My two-and-a-half-year-old Cocker Spaniel has always suffered from atopic dermatitis...
After a lot of investigating and several trials, it’s impossible to know what’s causing it, but one thing is certain: commercial dry food—even the high-quality, hypoallergenic stuff bought from the vet—makes the symptoms much worse, and it’s a nightmare for my dog! I quickly stopped feeding him that... I’ve tried several brands, but it’s always the same story.
The only thing that really helps is Apoquel, at a dosage of one or two 5mg tablets a day, which costs between £50 and £100 a month!!! So, you can see what I’m getting at...
So:
* Do you know of any way to buy Apoquel elsewhere (abroad, for example) at a cheaper price? I won’t be able to keep this up long-term... and as soon as we stop the medication, the itching starts all over again.
- Do you know of any other treatment that might be just as effective but less expensive?
- Is there a human equivalent? They are often much cheaper. My sister treated her dog for its whole life with a human epilepsy medication; her vet was lovely and gave her the name of the meds and the dosage... we don’t always have the means to pay for such expensive treatments, the pharma companies are really overcharging...
Thanks a lot for sharing your experiences.
Best regards
Translated from French
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Hi there, my Frenchie girl has the same problem and is on the same treatment: 5.4mg Apoquel, one tablet twice a day. It’s certainly pricey! I order it from an online pharmacy with a prescription, and it’s about £100 for a box of 100 tablets. Between that, some salmon dry food and a special anti-itch shampoo, she’s had no issues since and is finally getting some relief.
At the moment, Apoquel is the only thing that gives him any relief... but it’s so expensive. That’s why I’m looking to find it elsewhere; we’re in a small town and I’m certain it’s cheaper elsewhere... or I could order it from somewhere else.
Thanks... love to your fur babies...
Thanks for the replies.
For the person asking about the price of Apoquel, it's about £1.70 per 5.5mg tablet (well, not quite, £1.69!!!)... regardless of how many you buy.
Leon's symptoms: scratching and flaky skin in his skin folds, around his eyes, his paws, and a lot in his ear flaps...
I’m adding a supplement to his food that my vet sold me, called Little Ca i5... and I also add some cooking oil. The vet told me that’s enough.
That’s it.
You really need high-quality, human-grade food (which you’re already doing) in physiologically appropriate amounts—meaning high protein and low carb—to rebalance the gut flora and strengthen the intestinal immune barrier.
(Rice, pasta, and couscous aren't for him).
In dogs, atopy mainly shows up as skin issues, whereas in cats, it’s more respiratory (like asthma).
With canine atopy, there are four main tell-tale signs:
Itchy lips, paw licking, chronic ear infections, and irritation in the main skin folds (armpits, groin, and perineum), often combined with chronic conjunctivitis in both eyes. Without treatment, the condition can progress to raw skin, secondary infections, hyperpigmentation, and lichenisation.
For treatment, it’s always recommended to provide manganese, which is a universal anti-allergy trace element that helps modify the body's internal environment. It’s been observed that in humans, atopic bodies don't absorb manganese well, and it’s likely the same for carnivores.
It can be combined with sulphur for its detoxifying effects and with copper if there’s a secondary skin infection.
On top of these essential trace elements, you need to flush out the excretory organs (liver, kidneys, intestines, etc.) using herbs to help clear out toxins (Ag-Ab complexes). For example, you could use burdock (Arctium lappa), wild pansy (Viola tricolor), or milk thistle (Silybum marianum).
These plants are usually prescribed as a mother tincture at a dose of one drop for every 2 lbs (approx. 1kg) of body weight.
It’s also good to include unsaturated fatty acids to strengthen the skin's defences: Evening Primrose (Oenothera biennis), Borage (Borago off.), or fish oils—which cats absolutely love!
Probiotics are also very useful. By lining the intestinal wall, they limit the absorption of food toxins. In fact, one dry food brand adds them to their food alongside turmeric (Curcuma longa), which acts as an antioxidant and liver protector. It goes without saying that you should provide a hypoallergenic diet and, above all, avoid beef, which is responsible for 10% of food allergies.
Speak soon
Good evening,
I’m back tonight (if I can) to explain how I feed my three dogs on BARF... I don’t think you’ve got the full picture yet! ;-)
I’ve had two dogs on a home-cooked diet and believe me, it’s much more of a faff than BARF... and that’s over several years of raw feeding since the end of 2012.
I’ve only had to get my big knife out twice because I’d bought something too big (a carcass). Usually, I just cut the meat with a pair of Fiskars (the black ones) and give them the meaty bone straight from the tray or the butcher’s paper.
It’s the same with fish—once it’s defrosted, I just give it to them.
And most of the time, I just buy it in supermarket trays like you do, or from the butcher.
The issue with home-cooked meals when it comes to A’s dermatitis is the starchy carbs :-( ...
Hello, give your lovely Cocker a big cuddle... I’ve been through it too, my vet looked into everything and even treated him for mange... last summer, for three months, it was fungal shampoos every two days... zero results... I think I’ve tried everything, only Apoquel works for Léon, otherwise he chews his paws and cries all night (the nights are the worst)... Thanks for your reply. What is this Bravecto medicine?
Thanks, and give Coco plenty of pats from me ^^
It’s a flea and tick tablet. It’s completely ruined my dogs' lives... phew. Between the skin problems our Cocker had and the serious neurological issues with our Great Dane (who we lost to neurological anorexia), it’s a class of drugs I will never give my fur babies again, and I’ll warn other pet owners as much as I possibly can...
THE NIGHTTIME... oh, I know exactly what you’re talking about... it’s enough to drive the dog crazy, and that licking sound for the rest of the family... I remember it well! 😔
