I know I haven't posted for a while - have had a lot of family and dog stuff going on. But I thought I should post some info I have been getting about Apoquel.

It has been out for 4 years now, and Kasey has been on it for a little over 3. It has been a miracle for his allergies for sure - he was allergic to 43 out of 75 allergens on his skin tests some years ago and until Apoquel he was in constant misery with itching, rashes, yeast infections, etc. But one little pill a day and that has been a thing of the past.

BUT some con's are starting to show up in these dogs who've been on it for several years. Kasey now has moderate arthritis in his front elbows, 8 cutaneous tumors, swollen gums, gunky brown stuff comes out of his eyes on a regular basis, and now he has a hard mass on one of the joints on his front paw that the dr fears is cancer (he had a cancerous lump removed last year also). If it's what she thinks it is, we don't really have much in the way of treatment. We will know more Wednesday or so. All these things, according to articles from vets I've read online, are starting to be common in Apoquel patients.

So I just wanted to put that out there for people who may be considering this drug. I would say that if your dog has bad allergies that can't be controlled without steroids, then this drug may be worth considering. But if the dog only has problems for a few months out of the year, then I wouldn't do it. Kasey was a year round mess so we put him on it, and I think I'd do it again because he had 3 1/2 years of total comfort instead of misery, but it's a serious choice to make for sure.

When we were battling Drift's allergies, the vet asked if I wanted to try Apoquel. At the time, it was fairly new, and the list of possible side effects was huge.. I could not, in good conscience, give it to Drift. She was not at the point that Kasey was, either - had she been, I might have tried it.

My point here being, make sure you know about all possible side effects of any meds you give your dog, and discuss them thoroughly with your vet.