# Latte is on new medication for itchy skin



## elaina (Jul 1, 2008)

i'm very excited about this new medication the Vet put Latte on. I took her and my yorkie to the Vet on Tuesday for there annual check up / heartworm tests. Latte weighed 3 pounds 1 ounce , so she did lose a tiny bit of weight but I could easily get her to gain... I may get a few more ounces on her. I've increased her food a little. 

anyways.. back to Latte and her itchy skin... she has terrible allergies. Tootsie has allergies also, but Latte is much much worse and I feel like I've tried everything. elimination diet, coconut oil, fish oil, washing things like the floor with just plain vinegar and water, special laundry soap that has no fragrance, ect. ect, ect..... only thing that has given her relief is steroids which I know is bad for her longterm and she's a very young dog, so I don't want to do that. I have her wearing all in ones all the time to protect her skin so she doesn't make it all red and raw. it does really help but she's always itchy. still , she is a happy dog... always wagging her tail and wanting to play with me and her sisters

well, the Vet told me about this pill he wants to put Latte on and i'm very excited about it. its called *APOQUEL* For anyone who's curious, just google it and you will get some info. He has been waiting for it to come in for months and on Tuesday he said he was expecting it in but not sure cause he's been expecting it for a long time. 
I got a call on Friday that it came in. I picked it up this morning and she got her first dose today and will get her second dose this evening and will be on it for alittle over 2 weeks and then he wants to see her back. 
apparently, this is getting fantastic reviews. its been available in the UK for a couple years and only just recently in the US and now its on backorder for almost everyone.. so, its very hard to get right now. I feel very lucky that the Vet chose for Latte to be on it. 
will keep you posted on how she does .


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## ChiChiLove (Feb 4, 2013)

I have heard some amazing things about this medication! The vets I work with are excited to get some of our chronic allergy patients on it. Especially those who do poorly on Atopica. 
Good luck! Let me know how Latte does with it!


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## debrawade10 (Oct 10, 2013)

That med sounds very promising Elaine....hoping for great results!


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## Zorana1125 (Oct 24, 2010)

Elaine I'm so excited for Latte to try that new medication! I know you have tried everything for her allergies. How is it going so far? Lola is a constant paw licker and pillow/bed/blanket licker, I think from allergies too so I would be interested in possibly trying it too! Hoping for great results! 

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## lulu'smom (Jan 4, 2012)

I'm anxious to see if this helps Latte. I certainly hope so for her sake.  Please keep us posted. Also, I know keeping a T-shirt help with them scratching themselves so much that they draw blood or make themselves raw, but does it help with pollen and such getting on their fur and causing the irritation in the first place? Lulu is scratching a lot right now but not so much that she is making herself raw, but I wondered if a shirt would keep irritants off of her. She hates shirts, but I may consider making her wear one as the lesser of the evil if it keeps her from scratching so much.


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## elaina (Jul 1, 2008)

ChiChiLove said:


> I have heard some amazing things about this medication! The vets I work with are excited to get some of our chronic allergy patients on it. Especially those who do poorly on Atopica.
> Good luck! Let me know how Latte does with it!
> 
> 
> Sent from Petguide.com Free App


Thank you ! i'm going to post updates on this thread as to how she's doing


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## elaina (Jul 1, 2008)

debrawade10 said:


> That med sounds very promising Elaine....hoping for great results!


Thanks Deb ! this seems too good to be true. I am very happy and hoping this works for us


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## elaina (Jul 1, 2008)

Zorana1125 said:


> Elaine I'm so excited for Latte to try that new medication! I know you have tried everything for her allergies. How is it going so far? Lola is a constant paw licker and pillow/bed/blanket licker, I think from allergies too so I would be interested in possibly trying it too! Hoping for great results!
> 
> Sent from Petguide.com Free App


Thanks Zorana ! I really had given up hope that I could find anything to help her. this is so exciting for me and makes me so happy. 
She is doing fantastic right now. I took her to the Vets on Tuesday. that's when my Vet told me about the Apoquel. he had never had this med before and was expecting it any day but was suspicious that he may not receive it cause he's been waiting along time for it. its backordered everywhere and a lot want to get there dogs on it but c2ant cause its not available everywhere. 

anyways... he wanted to first give Latte a shot at her appointment to get her started on feeling better. it was a steroid shot which I know long term is not good but I figured just this one time wouldn't hurt. its called Vetalog 2mg/ml .
she immediately was relieved and stopped her itching. he told me the shot would only last a few days. 
she started on the pills yesterday. 1/4 of the lowest dose Apoquel 2 times a day. so, she's got 3 doses of it so far. Still no itching !!! . 
but I don't know if she's still got effects from that Vetalog shot she got , or if the Apoquel is really working . 
we have an appointment 2 weeks from Tuesday so he can look at her skin and will then give me more Apoquel. 

will keep you posted on this thread about how she's doing


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## elaina (Jul 1, 2008)

lulu'smom said:


> I'm anxious to see if this helps Latte. I certainly hope so for her sake.  Please keep us posted. Also, I know keeping a T-shirt help with them scratching themselves so much that they draw blood or make themselves raw, but does it help with pollen and such getting on their fur and causing the irritation in the first place? Lulu is scratching a lot right now but not so much that she is making herself raw, but I wondered if a shirt would keep irritants off of her. She hates shirts, but I may consider making her wear one as the lesser of the evil if it keeps her from scratching so much.


thanks Tina . 

have you tried a sleeveless shirt. I think a lot of dogs are a lot more comfy in sleeveless. I don't know if it would help protect against pollen... seems like it might. couldn't hurt anyways. but I keep a shirt on Tootsie to protect her skin from getting irritated. Tootsie wont scratch herself as bad as Latte does, but still I think her skin does get irritated if she's not wearing a shirt


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## lulu'smom (Jan 4, 2012)

elaina said:


> thanks Tina .
> 
> have you tried a sleeveless shirt. I think a lot of dogs are a lot more comfy in sleeveless. I don't know if it would help protect against pollen... seems like it might. couldn't hurt anyways. but I keep a shirt on Tootsie to protect her skin from getting irritated. Tootsie wont scratch herself as bad as Latte does, but still I think her skin does get irritated if she's not wearing a shirt


No, I only have 1 T-shirt and it has sleeves. Lulu doesn't like clothes, so I really don't have but a few sweaters and the thermal I got from you. I'll have to see about a sleeveless T-shirt.


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## Jayda (Jun 15, 2012)

I hope this does the trick for Latte......however, she always looks adorable in her all in ones!


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## Javier'sMommy (Jan 20, 2013)

We were given Apoquel for Francesca back in February/March because she had some sort of horrible allergic reaction to something that caused her belly to become so red, inflamed & leather-like that she was miserable & seeing her like that, just broke our hearts. The first time she was seen for it, the vet did a scraping & said she had a bacterial & fungal infection so she was treated with 2 different antibiotics & a special shampoo. The 2nd time he sent a sample to the lab but it was negative so we saw the dermatologist. He said it was a contact allergy since it was only on her belly & no place else but didn't want to put her through all the testing to pinpoint the allergen. So, he prescribed Apoquel & suggested we cover our furniture with cotton sheets. We were soooo excited when her belly cleared up & fur started to regrow. The Apoquel was a life saver & even though we still don't know what the offending allergen is, we did uncover our furniture last week & so far, so good. I would whole heartedly recommend Apoquel for any fur babies having skin allergies that aren't treated by other methods. 

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## elaina (Jul 1, 2008)

Jayda said:


> I hope this does the trick for Latte......however, she always looks adorable in her all in ones!


thanks Lynda ... she really does love to wear all clothes and those all in ones have helped protect her skin from getting all red and irritated. 
so far so good on this new med but i'm thinking she is still getting effects from the shot the Vet gave her on Tuesday , so its been 1 week since she got that shot. I read somewhere that that shot can last up to 14 days, so , the true test I think is after next Tues to see if the new med is working


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## elaina (Jul 1, 2008)

Javier'sMommy said:


> We were given Apoquel for Francesca back in February/March because she had some sort of horrible allergic reaction to something that caused her belly to become so red, inflamed & leather-like that she was miserable & seeing her like that, just broke our hearts. The first time she was seen for it, the vet did a scraping & said she had a bacterial & fungal infection so she was treated with 2 different antibiotics & a special shampoo. The 2nd time he sent a sample to the lab but it was negative so we saw the dermatologist. He said it was a contact allergy since it was only on her belly & no place else but didn't want to put her through all the testing to pinpoint the allergen. So, he prescribed Apoquel & suggested we cover our furniture with cotton sheets. We were soooo excited when her belly cleared up & fur started to regrow. The Apoquel was a life saver & even though we still don't know what the offending allergen is, we did uncover our furniture last week & so far, so good. I would whole heartedly recommend Apoquel for any fur babies having skin allergies that aren't treated by other methods.
> 
> 
> 
> Sent from Petguide.com Free App


thank you for posting your great results with this new med. i'm curious... how much does Franchesca weigh and what dose was she on ? did you start seeing results right away after giving her the pill, or did it take awhile before you saw results ? 

( I believe there are 3 strengths of Apoquel . Latte takes the lowest strength. She only weighed 3 pounds 1 ounce at the Vets on Tuesday . she gets 1/4 of a pill , 2 times a day. and its very had to quarter the pill cause its tiny and its not round . its oval shaped. its easy to break it in half because of the score in the middle, but so hard to quarter it. I use a single edge razor blade and I know I don't get a perfect quarter but I do my best )


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## Javier'sMommy (Jan 20, 2013)

Francesca weighs right at 4 lbs. & she took the lowest dose, 1/2 tablet twice daily for 2 weeks then for the next 2 weeks, she took 1/2 tablet once daily. We started noticing a difference within a day & it was amazing! By the end of the first 2 weeks, her skin was completely cleared up. The dermatologist wanted to go ahead & do the next 2 weeks @ a lower dose as a temporary, maintenance round to see if she would stay clear or if she would have a breakthrough reaction. This allowed him to be able to kind of guage how bad the allergy is without subjecting her to a bunch of tests. She had no breakthrough reaction with the lower dose so if she needs to take it daily, she can. She took her last pill April 2nd & hasn't had any issues since. We did keep our furniture covered up until last week, when one of our babies decided to potty on the couch so the sheets had to be washed & the couch cleaned. I just didn't recover anything to see if she would have a reaction & so far, she hasn't. At this point, it doesn't appear that her allergy is so bad that she needs to take the Apoquel everyday but if she has a reaction, it can be given as a fast acting treatment for relief. We still don't know what she's allergic to, we just know that it's a contact allergy because it was only in her belly...so, it has to be something she lays on & the dermatologist said it was highly unlikely it could be laundry soap, dog shampoo or anything that would be rinsed or ingested. That left us with their beds, blankets & our furniture. Since they've had the same beds & blankets from day 1 with no issues, that left our furniture. Which, Francesca had started spending more time on as she likes to lay on the arm of my reclining chair with me so... I hope this helps anyone who might be trying to decide whether or not to try Apoquel. Also, the dermatologist she sees, had participated in one of the studies they had done for this drug & he has 2 chihuahuas himself so that made me feel very comfortable with Francesca taking it. 

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## woodard2009 (Aug 4, 2010)

Something that you weren't allergic to yesterday does not mean you won't be allergic to it today. Bodies and immune systems change. Most dogs start exhibiting allergic reactions around the age of 3. When my chi first started, I thought it was food related, but come to find out that it's mostly environmental and different foods can make it worse. I have stopped giving any medication because it's all short-term relief. I've done everything for this chi to help. Finally, the best thing I have done is keep her rubbed done with coconut, give Antronex or Benedryl depending on how bad she is and keep a sleeveless shirt on. I do feed raw and give ester-c, vit. e, coconut oil, etc. I have hardwood floors thru out and make my own laundry detergent. I also run an air purifier when the windows aren't open.
Steroid shots can last up to two weeks, but are very hard on the liver and internal organs, so I'd limit them as much as possible. 
I hope this medicine works for your baby. Please keep us updated.


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## elaina (Jul 1, 2008)

Javier'sMommy said:


> Francesca weighs right at 4 lbs. & she took the lowest dose, 1/2 tablet twice daily for 2 weeks then for the next 2 weeks, she took 1/2 tablet once daily. We started noticing a difference within a day & it was amazing! By the end of the first 2 weeks, her skin was completely cleared up. The dermatologist wanted to go ahead & do the next 2 weeks @ a lower dose as a temporary, maintenance round to see if she would stay clear or if she would have a breakthrough reaction. This allowed him to be able to kind of guage how bad the allergy is without subjecting her to a bunch of tests. She had no breakthrough reaction with the lower dose so if she needs to take it daily, she can. She took her last pill April 2nd & hasn't had any issues since. We did keep our furniture covered up until last week, when one of our babies decided to potty on the couch so the sheets had to be washed & the couch cleaned. I just didn't recover anything to see if she would have a reaction & so far, she hasn't. At this point, it doesn't appear that her allergy is so bad that she needs to take the Apoquel everyday but if she has a reaction, it can be given as a fast acting treatment for relief. We still don't know what she's allergic to, we just know that it's a contact allergy because it was only in her belly...so, it has to be something she lays on & the dermatologist said it was highly unlikely it could be laundry soap, dog shampoo or anything that would be rinsed or ingested. That left us with their beds, blankets & our furniture. Since they've had the same beds & blankets from day 1 with no issues, that left our furniture. Which, Francesca had started spending more time on as she likes to lay on the arm of my reclining chair with me so... I hope this helps anyone who might be trying to decide whether or not to try Apoquel. Also, the dermatologist she sees, had participated in one of the studies they had done for this drug & he has 2 chihuahuas himself so that made me feel very comfortable with Francesca taking it.
> 
> Sent from Petguide.com Free App


wow, this is great to hear that you got such fantastic results . thanks for posting !


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## elaina (Jul 1, 2008)

woodard2009 said:


> Something that you weren't allergic to yesterday does not mean you won't be allergic to it today. Bodies and immune systems change. Most dogs start exhibiting allergic reactions around the age of 3. When my chi first started, I thought it was food related, but come to find out that it's mostly environmental and different foods can make it worse. I have stopped giving any medication because it's all short-term relief. I've done everything for this chi to help. Finally, the best thing I have done is keep her rubbed done with coconut, give Antronex or Benedryl depending on how bad she is and keep a sleeveless shirt on. I do feed raw and give ester-c, vit. e, coconut oil, etc. I have hardwood floors thru out and make my own laundry detergent. I also run an air purifier when the windows aren't open.
> Steroid shots can last up to two weeks, but are very hard on the liver and internal organs, so I'd limit them as much as possible.
> I hope this medicine works for your baby. Please keep us updated.


thanks Lisa,
I do hope this Apoquel works for Latte. she got the sterioid shot on Tuesday morning , so, its been about 1 week and 1 day so far and she is getting her apoquel too. so, I guess the real test is to see how she's doing after the shot wears off and I don't know if it has worn off yet but I guess by this coming Tuesday , it should be worn off and she will still be getting apoquel. 

Lattes allergies are year round. if this works for her , it will be something that she will be kept on all the time. I wont be letting the Vet give her anymore steroid shots. i'll keep ya updated on this thread as to how she's doing . 
so far... no scratching at all . alittle paw licking , but that's nothing compared to what she used to do. she's not making herself all irritated any more . if this apoquel works I will be the happiest person in the world !!!


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## Javier'sMommy (Jan 20, 2013)

You are correct about being able to develop or overcome an allergy at any point, as I developed seasonal allergies about 6 years ago & asthma about 3 years ago & I'm now 41. Where Francesca was concerned, it was more about the fact that nothing had changed except her spending more time on the furniture & in hindsight, that was around the same time she started having an issue. In an effort to prevent her from having to go through allergy testing, the dermatologist wanted to try the process of elimination first, especially since her belly was the only part of her affected. It was not easy for us to see her so uncomfortable because her skin was so bad, she struggled to lay down or do anything else & undoubtedly, she was exhausted because she didn't sleep well because of it. It was horrible but luckily, the Apoquel was a life saver & in no time she was back to her wiggly butt self. I wish I could find a picture of her belly. If I do, I'll post it. 

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## intent2smile (Dec 4, 2011)

Looking forward to seeing how Latte does on her new medication!!! Keeping my fingers crossed it goes well.

Jaxx has always been an itchy dog and we know it is environmental allergies but I chose not to do the steroid shots my vet wanted to do. Jaxx doesn't itch his skin raw or anything he is just scratches a lot. It doesn't seem to bother him though and since steroids were the only treatment my vet wanted to do he has just been a itchy dog but he doesn't seem to mind. I think I am going to ask Opie's vet, she hasn't seen Jaxx yet, about this and other options and see if she has any other options other than steroids.

I think we are going to have allergy problems with Opie too because he is constantly sneezing when we go outside.

Good luck with the new medication!!! I really hope it works.


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## elaina (Jul 1, 2008)

intent2smile said:


> Looking forward to seeing how Latte does on her new medication!!! Keeping my fingers crossed it goes well.
> 
> Jaxx has always been an itchy dog and we know it is environmental allergies but I chose not to do the steroid shots my vet wanted to do. Jaxx doesn't itch his skin raw or anything he is just scratches a lot. It doesn't seem to bother him though and since steroids were the only treatment my vet wanted to do he has just been a itchy dog but he doesn't seem to mind. I think I am going to ask Opie's vet, she hasn't seen Jaxx yet, about this and other options and see if she has any other options other than steroids.
> 
> ...


Thanks Amy ! so far, Latte has been doing great !! no more scratching, its amazing . its been over 1 week 4 days since she got the vetalog shot and its been over 1 week since she started taking the Apoquel. i'm hoping that the Apoquel is working and her not scratching is not because of the shot anymore. I talked to the Vet tech and she said it'd be unlikely that at this point the shot is still working but I have read that it can last up to 2 weeks. So, the real test will be to see if she scratches on Tuesday and after. 

Tootsie has an allergy problem too, but no where near as bad as Latte. Latte would make her skin red and raw and it would bleed. that's why I had to keep the all in ones on her, so she couldn't do that to her skin. 
Tootsie scratches a lot but doesn't make her skin get irritated really at all. 
I would love for Tootsie to also get relief from her itchy skin and will ask the Vet about Apoquel for her but i'm thinking that he wont put her on it cause I think he only has a limited supply of it. Maybe in the future when it becomes more available, i'll be able to put Tootsie on it


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## Zorana1125 (Oct 24, 2010)

Oh Elaine I am so so excited and happy that little Latte is doing great on her new medication! I bet you are finally relieved! Yay Latte!! 🎉

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## elaina (Jul 1, 2008)

Zorana1125 said:


> Oh Elaine I am so so excited and happy that little Latte is doing great on her new medication! I bet you are finally relieved! Yay Latte!! &#55356;&#57225;
> 
> Sent from Petguide.com Free App


Thanks Zorana ! so far now it has been 2 weeks and one day since the Vetalog shot ( which has a steroid in it ) was given to Latte. so, according to what I have heard, it now should be completely out of her system and no longer helping her. 
it has been one week and 4 days since she stared the Apoquel. in the past few days, I have seen her scratching a little and she also has been licking her paws for more then a few days... maybe a week or so. 
But... all in all, there is a huge improvement. she doesn't irritate her skin like she was doing before. just alittle scratching and licking , but not bad at all. 
We have an appointment this coming Tuesday. I will need more Apoquel, and we'll see how she's doing then and what the Vet has to say


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## elaina (Jul 1, 2008)

*Lattes Progress*

Latte went to back the animal hospitial for her recheck appointment with her Doctor on Tuesday, May 20.

any effects from the Vetalog shot that she got ( a steroid shot ), was totally out of her system long before May 20. probably even before May 13. 

so, the Apoquel has been working for her !! 

its not perfect, but a Huge improvement !! I do still see her scratching some and licking some but not anywhere near close to how she was before. 

her Doctor cut her dose in half to 1/4 of an Apoquel a day ( its the lowest strength pill they make cause I believe there are at least 2 or 3 strengths ) 
I wasn't too happy about cutting her dose in half cause I have been seeing her scratch some , so why would he do that ??? he said that they say they will be more itchy with the transition, but they get used to it after awhile. 

so, she has been on the lower dose now for 4 days. so far, so good !!! she does still scratch some and lick some and I do still keep clothes on her but there is a huge improvement still . 

I have to bring her back on June 3 for another recheck.

this is like a dream come true for me. its just amazing !!! I am so happy so far with the results of this Med. 
i'd even like to get my other dog who has allergies ( Tootsie ) , on this med too but I know its very new and in limited supply .. so, Tootsie may have to wait to get on this med too but her allergies are nowhere near as bad as Lattes were


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## Angel1210 (Mar 14, 2011)

Good news! So glad you found something that's working!


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## woodard2009 (Aug 4, 2010)

elaina said:


> Latte went to back the animal hospitial for her recheck appointment with her Doctor on Tuesday, May 20.
> 
> any effects from the Vetalog shot that she got ( a steroid shot ), was totally out of her system long before May 20. probably even before May 13.
> 
> ...


I'm so glad Latte is getting some relief. He probably cut the dose due to possible side-effects. You can read up on them when you google it. As far as minimal itching she's doing, you can keep her rubbed down with coconut oil under her clothes. It's soothing to the skin and it helps tremendously. I've bought stock in it, Lol


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## elaina (Jul 1, 2008)

woodard2009 said:


> I'm so glad Latte is getting some relief. He probably cut the dose due to possible side-effects. You can read up on them when you google it. As far as minimal itching she's doing, you can keep her rubbed down with coconut oil under her clothes. It's soothing to the skin and it helps tremendously. I've bought stock in it, Lol


hi Lisa,

thanks for the suggestion to use coconut oil on Latte. Before I started her on Apoquel , I did try the coconut oil and I saw no difference at all. i'm sure of course it didn't hurt to put on her , but it didn't help at all. i'm glad to hear its helping Midge though . Really, there is a HUGE difference in Lattes scratching now, like I said before. i'm not really overly concerned about the minimal itching she's doing. 
I really am overjoyed at her results !!! 
its such a new medication and hopefully it will be more readily available eventually. 
its a much better option for those who use steroids, ( which I decided I would not do for a long term situation ), because it doesn't have the side effects that steroids do.


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