Dogs allergies are worse than ever!

[Lizbiz89]

So since my dogs last heat, her allergies have been terrible. She itches everywhere but worst of all her nipples. We have her on a strict fish diet and until now apart from a few flare ups she's been fine. I've been to the vets and they prescribed her steroids which completely cleared it up but now she's finished the course it's come straight back. The vet did mention apoquel. Has anyone tried this and did it work? She said it would be £100 a month!! Anyway looking online I've found a reputable pet website that will prescribe them for a fraction of the price (providing you have a prescription from your vet). I'm keen to give these a go but wondering if my vet will agree to just supplying the prescription. Anyway any suggestions would be really appreciated. I'm at my wits end 😫.

Have you looked at environmental allergies?

Grass and clover can cause a lot of skin reactions in dogs

@IngGenius it's definitely environmental allergies as she gets itchy exactly the same time of year every year. Only thing is now it's getting worse. I've just ordered All Itch Immunity treats as the reviews are good. Will see how I get on with these and if no good I will speak to the vets about apoquel.

I asked my vet for a prescription and he matched the online price. Would be worth asking if yours would do the same.
If not, I don't think they'd be able to deny you a prescription as they can't legally demand you buy it from them. I don't know that for sure but it's my thinking.

We had a dog that would rub herself raw from allergies. Once we worked out what it was it made life so much easier and we did not need to use apoquel anymore.

Her main allergy was clover so if we choose her walking spots carefully it was 100% better.

Hope you can get it sorted and make her more comfortable

Hi , at the practice i work at it is the norm for us to supply written prescriptions to the client to then buy the drug from an online supplier , i imagine most vets are happy to do the same , they are fully aware that it is cheaper for the client to get them this way.
Expect the vet to want to see your dog every few months according to their protocol , we have a moral and legal duty to do so when prescribing pom -prescription only medicine category drugs.
Also it may be worth asking your vet about monthly cytopoint injections for your dog instead of apoquel.
Most vets will not give a prescription for this ,it would be given by vet/nurse at a roughly monthly consult, the drug needs to be transported and stored correctly or its efficacy may be compromised - we do get the odd request from a client who wants to do give it diy .

Thank you everyone for your replies.

@tsmainsqueeze thank you for your insight. I'm going to try her on these anti itch immunity treats and keep using the shampoo the vet has prescribed. If we still don't see an improvement I will speak to the vets about apoquel and the injections. Ideally I don't want her on any long term meds because she is only 2 but if she is uncomfortable than I see no other alternative.

Another thing that might helps is a summer allergy body suit. It may help just to rule out certain allergies eg if dog lying on the grass etc. Your dog may hate me for such a suggestion

allergy body suits

Mine has environmental allergy issues and is now on the Cytopoint and it's been miraculous for him.

It's a monoclonal antibody which means it's a copy of something their body already produces. That means there's almost no occurrence of side effects or issues with it compared to apoquel, which the body has to "process".

My dog has allergies, has your vet suggested allergy tests to see what is causing it? .
We give him apoquel and it has helped a lot.
Also might be worth looking at cytopoint injections too. (they worked initially on our dog, but then didn't, but it does work for a lot of dogs)

You can give dogs piriton - speak to your vet and ask about dosage.
I would wipe your dog down after every walk as that may help get rid of any pollen.

Thanks everyone for your replies. Currently trying her on these anti itch tablets but she's gone back to biting and scratching herself to death. Going to ring vets today to discuss treatments as I can't take much more 😫. She itches all through the night which is a nightmare for me and can't be very enjoyable for her either.

I was told by the dermatologist vet that the anti itch ‘treats/ tablets don’t work.
definitely speak to your vet about cytopoint or apoquel.

When you say she’s on fish do you mean kibble?
Lots of kibbles (including prescription) cause or exacerbate allergies as all the goodness and flavour is removed from the food while processing, then added artificially afterwards.
Can you put her on a good quality raw? You’ll likely be amazed at the difference.

@Hmmmbetterchangethis she's on raw fish and grain free salmon and trout kibble. And tbh she's been on this for a couple of years and have been fine. These reactions only kick off from may to September which makes me believe they're environmental. I also got her allergy tested and although she has some intolerances eg milk etc, her allergies seemed mostly to like with external factors. But I'm going to phone vets today and see if they can give me a prescription of apoquel which I can purchase online. So much cheaper than the £100 a month they're charging!

My dog had been on Apoquel since we got her aged 5. She was covered in bald patches and scratching herself raw all the time.
We also tried Cytopoint which worked amazingly for nearly a year, then just stopped. So she’s back to Apoquel.
Right now she’s having a flare up so we have a spray steroid to put on the sore areas.

My dog is allergic to many different types of pollen and dust mites. She didn’t respond to Cytopoint at all and so is on Apoquel daily. It work’s brilliantly. Also we have no carpets in the house and hoover very frequently to keep dust mites down.

Can’t remember all the details but Vince the Vet had an article/info about allergies. On website

@magicstar1 what's the steroid spray you have? Is it prescription only? I hoover daily but we do live on a hill in a Victorian house so dust is unavoidable unfortunately and that is one of her main allergies. Was hoping to go down the natural route but I don't think I'm going to be able to avoid the medical route unfortunately. I can't leave her this uncomfortable.

One of our dogs is on Apoquel for allergies. It really helps a lot. I get it dispensed by the vet, as it is reimbursed by insurance.

If you can, consider asking the vet to dispense a small amount so you can get started while you wait for the written prescription and online pharmacy to post to you. The price of the pills will depend on the dose. My dog is 13kg so needs half a 16mg pill daily. This is slightly more than he should have for his weight, but the next dose down of 5.4mg wasn't helping enough.

If not given in a consultation, our vet charges £19 for a written prescription and you have to request 10 days in advance. I use this service for our flea pills as it is a lot cheaper to order them online.

It's a prednisolone spray. The vet prescribed it as the tablet makes my dog wet herself and gives her an upset stomach (she really is prone to react to everything, the poor girl).

We have her mainly on fish too, as she's allergic to chicken. We couldn't try raw as by the time we got her, it was too late to change. Raw makes her throw it all back up unfortunately.
If you need treats / snacks, the best ones are from Homesavers (I'm in Ireland), which is B&M Bargains in the UK. They have a range called Fishermans Dog, and have Cod Knots which are dried cod skins, as well as salmon based treats. All the dogs love them, and they're great quality!

@magicstar1 thanks I'll ask the vet about that spray and go to b&m for treats next time.

@hedgehoglurker I will definitely go down that route if the vet recommends apoquel. My dog weighs the same as yours as well. I cannot justify £100 a month when I can get it online for a fraction of the cost.

I wish I could get Apoquel online, but as I'm in Ireland I can't. It costs me €140 per month!

Do check out different online pharmacies as prices can vary, but Apoquel is fairly expensive. So glad that it is covered by our ongoing insurance claim for itchy ears, Otitis Externa, and hasn't yet affected the premium, but pup is only 3yrs currently.

My Lab Is on apoquel for seasonal allergies and takes tablets May-Oct
I get them from Animed, slightly cheaper than the vet but like you say you need a prescription first which was £15
The tablets work instantly, before them he scratched himself raw needing antibiotics. Couldn't cope with them! Although there is a monthly injection apparently but costs £££

@TwinkleTwinkleLittleCat my frenchie is the same. May through October with allergies. They've prescribed 2 weeks of steroids to take the reaction away and I'm going to see how these natural anti itch tablets work. If by the end of it, she's still itching I will go down the apoquel.

We tried piriton with no success. Steroids worked but as soon as they finished the itching comes back .