needed basis and stopping it when the itch resolves. In theory, if the main cause of the itch is being addressed, such as treating allergies for example, you may not need to use Apoquel long term. Good luck and have a great day!

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! This is possibly due to allergies. It really comes down to figuring out what is causing her allergies so that they can be treated or the specific allergen avoided. A secondary infection is likely and also needs to be addressed. The main reason the signs returned is that the allergic component needs to still be dealt with on top of giving the injection. There are many things that can cause allergies though in most cases they can be broken down into 3 big categories: flea, food and environmental allergies. Allergies are usually worked up in a stepwise fashion starting with flea allergies as this is the easiest and cheapest to take care of. If not on a flea preventative, then it would be a good idea to get started on one. If already on one then it would be a good idea to change to something else (there are many new products out in the market). If not improved in 1-3 months then it is time to move on and check for food allergies by switching to a novel diet (new protein and new carbohydrate). If that does not seem to be the issue then you are left out having to check for environmental allergies which require blood and/or skin tests. Allergies can be very frustrating to deal with at first but so rewarding at the end when we are able to treat them effectively!

The shot was likely cytopoint. Depending on the dog sometimes the shot works better and sometimes the pill works better. I even have some patients that need both to help control their allergies. If you feel like the pill worked better then I would contact you vet for a prescription of apoquel for her as well. I think it is perfectly safe for her to have apoquel on a long term basis as long as she has no other medical issues. You can talk to ypur vet in more details about whether or not she is okay to stay in apoquel long term. I hope this helps!