Allergies, they’re just lovely, aren’t they? The constant sneezing and slimy runny nose. Oh, and how about the itching skin that consumes your entire body? Quite a delight for sure!
Whenever we feel an allergic reaction like itchy skin about to happen, our first reaction is to reach for allergy medications to help. And just like us, our loveable pet dog can get allergies, and for the same reasons.
They can experience food allergies, drug-induced allergies, environmental allergies, and seasonal allergies. You want to give your dog a pain-free life but might not know where to start.
Since we take medication to stop severe allergies, it only makes sense to give our dogs allergy medication as well! But which one is right for your dog when they start getting an itch?
Well, If you go to your vet, they will probably prescribe your pet the commonly used drug Apoquel from Zoetis to stop itching.
Atopic Dermatitis in Dogs
The active ingredient Oclacitinib, brand name Apoquel (distributed by Zoetis), is a medication commonly used to better manage atopic dermatitis – symptoms due to an allergic reaction.
It’s strange how we can turn on the television and not go one episode without seeing a commercial for allergy medication.
Yet, we seemingly forget about the fact that many dogs struggle with atopic dermatitis from allergies, and the associated scratching and itching can leave them in a lot of pain and suffering. 10% of dogs suffer from atopic dermatitis – a chronic and incurable type of allergy due to an overactive immune system.
Even scarier, this statistic does not even include skin reactions caused by food, medications, or the environment.
Atopic dermatitis can take away your dog’s quality of life and their time with us is already short enough as is. The uncontrollable urge to itch and scratch, known as pruritus, can tear through a dog’s skin and make them miserable.
So now we know why it’s so important that we are always on the lookout for atopic dermatitis, let’s look for solutions available that can stop symptoms like pruritus associated with allergic dermatitis in dogs.
