Itchy Molly

Jacqui-S

Jacqui-S

Moderator
Location
Fife, Scotland
I agree with @Oberon .
In humans we sometimes use just one or two days of steroids for really bad allergic reactions too @M.F.
The rule of thumb is 40mg prednisolone for 2 weeks (in humans) can be stopped without tailing down. If they are taken for longer than that, we usually do a tailing off regime.
So don't worry about the short sharp course @M.F. F they are pretty safe, and pretty effective for allergic stuff.
 
J

JulieH

I'm a big fan of a new product marketed as Cytopoint in the UK. It is a monclonal antibody which targets an interleukin which is critical in causing itch. It is given by injection, lasts 4-8 weeks and the vast majority of dogs stop itching within 24 hours. No significant side effects. Absolutely wonderful especially for summer scratchers, as the vast majority get total relief for the entire summer without owners having to remember to dose, worry about doses or side effects. Ask your vet to discuss it. It's not cheap, but is absolutely fab. (For those of you who don't know, I'm a specialist veterinary dermatologist)
 
M

M.F.

JulieH said:
I'm a specialist veterinary dermatologist
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How wonderful to have you here!! I would love it if you started a thread (or kept on in this one) on vet dermatology, if you didn’t mind sharing your knowledge and tips. My boy is prone to being itchy, although our vet is impressed that we manage it fairly well and keep him comfortable and healthy. But I feel so sorry for him when he is itchy. What are the trends you’re seeing in managing itchy skin? And are dogs itchier now than in the past? I will ask my vet about Cytopoint.
 
J

JulieH

Jacqui-S said:
Our farmer's dog got this.
It has transformed him, really.
He was an itchy scratchy skinny moth-eaten specimen last year with multiple pollen and grain allergies.
This year he looks fantastic.
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Have they got something similar for people with atopic diseases? As a monoclonal antibody it can't be used cross-species but it would be great if these poor itchy eczematous kids had something similar....
And you are right, this stuff is quite transformational - does me out of a job, far fewer itchy dogs are referred now we have Cytopoint
 
J

JulieH

M.F. said:
How wonderful to have you here!! I would love it if you started a thread (or kept on in this one) on vet dermatology, if you didn’t mind sharing your knowledge and tips. My boy is prone to being itchy, although our vet is impressed that we manage it fairly well and keep him comfortable and healthy. But I feel so sorry for him when he is itchy. What are the trends you’re seeing in managing itchy skin? And are dogs itchier now than in the past? I will ask my vet about Cytopoint.
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As a dermatologist only seeing referred cases I see fewer itchy dogs now than I did 10 years ago. But that is mainly because we now have excellent products to manage parasitisms and allergic skin diseases, not because there are fewer itchy dogs out there. The primary care vet can now manage most itchy dogs very well without too much specialist input, although we still see the really refractory, hard core cases. I think we have more itchy allergic dogs in the general population than we did when I first qualified over 30 years ago, and the rise in allergic skin disease in dogs mirrors the rise in asthma and atopic skin diseases in people. Partly genetic, partly environmental causes.
I am happy to share knowledge and tips, but I can't commit to posting too regularly as I'm quite limited for time especially in the summer. So if I don't comment on something or answer a question, please forgive me, I'm not ignoring you I'll do as much as time allows!
 
F

FayRose

Location
Close to Devon/Somerset border
JulieH said:
Absolutely wonderful especially for summer scratchers, as the vast majority get total relief for the entire summer without owners having to remember to dose, worry about doses or side effects. Ask your vet to discuss it. It's not cheap, but is absolutely fab. (For those of you who don't know, I'm a specialist veterinary dermatologist)
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Many thanks JulieH. I wonder why our vets don't discuss this sort of stuff with owners. A lot of us would go for something that definitely helps our dogs - even if costly. I will speak with our vet practice.
 
Jacqui-S

Jacqui-S

Moderator
Location
Fife, Scotland
JulieH said:
Have they got something similar for people with atopic diseases?
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There is an increasing use of immunomodulators for skin conditions - probably more for psoriasis than eczema.
Protopic ointment (topical Tacrolimus) is being increasingly used in atopic children, but mostly these drugs are used in adults.
Methotrexate, Ciclosporin and Azathioprine are pretty commonly used but also biologics like Adalimumab and Infliximab are licensed and used by secondary care now..
Immunosuppressant use in rheumatology is one of my areas of interest/responsibility - for my sins - huge amount of blood monitoring comes my way *sigh*.
 
Rosie

Rosie

Location
South Wales
Jacqui-S said:
Our farmer's dog got this.
It has transformed him, really.
He was an itchy scratchy skinny moth-eaten specimen last year with multiple pollen and grain allergies.
This year he looks fantastic.
Click to expand...
I've just come back from the vet, when I talked (again) about Pongo's recurrent itchiness - especially ears and paws. She suggested a cytopoint injection, so we're trying that. It was great to be able to search for "cytopoint" on this forum and see the discussion here - including @JulieH comments. I'll let you know how the Pongster gets on with it...
 
Ashley

Ashley

Let us know how it goes...I have just put Quinn back on apoquel yesterday, as her ears and bum are driving her crazy again and I have to get it under control before it turns to infections. I wanted to see if the food change and regular anti-itch baths would help, but no. My vet did not mention anything about shots. Does one shot last 3 months?
 
Rosie

Rosie

Location
South Wales
Ashley said:
Does one shot last 3 months?
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Vet said that one shot can last from 4 - 8 weeks. It starts working within 24 hours (and yes, I think Pongo is already looking a lot happier); then depending on the dog and the condition it will last as long as it lasts. If and when the itching starts again, we'll go back for another shot.

This sounds like a good plan to me, because I'm sure Pongo's itchiness is an allergic reaction to something in the environment that is very seasonal (possibly depending on what the farmer is doing with his crops this year) so it might or might not flare up again. In the past we've just been locked in a cycle of itchiness...ear infections...vet visit...steroids and antibiotics....about three weeks of relief....then itchiness starting again. I'm really uncomfortable with constantly giving him oral and intravenous steroids, and regular ABs. The cytopoint is not a steroid and apparently has no side-effects (it is very targeted at the "itching" system).

The downside is that it is much, much more expensive than steroids. We'll have to think about that if it becomes a regular treatment - but for the moment I just want to know whether it works, so I'm willing to pay the extra at least once to find that out.
 
Ashley

Ashley

Looks like I have some research to do tonight! The apoquel is quite expensive - $170 for 45 pills, which will last just over 4 weeks, so if a shot is comparable and offers quick relief it might be a better option (if we have it here!).
 
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