Is it safe to give my dog Benadryl with Apoquel for itching?

Hello and thank you for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. It looks like an allergy. Apoquel is an effective medication for excessive skin itchiness, it is a safe drug and it does not have many side effects. If you continue to use Apoquel for the next few days, Ben will most likely get better. For a relief in the meantime, you can use a soothing oatmeal shampoo.

Hi and thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Good question regarding Apoquel. Apoquel use along with many other medications has been evaluated and antibiotics with Apoquel shouldn't have any drug interactions. So please go ahead and continue the Apoquel as directed for her allergies. I hope Rae recovers well from her surgery.

While it is safe to give these two medications together I'd check in with your vet before proceeding to make sure it is safe for Izzie specifically. Also, it may not be necessary to add in an antihistamine if the Apoquel is doing it's job.

Benadryl can be given to dogs to treat allergies but it is always best to check with your vet before giving medications. Since your vet knows your dogs complete medical history, he/she would know if there is a contraindication to giving any medications. Dogs with allergies can also develop secondary bacterial infection that may require an antibiotic, corticosteroid, and/or an anti-histamine to treat. If her signs persist or worsen then she should be seen by a vet to determine the best way to treat. There is also an allergy medication called Apoquel that works very well in controlling allergies in dogs. You could also switch to a completely hypoallergenic diet, like z/d, and see if that helps, too. Bathing her with a medicated dog shampoo, like Epi-Soothe, may also help.

The drug information for Apoquel states that no specific drug interactions have been reported. From Plumb's Veterinary Drug Handbook: "Marketing information from the drug sponsor states that oclacitinib has been safely used in conjunction with other common medications including vaccines, NSAIDs, antibiotics, parasiticides, anticonvulsants, and allergen immunotherapy (Anon 2013b), but this information could not be found on the drug label." I would be ok with using these two medications together with that information.

Hi, thanks for using PetCoach! While apoquel is a great drug to stop scratching and to help atopic dermatitis it doesn't do anything in the face of a skin infection. Coco should be checked to see if she now has a yeast and or bacterial skin infection. There is also the option of doing an injection for scratching called cytopoint, which lasts 30-60 days (dog dependent). I would also consider adding Omega 3 fish oils and changing her diet to a non-chicken based novel protein diet (try venison, lamb, fish). Claritin, benadryl and zyrtec can be sued in dogs, see links below: https://www.petcoach.co/canigive/dog/benadryl/ https://www.petcoach.co/canigive/dog/zyrtec/ https://www.petcoach.co/canigive/dog/claritin/ https://www.vrshealth.com/canine-products/omegadog/ https://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=15235

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! There is no information in the literature on the use of these medications together longterm. In my experience, this has been well-tolerated and has not caused any adverse events in my patients. Good luck and best wishes!