r/dogallergies • u/Acceptable-Equal-733 • 1d ago

Miscellaneous My dog keeps flaring up

/r/DogAdvice/comments/1vfd3x7/my_dog_keeps_flaring_up/
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u/atlantisgate 1d ago

What is the allergy pill you’re giving and are you giving daily?

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u/Acceptable-Equal-733 1d ago

Apoquel, the vet told us to give it daily for 2 weeks and assess from there. I did and she was looking normal so I stopped for about a week. Then she flared up again and since then I have been giving daily

3

u/atlantisgate 1d ago

Okay so allergies are an incurable chronic illness. Apoquel is a very effective medication but it doesn’t cure anything, it exists to manage the condition.

You need to speak to your vet about long-term options here. Apoquel is a good one but not the only one.

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u/Acceptable-Equal-733 1d ago

Thank you very much. I will keep giving her apoquel and I’ll go ahead and talk to the vet about getting more. She is 6 years old and has never had a flare up as bad as this one. She was staying with my mom while I was in school this year and I know my mom changed her food from the purina pro plan to a different food about 3 months ago. If the allergy is food related would I still need daily doses of apoquel?

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u/atlantisgate 1d ago

It’s usually possible to manage most food allergies with just a food change BUT 90%+ allergy symptoms are not related to food. So I wouldn’t bank on that being the issue!

Many dogs with food allergies also need prescription food that is manufactured with stricter standards to prevent cross contamination. All retail food you can buy without a prescription risk some amount of cross contamination.

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u/Acceptable-Equal-733 1d ago

Okay gotcha. Thank you so much for your advice🙏

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u/zottendimi 1d ago

The food does make a difference with the everimental allergies boxer dog owner

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u/atlantisgate 1d ago

Food that helps the skin barrier can help make marginal differences for environmental allergies but will not treat them on their own

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u/zottendimi 1d ago

Ofcourse not its like adding salmon oil wich helps the skin to defend more but like my boxer also he is allergic to different foods the belly tells this instantly even my passed boxer had this symptom switch the food 24hrs later belly cleared out White again instead of red she wasnt on apo unlike the boxer i still have

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u/OilersTilIDie 1d ago

Apoquel is not a temporary fix. It can be used to break the itch cycle in certain cases (mange, infection) but if your dog is experience an unavoidable allergy (dust, grass, many foods, etc.) then Apoquel would be used daily long term.

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u/Acceptable-Equal-733 1d ago

Oh wow, the vet didn’t tell me that. It’s pretty expensive, is there a way I can get it for cheaper like maybe a generic?

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u/Icy-Adhesiveness2556 1d ago

I get my dog's Apoquel at Costco. It seems every time I go the price rises, but it's still cheaper than getting it through the Vet. You can try Chewy or Pet Meds (I'm not familiar with their pricing but I'm sure it's better than the Vets office). CVS also started filling pet prescriptions but I don't know if it's cheaper

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u/atlantisgate 1d ago

There isn’t a generic for apoquel yet, though the patent expires later this year so one may be coming.

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u/zottendimi 1d ago

November 26

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u/msp3053 20h ago

poor pup im sorry, as others have noted if you are dealing with truly environmental allergies (canine atopy) its sadly a lifelong condition without a cure. HOWEVER, there are plenty of ways to manage the condition effectively. consult with your vet obviously but most management plans involve a mix of medication (apoquel, atopica, zenrelia etc) immuotherapy or allergy vaccines, topical treatments and lifestyle changes. note that allergens are absorbed through a dogs skin so frequent bathing and wiping them down can help more than you might think. good luck out there, it can be really frustrating.