Hi All

I have been posting about Grace my rescued sheltie itching and scratching.  My vet recommended pills called Apoquel taken twice a day for 7 days and then once a day.  She has been taking them  for a couple of days but has vomited up each meal since. She is a good eater but then I am finding the vomited up remains soon after.  Must be the pills as she was fine before starting the course. The pills did relieve symptoms of itching etc.

Before that the vet gave Grace  a course of mild steroids which didn't upset her but didn't cure the problem either.  He said the alternative to the Apoquel are injections but they are hugely expensive like £150 a time and don't last long.

Has anyone else experienced these pills?  Is there anything else I can try?  She is a lovely dog and I want to do what  can to help her but I am retired and on limited resources. 

Grace is such a sweetie - I want to get on with my life with her asap!!  Any ideas will be helpfulx

My dog has been on immunotherapy  injections for the past 4 years . I am wondering if that is what he is meaning .
We are under a specialist and it took a while to identify  the correct allergens for.the immunotherapy but it has been very helpful .not perfect but pretty good and worth every penny . It costs around d £350 per year .
The other injection he is referring to could be cytopoint although that sounds a bit expensive as she isn't a big  breed.  It was about that for my gsd when we considered using it and I know its weight related.
People I know who have used it give good feedback . 
Just to add aquopel has more side effects than those above but I realise the cost may be against them .

If you google Apoquel and read reviews and info on it, you will find it's quite a dangerous drug because it is interacting with the immune system in an ongoing way - suppressing it... so it doesn't respond to allergens.

Of course, suppressing the immune system in turn has all kinds of effects such as increasing the risk of cancer and other diseases which the immune system would typically fight off...

Instead of treating the symptoms, really you/your vet should be working to identify the cause of the allergies (if that's what it is) so you can address things at source...

I agree with your comments about Apoquel.  I am surprised that the vet recommended it.  I stopped using it after Grace was sick.  I am still in contact with the lady who fostered her for a week after leaving the rescue kennels who  has shelties and has given me some good advice re diet etc.  Also said she thought that all the stress of the rescue kennels and being passed from pillar to post may well have caused some of the skin problems.  Today she seems more relaxed and isn't scratching, seems more lively in herself.  She also recommended the sort of kibble I should be feeding her.  Ah well onward and upward hopefully!

You might want to try a raw diet, as that's the most natural diet there is - it's pretty simple these days with lots of complete raws available on the market that you just have to put in the bowl :)

my dog reacted the same on apoquel and so I opted for the injection called cytopoint. it costs around £100 for my dog who weighs 27kg. Its amazing and stopped the itching straight away.
The info says lasts 4 weeks but each time he has had it it lasts way longer and normally 4-5mths. My friend also has her dog on it and again can last around 5 mths.

I would give it a go as its much better than apoquel and no side effects, don't be put off by the vet telling you it only lasts 4 weeks as it could be way longer.

You might want to research Cytopoint also. It knocks out the immune system, albeit in a slightly different way. This one and Apoquel are things I'd consider as a last resort. Good luck with your dog, hope things go well for you.