This article warns pet owners of potential safety issues with Apoquel® (oclacitinib tablet), from Zoetis. It is indicated for the control of pruritus associated with allergic dermatitis and control of atopic dermatitis in dogs of at least 12 months of age.
Holistic veterinarian Deva Khalsa, VMD, expresses opinions about the product’s mode of action, its safety profile and its effect on the immune system. She offers alternatives and shares her frustrations. Khalsa assumes that veterinarians who prescribe Apoquel quit looking for the source of the allergy once the drug is dispensed.
Source: Dogs Naturally, April 15, 2016.
Apoquel is said to ease your dog’s itching in as little as 4 to 24 hours. And dog owners report that it does relieve their dogs’ itching. Before you expose your dog to the risks associated with this new drug, read on. And if your dog is already on Apoquel you’ll probably want to stop the drug as soon as you can, once you find out how it demolishes essential parts of your dog’s internal disease fighting systems.
INSIGHTS: Veterinary teams and their representatives need to discuss this article and how they approach allergic and atopic dermatitis in their practices. With more than 750,000 likes on Facebook, this magazine gets the eyes of pet owners. If Fluffy is still itching, there’s a pretty good chance that a client’s web search will find this article before they return to the clinic. Be prepared.