[seth707]

Anyone know a good alternative to this? The last time I ordered apoquel a 100 pill bottle cost me $140, i look today and its $255. Whats the deal with this stuff? Why is the price going up?

 

[lzrddr]

Not sure where you are getting your Apoquel from, but we have not seen a price increase since it first came out over a year ago. However, the price does depend upon your dose (some dogs weight requires 2 pills twice a day while another's weight may only require half a pill 1-2x a day and so the price would be substantially cheaper (all pill sizes are pretty close to the same cost). You can try a lower dose or frequency and save yourself some $$ (may not work as well, though). If your pet has gained or lost weight, that could explain a cost increase.

So far, Apoquel is the alternative to most other drugs for itching, not the other way around (nothing is considered the alternative for this as this is the newest drug). It replaces (we hope successfully) chronic steroid use and certainly more useful than antihistamines.... but still some pets do not respond well to it (most do).

There IS, however, a new injectable drug soon to be on the market (CADY) which lasts a month and works as well if not even better, with NO side effects (known yet). However, it will be costly, too. It will be many years before either of these two new drugs will be able to be obtained as a generic, but maybe THEN the prices will come down.

 

[seth707]

I get it from my Vets online store. I looked back at my old order and it was definitely $140 for 100 5.4mb tablets, and today its $255. Not sure what happened there.

 

[naturalfeddogs]

I'd call your vet and find out. Maybe it is a mistake, or the company may have contacted them about it and they can explain it to you.

 

[Tuckersmom]

Two of my dogs are on Apoquel. They are each taking half of a 3.6 milligram tablet per day. So 15 pills lasts each pup 30 days. I purchase these from my vet. 15 of the 3.6 milligram tablets is $27 plus tax.

 

[seth707]

Two of my dogs are on Apoquel. They are each taking half of a 3.6 milligram tablet per day. So 15 pills lasts each pup 30 days. I purchase these from my vet. 15 of the 3.6 milligram tablets is $27 plus tax.

just checked on the 3.6 on my vets web page. 20 count for $53

 

[Tuckersmom]

Wow! That's unreasonably high! I can get 30 for $54.

 

[jagger]

What is the dog being treated for?

In the 283 dogs that received APOQUEL, the following additional clinical signs were reported after beginning APOQUEL (percentage of dogs with at least one report of the clinical sign as a non-pre-existing finding): pyoderma (12.0%), non-specified dermal lumps (12.0%), otitis (9.9%), vomiting (9.2%), diarrhea (6.0%), histiocytoma (3.9%), cystitis (3.5%), anorexia (3.2%), lethargy (2.8%), yeast skin infections (2.5%), pododermatitis (2.5%), lipoma (2.1%), polydipsia (1.4%), lymphadenopathy (1.1%), nausea (1.1%), increased appetite (1.1%), aggression (1.1%), and weight loss (0.7).

 

[Tuckersmom]

What is the dog being treated for?

My pup, Ollie, is using Apoquel for Atopic Dermatitis from inhaled allergens. He had scratched, licked and chewed his paws hairless, as well as both sides of his torso were losing hair at an alarming rate.

Jack keeps itching and licking his abdominal and groin areas causing repeated staph infections.

I'm well aware of the side-effects. I do all the research possible before using anything with my pups. For me, I found that this was a better choice than cortisone.

It's quality of life for my pups. What's the use of a long, itchy miserable life when you can make your pup comfortable no matter what the length their lifespan turns out to be?

 

[Gnostic Dog]

The opinion of Dr Will Falconer DVM:

Apoquel: Dog Drug With a Dark Side

Apoquel Side Effects: Short Term Miracle, Long Term Nightmare

 

[animalcraker]

It's great that you guys posted about the side effects of Apoquel, since no drug is a miricale drug. However it might be more useful to the OP, and those considering using the medication for their pet, if you posted some viable alternatives that they could consider since that is what they were asking for I the first place. I assume that seth707's pet is already in a pretty miserable or at least uncomfortable state without any meds at all. Due to its higher cost Apoquel usually isn't the first line of defense if a cheaper alternative like Benadryl works. As Izrddr stated Apoquel is considered the alternative to the previous drugs of chronic steroids and antihistamines. The other drugs that I'm aware of would be Benadryl, Prednisone, Temeral-P, or regular intervals of Vetalog injections. Ideally you need to find out what's causing the itch in the first place, if your vet hasn't discussed doing any sort of allergy testing or food trials then that may be something for you to consider.

 

[Gnostic Dog]

It's great that you guys posted about the side effects of Apoquel, since no drug is a miricale drug. However it might be more useful to the OP, and those considering using the medication for their pet, if you posted some viable alternatives that they could consider since that is what they were asking for I the first place.

The second article I posted by Dr. Falconer did indeed address the alterntives. Here is a small quote:

Alternatives to Apoquel (My Dog’s Already Got the #@&¡ Itch!!)

I have good news and bad news for you, if your dog is already plagued with the itch from hell.

The good news: This can be cured. Cure means not only does the itch stop, but the whole animal gets well. And stays that way without continual medication.

The bad news: This will take time and is not DIY (do it yourself).

This is chronic disease, and there’s no “one size fits all” here. Believe me, if there was, I’d be spelling it out for you right now.

He then goes on to suggest how this might be achieved because surely it is far better to cure the dog than to have to maintain them on pharmaceutical drugs, which always exact a toll on the body and lead to more and more problems.