All dogs itch once a while. Some dogs have seasonal allergies, and have seasonal itching and scratching. These are pretty easy to manage with oral histamines, weekly bathing, and parasite control. A few have severe allergies to pollen, parasites, or even food, and they are miserable. All that scratching and itching traumatizes the skin, it becomes inflamed, and it can get infected. In the “old days” we use steroids like prednisone to stop the itching, but it can have bad side effects. About 8-10 years ago we started using Apoquel (oclacitinib tablet), which is potent like steroids, but is not steroidal, so there is no suppression of immune system. Many of these cases used to be sent to the dermatologist for allergy testing, but Apoquel controls the inflammation quickly and orally.
Now there is an injection for itchy dogs called Cytopoint. CYTOPOINT helps interrupt the itch cycle; allowing dogs to stop scratching so damaged skin can heal. And it works by an entirely different mechanism. Instead of blocking histamine and other pro-inflammatory compounds, Cytopoint neutralizies IL 31, a cytokine that mediates the itch cycle, not the inflammation. It is the first monoclonal antibody (mAB) therapy for chronic canine allergic and atopic dermatitis. I think of it more like a vaccine for itch than inflammation.
Cytopoint won’t magically heal red or infected skin. It doesn’t stop the allergic reaction but breaks the itch cycle, which is monumental for some dogs. Allergic dogs may still need bathing to control exposure, and infected skin will still need therapy, but that darn scratching will go way down. No more constant licking feet or hearing that collar jingle from scratching face or ears ( if it is atopy triggered).
How do we assess itchiness? As vets, we ask the owner to rate the itchiness on a scale of 0-10. Zero is not itchy at all. Ten is the worst imaginable, round the clock, can’t sleep, can’t eat, bleeding skin. My clients often rate the severely affected dogs as 8 /10. Apoquel and Cytopoint should reduce the score to 3-4/10. Apoquel is a tablet given once to twice a day, safe for dogs over 12 months of age. Cytopoint is an injection that lasts 4-8 weeks, so it can be more cost effective for some dogs. And if the Cytopoint isn’t enough by itself, it is safe to also give Apoquel since they work by entirely different mechanisms.
So if your itchy dog isn’t well controlled on Apoquel, or the cost of being on it daily is cost prohibitive, come and let’s see if Cytopoint would be a better choice. At least we have options before sending you to the veterinary dermatologist.
