Cytopoint: High Tech Answer to Your Itchy Dog?
Waiting for the Other Shoe to Drop
The curse of the canine itch. If you’ve ever dealt with it, you know the agony of self-mutilation, non-stop chewing and scratching, lost sleep, and often great expense with minimal results.
That seemed to shift when Apoquel came out. Magically less itchy, often within hours of a pill!
Hallelujah!
The expense was significant, but who cares, when your dog stops scratching and the whole household can finally get some serious sleep?
The other shoe on Apoquel seems to drop at varying intervals after first starting the immune tweaking drug.
After the first dose for some of you, or later on, tumors growing in various places, or other immune related diseases cropping up.
And many experienced a steady decline in efficacy. In other words, it worked less and less well each time it was dosed.
More expense, less results for your itchy dog.
This article and its many comments suggest you should tread carefully if you’re considering using Apoquel by Zoetis.
The New Drug on the Block: Get Mabbed
Likely encouraged by the huge rush of profits for its shareholders, Zoetis, the vet pharma giant, brought out another immune tweaking drug, first called CADI (Canine Atopic Dermatitis Immunotherapeutic), but finally marketed as Cytopoint.
It’s an antibody, produced in the lab by a single cloned cell line, so it’s called a monoclonal antibody.
Drugs like this have names typically ending in “-mAb” to reflect this class of antibody, and this one is called lokivetmab.
(I really don’t think they tried hard enough here. Loki? Wasn’t he the super evil dude from another star system?
And this is his “vet mob?” Scary combo, that.
Pictures of evil vets rushing at your dog with syringes drawn…)
Get Out Your Credit Card
It’s an injectable drug, so it’ll be vet-only, and yep, it’s expensive.
If you have followed along here for any amount of time, you’ll have learned that allergies (itchy skin being the #1 manifestation of them in the dog) are, like all chronic diseases, incurable by conventional medicine.
So, if you sign up for this new wonder drug, plan on using it monthly, for life:
However, this is a condition that is going to require lifelong management; and we are going to have to partner together to work through what the underlying cause is: infectious/parasitic, food, inhalant or contact allergies, etc. 1
Oh, the “underlying cause” is food? Inhaled or contacted things? We’ll come to the real underlying cause in a bit.
A Single Purpose Silver Bullet?
As you may recall, an antibody is something that counters something. That’s the “anti-” piece, right?
Often, our natural antibodies are what fight infectious diseases, large or small, from the common cold or flu viruses to the more scary ones like distemper or parvo, the viruses that can kill puppies.
Cytopoint, though, is an artificially made antibody against a natural immune messenger molecule that you and I and your dogs, cats, and horses all have in us.
That messenger molecule, inherent in mammalian immune systems, is called IL-31.
Interleukin 31 is classed as a cytokine, and when they injected it into dogs, the dogs got itchy.
So, is it a bad, bad cytokine that we can just attack with this new antibody scientists have created in their laboratories, and rest easy that we’re doing the world of itchy dogs a favor?
Or, might there be some unintended consequences of messing with Mom Nature?
Here’s what’s known about this cytokine called IL-31, now under injectable antibody attack in dogs near you:
IL-31 acts on a broad range of immune- and non-immune cells and therefore possesses potential pleiotropic physiological functions, including regulating hematopoiesis and immune response, causing inflammatory bowel disease, airway hypersensitivity and dermatitis.2
Pleiotropic?
That just means this ain’t no one trick pony.
…major sites of action are the skin, lung, intestine and the nervous system. Hence IL-31 main role is to facilitate cell-mediated immunity against pathogens. IL-31 and its receptors are also involved in regulating hematopoietic progenitor cell homeostasis.3
Wait, pathogens? Those are disease-causing organisms, aka viruses and bacteria and yeasts, right?
So, IL-31’s “main role” is helping us fight the bad guys?
Oh oh. Cytokine interferes with fighting the disease causers?
What else is this drug interfering with?
“Hematopoietic” refers to our bone marrow’s chief function of making all those blood cells we depend on daily.
- Red blood cells to carry the oxygen
- Various white blood cells to fight disease (T and B cells, natural killer cells, etc.)
- Platelets, which help us clot after injury
Wait a sec. If Cytopoint takes out the thing that helps blood cells that are important to us, that’s a bad thing, right?
So, Is Cytopoint Safe?
That’s the $40K question, isn’t it?
It’s getting lots of press as a high tech, well designed immune tweaking antibody that’s getting results fairly quickly.
Apoquel wasn’t deemed safe for dogs under 1 year of age. Cytopoint?
Dr. Stokking: Young atopic dogs under a year of age are a patient population where there really aren’t any other choices that are beneficial. APOQUEL is not labeled for dogs less than one year of age but we can use CYTOPOINT in these patients.
(WF Note: Why are young dogs affected? Experts aren’t even asking this…)4
The study that brought the drug to market was only carried out for seven months.
On 36 laboratory Beagles. A curious species that seems highly resistant to disease.
Definitely not representative of the average dog in the world, as these dogs never leave the lab.
Laboratory Beagle dogs were randomized to three groups (n = 6M/6F per group) and administered seven monthly subcutaneous (SC) doses of 0.9% saline or lokivetmab (3.3, or 10 mg/kg).…
Lokivetmab was well tolerated in laboratory dogs when administered subcutaneously at up to 10 mg/kg for seven monthly doses.
Disclosure of Interest: Authors received reimbursements, fees, funding or salary from: Zoetis Inc., Florham Park, NJ, USA 5
Are you feeling safe now?
Their in-house study, on 36 lab Beagles, ran for 7 whole months, and there were no problems.
“Let’s get this on the market, boys! No one will notice how small our study was or how short!
There’s money to be made! People hate those itchy dogs and will pay anything to stop them from scratching!”
Crystal Ball Time
I’m not impressed.
I mean, what’s going to happen when it’s out on the market (it is as I write this) in 1000’s of normal dogs for a year?
Or two or three or, umm, LIFE?
So, time to rub the dust off my crystal ball and take a look…
First, do you recall that Cytopoint attacks a part if the immune system called IL-31, and the “IL-31 main role is to facilitate cell-mediated immunity against pathogens?”
And the part about regulating blood cell production?
And the fact that the thing this drug is attacking, this IL-31 thingie, is “pleiotropic?” (Meaning, it can change and do other things we may not even know about yet).
I think it’s safe to say this one, like most designer drugs, will come back to bite us.
How about:
- More susceptibility to parvo, distemper, or dog flu?
- Failed blood cell production, resulting in anemia or thrombocytopenia (not enough clotting cells, so bleeding problems in your dog)?
- Immune deficiency diseases from impaired white blood cell production?
I don’t know if any of this will come about, but does anyone?
Based on a 7 month “safety” study on 36 lab Beagles, I’ve got no reason to assume everything will be just fine.
The Big Why
Of course, the scientists of Big Pharma company who study this would still like you to believe that allergies are caused by fleas.
Or pollen. Or grass. Or chicken.
Things that have been on the planet for a very long time.
And things that not every dog has a hard time with.
Why does anyone get “immune confused” to the point of over reacting to normal things and getting wildly itchy?
It’s the vaccines. That history goes back to at least 1884.
Tell us Your Story
Have an itchy, allergic dog?
Will you be using this new wonder drug called Cyptopoint?
Or are you already? How’s it gone so far?
We all grow wiser by sharing our experiences, and the comments below are a great place to do just that.
1Clinician’s Forum: Canine Atopic Dermatitis: Building a Lifelong Treatment Plan | Clinician’s Brief, Clinician’s Forum: Canine Atopic Dermatitis: Building a Lifelong Treatment Plan, https://www.cliniciansbrief.com/article/clinicians-forum-canine-atopic-dermatitis-building-lifelong-treatment-plan
2Structures and biological functions of IL-31 and IL-31 receptors, PMC, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2659402/
3Interleukin 31 – Wikipedia, Interleukin 31, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interleukin_31
4Clinician’s Forum: Canine Atopic Dermatitis: Building a Lifelong Treatment Plan | Clinician’s Brief, Clinician’s Forum: Canine Atopic Dermatitis: Building a Lifelong Treatment Plan, https://www.cliniciansbrief.com/article/clinicians-forum-canine-atopic-dermatitis-building-lifelong-treatment-plan
5Long-term laboratory safety study of lokivetmab…, Safety study: “Long-term??”, https://www.zoetisus.com/conditions/dogs/itchcycle/downloads/resources/publications/krautman-long-term-laboratory-safety.pdf, Authors all work for Zoetis.
My dog developed localized lymphoma and papillomas I had to get a vaccine for from Apoquel. After surgery and half a chemo protocol he was cancer free. He was then given Cytopoint injections for months if not 2 years and died from ITP in 2019. He was my heart. Wish I could prove the cause.
I have a Lhasa Apso, raised raw , on raw Duck 80/20/20 for yrs and am dealing now since 8 month with yeast infection, smelly malassezia black skin disease on belly, legs, neck, ear infection, eye infection, it looks like an elephant skin now. All this came from what? No vaccines, but he was on monthly flea pill, I live in MIami. Never gave him this crap and rather deal with the fleas since VETS just pushed me into it.
I spend thousands at vet and vet dermatologists. For nothing. He received 4 cytopoints shots, apoquel, antibiotics, fungus medicine… bla bla bla. I gave up on VETS and started to do my researches. I am myself a anti medicine and cure myself with nature since 2000. Tried with my dog but was not lucky.
The malassezia type was one what attached to his hair with a gooey black substance, smelly, extremely itchy. Researching I find out that lemongrass kills the fungus ( a study on ear infections). So I wiped his body and pulled this stuff out of his hairs with essential oil lemongrass and bergamot, a few drops in a water bowl and the hairs never got infected again. But his skin still is and this one might be another type, its a continues come and go to never really go away. I stopped going to the vet it would get worse than better. And stop to all the dog killing synthetic stuff.
Now I still do the lemongrass wipe down every 2- 4 days what stopps the itchiness and started homeopathy to find HEPAR SULPH after trying SULPHUR, GRAPHITES, SEPIA, THUJA, APIS, ACONITUM and others with the help of Materia Medica Dogs online. I bought myself a book as well to learn.
I have seen for now positive signs of cooling down the heat of inflammation, the itch went down a bit and the smell. Its just 2 days and I have only given him 1x 200C morning and at night ( I work all day and cant give every 4-5 hrs).
I will stick with it until I see the black skin disease going away and the newly eczema he got 4 days ago on his head, toes and underlegs what might be a reaction of trying SULPHUR 1M for a few days what might have worsen it instead to cure it.
I am sticking with HEPAR SULPH for now and will update. IF there are any other ideas or comment pls help. I tried Aloe, Coconut oil, ACV, natural vitamin supplements, algae, liver cleanse, digestive enzymes and probiotics, Sulphur bath, medical mushrooms for dogs K9 Immunity from Aloha Medicinals (fantastic stuff for cancer building up immune system)…. My friends, inform yourself and do it right, find a Homeopath Vet, you can’t go wrong !! I live in Miami and there are NONE!!!
Hi Dr. Falconer,
I really need help. I am fostering 4 puppies. I have no control over them being vaccinated. I am trying my best to help them. I gave them 30c of Thuja before and after their shots. After their first round of shots – I noticed two of the 4 were really itchy. I thought they might have fleas and the rescue group said to bathe them in Dawn. They are a Husky/ Great Pyrenees mix and light colored – so I don’t see fleas – I just see scabs from the itching. They did another round of shots this past weekend – now ALL of them are itching and some of them look like they have circles under their eyes/ loss of fur. Should I give them the Pet Detox? Or Silicea? Any ideas? I have no idea how to help them and really appreciate anything you can advise as I have to give them to their adopters soon and I want to help them before they leave me and then have a 3rd round of shots with rabies and being spayed/neutered. They are 10 weeks old and from 10-15 pounds each. Thank you!
We really don’t want to give our dog cytopoint. The obliviousness to complex systems in mainstream medicine, including veterinary, is tragic. As is the reliance on insufficient “studies” that are designed to not look for problems. But – we don’t know what to do. We spend more $ than we have on quality supplements, including Vital Animal transfer factor, Safe Sea, and Adored Beast products. We use various topicals, some natural, some not. The vet visits and care are beyond draining in every way, but she is our beloved dog, we will love her forever – we want to turn this around, but don’t know how. (Not ready to feed raw, honestly. Recently did a Hemopet saliva test and hope to change her food from the novel protein diet to something that can be organic like poultry).
I see after the fact the profound mistake it was to not be more careful about vaccinations, a mistake we don’t continue to make, but much damage has been done. Her skin is now really bad, just in the past few days, with bumps and grease, probably seborrhea. Articles say it can be severe and must be treated, but the treatments involve steroids / cytopoint. Every vet near or semi near us is conventional, and they are frustrated that we don’t take their advice on steroids / cytopoint / heartworm preventatives.
Makes sense how cytopoint would correct part of the problem while causing other problems. Appreciate this article for more detail that confirms suspicions of things being “proven safe”, because in a tiny short trial that didn’t intend to find problems, they didn’t find problems.
But we don’t know what to do to heal this problem, and are worried that more of her health will suffer …
Hey Ellen,
We’re talking about chronic disease here. Nothing about curing chronic disease of any kind is going to happen from avoiding allergens and stacking supplements together.
You can search for a qualified homeopathic vet to manage this, and slowly but surely, bring your dog back. Distance matters not a lick, as many of my colleagues work long distance. Visit my Recommended Resources page, scroll down to “Find a Holistic Vet” and open the AVH list, but open the link the video I made for you (see the box below the list) on how to choose your vet wisely. You’ll be working with this person for a long time. Chronic disease didn’t happen in a flash and it’ll take 1/2 the amount of time it’s been showing to get it cured. So, it pays to choose your vet wisely.
Time’s a wasting. Nothing in conventional medicine can cure The Itch. No magic supplement or ingredient or low allergen diet will either. Homeopathy, in qualified vet’s hands can cure this.
AnimalBiome.com
It is chronic disease but the problem starts in the microbiome. Can also do homeopathy
Ellen,
My Yorkshire Terrier had Cushings disease. He was shaking his head a lot and his right ear looked a bit read.
I took him to my vets thinking he had an ear infection.
The vet said it looked like an allergy and gave him a Cytopoint injection for the allergy.
He was OK for 2/3 days then, he slept a lot and went into very deep sleeps. He started to drink more.
He was still eating well for two weeks.Doing zoomies and enjoying his walks but he seemed so tired and just got worse.
He ended up not eating, walking, playing, doing zoomies and lost half of his body weight.
The days before he died, he just wanted to go in the garden and hide/sleep under a hedge.
The night before he died was the worst day of my life and his.
He bleed from his bowels and vomited and started having terrible spasms, was very restless and then lost the will to live and laid on a thick rug breathing deep from his stomach.
I took him to the vets to be put to sleep but he died in my arms before the vet came into the room.
I feel its my fault, as I never even thought to ask questions at the time about any reactions to cytopoint and the vet certainly did not say anything to the contrary.
Some dogs can have 2/3 injections and then become very ill, according to reports on other sites.
The injection was given on 18th August 2023 and George died on 18th September 2023, he was 9 1/2 years old.
The vet practice said they had, had dogs with cushings disease who had the cytopoint injection and were OK!
They would also let the makers of Cytopoint know about George’s problems with it. I’m not altogether sure that they have done so?
I have just found this site on the Internet and felt I must let you know about what happened to my dog and have since found other sites, where some dogs have been affected and died a terrible death.
Kind regards,
Tina Froud
Lincolnshire
United Kingdom
Thank you for the information. So very sorry for your loss. My dog had a injection in the past four weeks and recently has been throwing up and acting a little strange, plus itch is back after spending close to $700 on all their products. I’m at wits end and don’t know what to do now.
I’ve had my pit x beagle mix since she was 2 weeks old. (Foster) Even then had fur issues. Tried medicated shampoo, no difference. Probiotics, supplements had no effect or worsen. Tried many foods, yes even RAW. Immediately would make her worse. And I was switching foods gradually. As in 1/2 teaspoon raw to 2 cups regular dry food.
So stuck with the only one she did halfway decent: Purina pro plan sensitive skin and stomach. Doesn’t do well with chicken so lamb and salmon main protein.
2019 started with Cytopoint and the difference was extraordinary. By the time we left vet office stopped scratching. Doc told us results vary from 1 month to a year.
Over the last two years slowly the effects has lasted shorter and shorter.
She’s only 5 years old. I don’t know what we’re going to do when there’s no effect.
Love how this article just says it’s horrible without any more evidence than the original study of why it’s good. I’m DYING to hear better alternative. Cuz this article doesn’t do it.
My dog has terrible skin problems, has had them for his whole life. We began using cytopoint about 2 years ago, and it has been a miracle for Bandit. He just got one today, in fact. He broke out in yeast all over his body, and it is winter here, I don’t know what happened, the malevolent yeasties should all be dead. But be that as it is — he was suffering, had big red sores all over his body and was so unhappy. When this happens I also get very anxious, which is not good. I know these injections are likely to shorten his life. But you know, as a conscientious pet owner, we all have to make hard decisions for our little ones. Even if it makes his life a few years shorter, those years will be happy and healthy. I would not extend his life by 3 or 4 years if all those years were full of suffering for him. It’s expensive, sure it is. So what? It has to be treated, you can’t let stuff like this go. Once it is under control, it only costs about $60 per injection, at my vet, the doctor establishes that the little guy is healthy and then issues an order that the shots can be given about every 6 weeks on a nurse visit to help keep the cost down. Now, this is only done for the pets who are known to be regulars, who come for their yearly check ups and who have blood tests done every year. In other words, only people who are known to be serious about pet health can do this. We feel it is the right decision for our little guy, who is 12 years old now. He is a sweet, loyal friend, and we want him to feel well for how ever many years he has left. As far as his food, he eats hydrolized protein (surely the most expensive dog food in the world!) so food allergy surely isn’t the problem. He has had the recommended vaccines for his whole life, but for the rest of his days I think we will just get the rabies vaccine, because he is a law abiding little guy. And with all his skin problems, he does not get out of the house much anyway.
My dog is 3 yrs 33 lbs her shot was$80 .
Went up to $156. When I asked why , they said prices went up.
No that’s price gouging !!
Does anyone have any studies or articles talking about the dangers of Cytopoint? I told my vet that I read that it can cause blindness and other issues. She has asked for me to send her more information for her to review. She has not heard of any of these issues.
Hey Suzanne, I have people ask me the same question about raw feeding, as it the amazing results 1000’s of pet owners have seen for decades is not enough proof! So, for now, read the comments, understand the drug’s focus from the article (immune system impairment, right?) and, putting those experiences together with the your understanding of how the drug works, you should have YOUR answer. Will your vet buy it? Up to her, but if not, I’d strongly consider finding a vet with a more open mind.
– Raw feeding
– Amazing results
– Thousands of pet owners
– Decades
Can you please provide a link? This sounds like something I’d like to give to my vet and to use for my own dog.
Hi Jorge,
This info is all over my site, but most recently, it’s in my Vital Animal Podcast, especially the episodes with Thomas Sandberg who’s gathering data on thousands of raw fed animals. Kasie Maxwell is another great episode full of results in multiple raw fed species over decades.
My dog was given this medication and 3 weeks later diagnosed with IMHA and now on his second blood transfusion.
My dog had a dose of Cytopoint about a month ago. It has worn off, and he is back to itching and chewing his feet again. This is seasonal allergies due to pollens and molds in our outside environment. Allergies have bothered him for the past few years. The Apoquel he had been taking gave him tumors, and I feel terrible about that. Reading about Cytopoint here has me worried. I had been receiving a immunotherapy -mab as a cancer treatment myself. It made me develop Crohn’s disease, and it is a miserable thing to experience. So no more Cytopoint for my dog, if it will wreck his intestines. Benadryl is helping somewhat.
Similar story here. We have used Apoquel and Cytopoint in the past with some success for skin itch, but were nervous about possible adverse reactions. We’re using diphenhydramine now. It helps the itch but seems less effective than the other two we have tried. Overall, I’d say we’re more comfortable with it, and it does give some relief.
BOTH of Doodles Got Cytopoint More Than 2 Weeks AGO and ARE STILL Itching Like Crazy 👎🏼😳❗️They HAVE Been Groomed And I’ve Been TRYING To Vacuum At Least Every Other Day . We DO Have SOME wood Floors. And THOSE Get Clean also And Their Beds Also👍🏼They ALSO get WIPED Down When Then Come inside😱And WEVE Been Giving them Allegra At Night. IT SEEMS TO WORK Better ❗️😱( Alittle Bit Before Their Bedtime). Our 1 Dog Started Chewing A HOT SPOT on Her Paw And Leg 😡😢Starting To Wonder IF They EVEN Got One.. I DIDNT Hear EITHER of Them Yelp😳… I EXPECT Them TO BE HONEST And ASKED Why Neither Of Them Yelped, And They Gave Me Funky Answer That “ THEY DID IT QUICK 😱😳?Regular Vet WASNT There That Day …
I wish id of done some research and seen this article 3ish yrs ago!! I had two dogs getting this. The first shot lasted them a year and I was so happy. Shortly after the first shot my oldest got a lump on side which I was told was a fatty tumor nothing to worry about. She had a few more shots and was doing great on them. Then in Dec she started getting sick, they said she had a tumor on her spleen that ruptured HSA. She passed Dec 23, 2019. She had just turned 10 yrs old. Now today I been taking my Dakota the last several weeks to the vet because he belly kept getting bigger and bigger, she looks extremely pregnant and ready to pop thats how big ( shes spayed). Was told they were cysts around her liver, not cancerous. That was 12 days ago, told I was told they’ve grown 4cm since her last visit 12 days ago and it is a cancerous tumor!!! She has very little time to live. The ONLY thing these two had in common was their breed (pit bull) and the cytopoint shot!!! They didnt eat the same food etc. Either its a coincidence or its from this so called safe shot!
Our happy bouncy 5 year old Jack russel x foxy has been through hell the last month or so. Completely different dog. So sick 😞 I’ve spent thousands on repeat vet visits, when they couldn’t figure out what was wrong with him or why he was so sick. First they said he must have eaten trash… X-ray fine… nothing. Keep an eye on him, he should improve in a few days. Nope. Vomiting, fever, went lame in his back leg, MISERABLE!! Totally off his food (VERY out of character)… lethargic. Sleeping in every day… avoiding games. Sleeping on couch all day. Not barking at passing cars. He didn’t even run outside to greet me when I returned from the shops and couldn’t jump up on his couch or my bed.. we had to lift him. So sick! Took him back, they kept him for the weekend, put him on fluids and did tests. His stool had blood in it.. vet says “stomach ulcer”… out on meds to reduce stomach acid, pain killers and antibiotics. Diet of chicken and rice only. Well, he wouldn’t eat or drink and just got worse. If he ate, he vomited. He wasn’t pooping. Another week had passed, he was not better… instead he was worse again. Back fur further investigations. They decide to operate, as we all thought he was a goner… maybe he had swollowed something after all, that couldn’t be seen on the X-ray?! They call me after the surgery. They say they didn’t even go into his stomach or digestive tract at all… because when they opened him up, they found his speed was tumorous. They removed it. They said the rest of his organs looked “clean”, so they stitched him up and froze the spleen in case I decide to send it for testing. They say, it doesn’t explain the gastrointestinal issues or the lame back leg… but hopefully, when he recovers, all his symptoms will resolve. Unfortunately, we have not been that lucky! He is defined a lot better than the deathly ill little guy who went for surgery… but he is far from his youthful, perky and happy self! It’s been 2 weeks! He is still off his food, very skinny, sad looking, seems to shy away from bright light, sleeps a lot, won’t play, wants to come for walks but tires out and can’t go far then wants to be picked up and carried home… still having trouble pooping, still burping and having odd loud grumblings of the time, his eyes (though better than before) still look a bit dull. He hold his ear funny and shakes it from time to time, he gets the trembles and shakes, he still goes weak in his back legs and you can see the quiver in his leg muscles. He’s itchy again… and I feel so badly for him… but he will never have another Cytopoint injection, ever again! If he makes it through this, I worry that he will never be himself again and that he will live his life out being sick and miserable and itchy 😞 He’s only had Cytopoint twice. The first time, it lasts 4 months… the second time, he was scratching within a week, but that resolved and then he had made it through til now, without too much of an itch… it’s been roughly 2 month and for most of that time, I had not connected the injection, to his symptoms.. but now I realise, he was off colour and not himself for a few weeks before he became very sick. Poor little guy. I feel horribly guilty for ever letting the vet give him those shots.
so sorry to hear about your jack russel.my blue heeler went in for an ear infection and was bum rushed into cytopoint.2 agonizing months of weakening legs and weight loss until finally Larangeal paralysis killed her.
My dog had one front itchy red paw he would chew on and lick constantly. He also had a red area on his belly. A specialist suggested Cytopoint injections 4-6 weeks apart. He received two and his itching was relieved. I noticed the redness coming back and he began licking those areas again so I took him for his Cytopoint again. Only this time, he left the house a happy and playful dog. Stealing shoes and playing keep away even at 11. However he came back that day with his rear legs trembling and weak, wobbly, diarrhea and nausea started, loss of appetite, heavy breathing after trying to defecate. Then he had a night where he just had uncontrollable drooling. Diarrhea seemed to start clearing up but then came back. Appetite continued to be off and on. Trembling continued to get worse and then he finally collapsed and could not get back up and walk.
How long would it take side effects from Cytopoint to clear up? And could all of this be from the Cytopoint?
It’s like a completely different dog came back from the vet that day..
Our 4 yr old Miniature Schnauzer Maggie has been on Apoquel for over 2 years. Before she started taking it she was literally tearing herself up. It really worked like a miracle drug. Almost overnight she stopped scratching. The expense is significant, but definitely worth it for the result. However, we have noticed in the last few months that she has been scratching more than normal, as if it wasn’t quite as effective. Still not back to where we started, but noticeably more itchy. A week ago our vet suggested we have Maggie stop taking Apoquel based on the risk of extended use. As soon as we took her off she started scratching again, so the vet gave her a Cytopoint injection. It wasn’t the “miracle” that Apoquel was, but it did relieve most of her itching and allowed her to be largely comfortable. 5 days later Maggie had her first cluster seizure. She has been having seizures for 3 years and we have largely been able to control it with medication (Zonisamide) and lifestyle changes (no loud noises, no flashing lights, minimize stress, etc.). Maggie had gone 13 months without a seizure; her longest seizure-free stretch to date. Additionally, just days before this seizure we had done a Zonisamide test on her blood which had come back showing she was at an optimum dosage. For someone who has (sadly) become accustomed to grand mal seizures this was an AWFUL experience. It was much more violent, lasted much longer, and to be honest I wasn’t sure she was going to make it. She was almost coming out of the first seizure when the second one hit. That was 2 days ago, and she seems fine now, but we pray it never happens again. I have not idea if the cessation of Apoquel or the introduction of Cytopoint (or both) played any part in triggering the seizure, but that has been the only significant change in her life recently. It also seems strange that the Zonisamide levels in her blood were as good as our vet could have hoped prior to the seizure. I don’t know if any outside factor caused Maggie to have her first cluster seizure, maybe her allergy medication played no role at all, but you can bet we’ll be thinking twice before another Cytopoint injection.
Hey Nathan,
I hear your concern and am so sorry you’ve had to live with first horrible skin issues and more recently, seizures. The two are most certainly related. Suppressing symptoms always makes things worse.
Let me suggest you review a more recent post on Seizures you’ll find on the blog. In the comments, I think I spell out for another reader how to get a homeopathic vet on board to get you out of this mess you’re in. Here’s the main blog link to find that post: http://vitalanimal.com/blog/
All the best to you.
I have an american cocker spaniel, she is 10 years old, she has been suffering from hypothyroidism since the age of 4, and allergic problems started a year after the diagnosis. Due to the severity of the allergy (zyrtec did not help) we started to use steroids (calcort). In 2019, after we read the positive opinion of the cytopint, we decided to start this type of treatment. Minnie was given injections every two months. After the 4th injection and just 3 days after we give her medicament she had heart collapsed. The next day, there were 7 syncope in just 12 hours. We did a full blood test, ultrasound, x-ray, Lyme disease…. diagnosis IMHA. Treatmet? Huge doses of steroids, blood transfusions, we did everything to save her – luckily it succeeded. Perhaps our case was one in a million, but everyone should remembered that cytopoint contains engineered antibodies and acts directly on the immune system, which sometimes may react incorrectly. In our case “he” attacked his own red blood cells.
Truly scary, Martha. For those who don’t know, IMHA = immune mediated hemolytic anemia. Self attack on vital cells, as Martha points out. And Minnie was lucky this time: all those expensive heroic treatments are usually effective in saving only about 50% of IMHA patients.
And, she could relapse into this state again, even without another dose of the drug that caused it.
Thanks for the heads up, Martha.
Has anyone used a zeolite for heavy metal detox ( post vaccination) and had a good result?
My red heeler/terrier cross had the shot about 4 weeks now. He has developed black skin disease all over his body and has lost a lot of hair. It is winter and very cold. I have the house quite warm and need to give him a warm towel every time he goes outside. Going to vet today for answers if there are any. I apologize daily for making him so miserable. I was told it was the best for his itchy skin and it was for about 3 weeks but it did ‘age’ him. The hair around his face turned white before it started to turn black and fall out. Should have stayed with topical treatments not shots that can not be reversed.
My experience has been wonderful with cytopoint(other than the outrageous cost). Two of our Leos have atopic dermatitis. We shower the dogs with chlorhexidine shampoo 2x weekly to no avail. One of them only gets rabies vaccine and the other gets full-range vaccination so we can rule out the anti- vaxxer hysteria. We have tried Limited diet, bison diet, rabbit diet, raw diet, homeopathy(really worthless), prednisone(works great but risk is too high long-term)and, finally, cytopoint every 2 months for 2 years. It is the *only* thing that stops the hot spots. We now have we have happy healthy Leos, one of which is 12 years old!
Thanks for a positive experience. My GSD just went on cytopoint. 4 yr old male. By process of elimination, and I tried most dietary regimes from Farmers Dog to Hydrolyzed protein and everywhere in between. Medicated tropicals, or benadryl in his food.
The 3 Vials of Cytopoint have proven effective thus far, week 1. He’s sleeping better than ever. Energy level is fine and healthy appetite.
I’ll see how it goes, like most dog owners, they become our children.
God Speed
Please, please be cautious when putting your dogs on Cytopoint injections! My beautiful Sheltie was the most lively, active and healthy dog but always suffered from allergies. I tried everything from 0 grain foods, homemade foods, special shampoos, numerous rounds of antibiotics from the infected sores all over his body. I took my dog to at least 10 different vets and tried every medication offered. Everything I tried seem to fail. Then this summer I tried a new vet who suggested this new wonder drug. He started with occasional diarrhea on and off. By thanksgiving the diarrhea was constant with heavy breathing. He was put on antibiotics and probiotics with no relief. By Christmas, he could barely walk without calapsing from exhaustion. The diarrhea was so bad he could not hold it and he was going all over the house ( something he NEVER did before.) I spent thousands of dollars in X-rays, ultrasounds and testing to find that my dog had cancer. By New Year’s he was on 8 different meds and still had diarreah, bloody nose, could not eat, walk and could barely breath. It has been the most horrifying experience in my life to see how much he was suffering and how quickly he went from being the most happy, healthy dog to this sick and agonizing dog. I had to make the most difficult decision of my life and just put my dog to sleep. I can not be sure it was the cytopoint injections that caused his cancer but it sure was a coincidence that he was fine and healthy (except for the allergies) until I started with this drug. I know it’s difficult to see your dog suffer from allergies and scratch till they bleed but if I could do it again I would rather see my dog scratch than go through the most agonizing symptoms and pain he endured the last month of his life.
Rosa im so sorry for your loss! I have/had two of my dogs on the Cytopoint shot. My 10 yr old just passed in Dec 2019 from HSA ( tumor on spleen that ruptured)!! Today I just got the news my 9 yr old has a tumor on her liver and only has days to live. The ONLY thing these two had in common was their breed and this dang cytopoint shot!!! I’m so mad at myself for not putting this together soon and now feel like i killed both my dogs that are my world!!
Like many, I also have an itchy dog. He’s a Shih Tzu named Cooper, and he began showing signs of allergies at around 2 or 3 yrs old. Cooper is my first dog and while I wanted to feed him healthy foods, I was naive and relayed on the direction of the pet food stores reccomendations. I started out feeding him a dry limited ingredient food but once he started showing allergy signs, I quickly looked for alternate foods thinking that he had food allergies. I ended up with, and still today, I feed him an organic raw dog food that is purchased in frozen form. We feed him fruits and veggies as treats and some dehydrated raw food as treats. I was hoping that this raw diet change would help and fix any underlying allergies, but it didn’t. Next up, Apoquel. Prescribed first by our regular vet, Apoquel was said to be “very safe” by the vets and so we went with it and immediately saw results and relief for Cooper. While it worked, Cooper would still experience allergy exacerbations during high outdoor allergy seasons. We were told to increase the Apoquel for a short period to twice a day. This did help and seemed to get him through the flare ups. The issue was that over time, it seemed that we needed to do this more often. The single dose was becoming less and less effective. At this point we have been seeing a canine dermatologist for 1 1/2 years. After discussing the issue and my concern with the single dose Apoquel being less effective, next up comes CYTOPOINT. Again, being described by the vet as being a “very safe” injection. While she was talking about how great it is, she also brought up how much safer it is than Apoquel and she made a few concerning comments about Apoquel as she tried to talk up how much better Cytopoint is compared with the side effects of Apoquel. WAIT! WHAT??? Isn’t she the one who has been continually prescribing Apoquel, recommending the 2x daily dose during flare ups? Now, she has made remarks about the unsafe nature of this drug! Are you kidding me? Then she begins to say how some of the dogs she treats need both, Apoquel + Cytopint, but many can switch and use Cytopoint alone. This was my hope. So, I give it a try because Cooper is in the midst of a flare up and itching like crazy. Cytopoint begins, and I hold off on Apoquel to see if he can have relief with just Cytopoint. WELL…No! After a couple weeks Cooper began licking his hind end at the base of his tail so bad that he made it bleed and pulled put fur. It became almost nonstop licking. This was the first time that he ever had an issue with this area of his body. He gets runny eyes, yeasty areas around his eyes, paw licking, body scratching and ear infections. This hind end licking came out of nowhere but only began after he received the Cytopoint injection. I called the dermatologist and she said to start up the Apoquel along with the Cytopoint. After a couple days, Cooper was much better. During our follow up appt the dermatologist began saying that tail licking/itching is usually a sign of food allergies. Is it??? He’s been eating the same raw food for a few years with no tail issues but after receiving his first Cytopoint injection he has an unusual reaction in an area of his body where he has never had issues. UGH! He had one more Cytopoint injection then I stopped it. Amazingly the hind end licking stopped too. Since Apoquel doesn’t address food allergy symptoms, the vet said, he may need both medications. The vet wanted us to continue with both Cytopoint + Apoquel but I decided to stop Cytopoint. No Cytopoint, no tail licking. He must not have food allergies since the tail licking stopped and he is now back to just Apoquel. But, I’m getting very scared about what Apoquel could be doing to Cooper. He had blood drawn allergy testing with one weed coming back as an allergy. Okay, I can deal with that but there has to be more. He gets flare ups when this weed is not in bloom or pollinating so there has to be more that is causing his allergic reactions. I want natural relief for him but more importantly, I want the underlying cause to be addressed, but how, especially if I don’t know what the cause(s) are?
Is it safe to discontinue vaccines and heartworm medication? As a side note, Cooper was not getting the Lyme disease vaccine. He then had a tick and contracted Lymes, but fortunately we caught it early and after mega strength antibiotics, Cooper was cured of Lymes. Now, he gets the vaccine yearly. With the other vaccines and heartworm medication, I’m afraid to stop them because what if the same thing happens, no vaccine or medication then he has no protection. I feel like I’m caught on a hamster wheel. I also don’t like playing with Cooper’s health.
Robyn, you are indeed on an awful hamster wheel with this dog, and nothing is looking bright, no light at the end of the tunnel, until you at least stop vaccinating him. I hear the fear is keeping you getting them, so I’d suggest you review a couple of key pages about Efficacy and Safety of vaccines. I think you’ll find the fear slip away and you’ll know you can stop vaccinating this poor boy.
If you really want to address this deeply and go for cure, it’s time to hire a qualified homeopathic vet. I tell you how to find one, near or far matters not a lick, starting from my Resources page where you’ll find the AVH list. This video walks you through how to choose one. This will take time now that he’s got such a long history of suppressive drugs and repeated vaccines, but it’s the best approach I know of. NOTHING in conventional medicine can cure this guy, that should be pretty obvious by now. All the best to you.
I have a 10 month old GSD who is raw fed. I’ve tried a myriad of shampoos, herbal treatments, and holistic vet. He now has yeast and bacterial infections on his skin. My plan was to get him allergy tested, but was told to wait until at least 12 months. My last GSD had horrible allergies and was on immunotherapy for the last two years of his life. Prior to that he was on apoquel. He died of sudden hemangiosarcoma in his liver and abdomen. I broke down and had them give my young GSD cytopint yesterday. I have to consider quality of life and get the infections cleared up. As soon as he’s old enough I’ll get the serum allergy test done. I’m not looking at this as a long-term solution. I’m terrified of losing another dog to HSA and no longer use chemicals or pesticides in my yard. At the same time, he’s miserable, scratching constantly, and smells. I’ve done yeast protocols and given all kids of supplements to include fermented goats milk and fish stock. It’s a game of whack a mole and it is very expensive. His itching has almost stopped completely and I’ve noticed no side effects this far. Again, hoping it’s a short term solution only.
Mollie, my 7.5 y.o. lab/ pit mix; got an injection of Cytopoint 2 days ago after being up all night scratching and shaking her ears. When I brought her home from the vet on Friday morning, I noticed she was extremely lethargic. She also had diarrhea a few times during the afternoon. The next morning, Saturday, I awoke to multiple piles of bloody diarrhea in the hallway, just outside my bedroom. Poor Mollie didnt even have the opportunity to awaken me to ask to go outside. In all the years I’ve had her, she had not had one accident before this. Unfortunately, I slipped and fell on the diarrhea before I reached the light switch. We will never use this drug again. When I called the veterinary office to report Mollie’s rxn, the receptionist claimed Mollie was the “only dog” to ever have had a bad rxn to Cytopoint. Keep in mind, this is the same woman who suggested I then start Mollie on Flagyl, which she kept insisting is not an antibiotic, to treat her diarrhea. She also kept saying Mollie had a
“perverse” rxn, which I guess is accurate, although I’m fairly certain she meant “adverse.” My vet touted this injection as a miracle drug with no downsides. Think again. I paid a tidy sum of money and all I got was a sick dog, a mess inside my house, and a bad slip and fall. Mollie has been eating homemade chicken soup with rice since yesterday. She seems better today, however, I understandthis drug stays in the system for weeks, and who knows what other issues it is causing that may be subclinical still.
I’m fairly certain that by “rxn” you mean reaction. The receptionist’s response is consistent with what I have seen on this board over the past year – no reports of diarrhea linked to to Cytopoint. My own experience with the drug has been that it worked quite well on my dog. Could you dog’s diarrhea be attributable to something else that’s much more common?
My Bella, a 7-year-old Chocolate Lab, has suffered from allergies/skin issues for most of her life. We have tried, steroids, expensive food, Apoqual, shampoos, herbal supplements, and so on and so on. She had her first Cytopoint shot on Oct 13th and for the first time in years, she was itch-free and comfortable in her own skin. I was beyond excited. I thought we found the magic pill. I was wrong. We just went back for a second shot and 2 weeks ago and her itching is worse than ever. I feel like we are back at square one and it’s very disappointing. I have spent $1000 over the years and all I want is relief for my sweet baby girl. I’m looking for advise here. What’s next for us. I hate seeing her suffer.
Thank-you for all of this information. I am saving this to study further.
I did leave a comment/reply prior to this, questioning how do we deal with vaccines, if we think this is the issue, and to share my stories.
I am looking forward to seeing what I can learn from all of this to help my itchy guy.
Thank you for your thorough analysis! I appreciate how you break down the information so well.
But I have to say, your final comment “it’s the vaccines” is misleading. Lots of dogs whose owners choose not to vaccinate still deal with skin issues! No doubt the accumulated effect of immunizing is a factor, but it’s probably not the entire root of the hypersensitivity.
Still, very insightful article!
We in homeopathy recognize inherited chronic disease, and most often that’s vaccinosis from parents and grandparents. Especially noteworthy in practice when a well-chosen “vaccinosis remedy” (there are about 20) makes the animal significantly better!
I have an 8 year old miniature American Eskimo who prior to October last year used to have an itching problem with her paws only in spring when the grass greened up. But during summer it would lessen and winter there was no problem. Last September she had her first immunization in 6 years and by October she started itching horribly and chewed her paws and legs raw. She got sores inside her ear flaps and they were all gritty. I have always fed her chicken or lean ground beef/rice/veggies/EVOO/bone meal/flaxseed/a vitamin every day and a few grain free kibbles each evening. She previously has been healthy and happy for 7 years we have had her. Then in January she got an infection in her eyes somehow, and the vet gave her antibiotic eye drops. Then in May she started losing weight and the itching had made her destroy her legs and muzzle and around her mouth. She suddenly got an ear infection too. So the vet put her on Cytopoint and gave her a 2 week antibacterial shot & an antibiotic in her ear. She tested positive for bacterial infection on her legs and in her ears. She snapped out of it, started putting on weight again, but 7 weeks later started itching her legs again and lost weight dramatically. I took her back to the vet and they gave her another Cytopoint shot. This time she didn’t do as well… I had to put bactrim and cortisone cream on her legs and snipped the toes out of dog socks and she wore them like leg warmers to cover the itchy area when I was asleep at night and couldnt watch her. Anyway, she started healing up but the weight loss was horrible and she was soon just skin and fur. I just took her to another vet and he gave her another Cytopoint shot and another long term antibiotic. She is doing better again but her blood tests say she has a high BUN and low specific gravity in her urine, both a sign of kidney problems. Now he wants her on mostly grain low protein Hills KD dog food which she hates I am still mixing it with her chicken. Hills scares me because of all the recalls they have had. I have no idea what has happened to her. It has been a nightmare since that vaccination last year and has cost at least $1000 with no end in sight. She is always spunky and energetic. I am feeding her everything I can to get some weight back on her. Whether it was the vaccine or something she picks up from wildlife in the back yard or allergies I don’t know, but I steam clean the carpets and floors, use no chemicals or cleaners, cover her bedding in clean towels, bath her with allergy shampoos. I’ve soaked her legs in apple cidar vinegar and water, epsom salts or just washed them when she comes inside. Nothing helps much. This allergy thing is such a mystery and the 8 vets don’t put much into this… just give her a shot and I pay the bill.
What agony this story elicits, Lori. Both for your dog and for you, and I’m really sorry you’re having to live through this. If you doubt it was the vaccine, you’ll want to read more about them, especially their lack of safety. A month is a very common interval to see health decline after a vaccination. It’s even in published research on autoimmune disease in dogs getting “routine vaccinations.”
I’d start here, more to inform your choices going forward with future animals: http://vitalanimal.com/vaccinations-consider-carefully/
The other take away that’s painfully evident here is how things worsen the more Dr. WhiteCoat treats the resulting chronic disease he’s caused with his vaccine. At every turn, your dog lost more ground, and it was harder to pull her back. Until you hire a homeopathic vet trained in actually curing animals, that cycle will, unfortunately, continue until she’s in her grave. If you’re interested in hiring a good one, see my Resources page, scrolldown to the AVH list there, and search by two criteria:
All the best with your Eskie. I’m afraid she’s victim of unnecessary prevention followed by damaging treatments that are ultimately ineffective.
9 year old Parson’t Russell Terrier rescue that was fine until the grass started growing. Tried everything from homeopathic, sprays and wipes to benadryl without relief. One shot of Cytopoint, no negative reaction and a massively improved quality of life. Formerly a city dog, he now rules 10 country acres with a joy that is indescribable. Vet did not endorse Apoquel due to potential side effects. My goal isn’t to have the longest living dog ever, but to make the life he has the absolute best that it can be. Expensive? 40mg was $36.00 plus visit, any future ones they won’t charge for the visit. Well worth it.
My Westie has been diagnosed with Epidermal Dysplagia. She was surrendered to a rescue at 3 yrs of age because the owners had struggled with her issues since she was 6 months old. I kept her because of the maintenance required for this disease. At almost 8 yrs old Holly has had the best quality of life the last few years that she has ever had. She gets Cytopoint injections monthly in the summer and they can be stretched out to 6 weeks in the winter. She has no more raw spots and scabs on her skin. Cytopoint for her is a quality of life issue and they have been an life saver for her.
My 3-year-old Bull Terrier received his 3rd Cytopoint injection (6-week interval) about 4 days ago. I am noticing that he seems to be on constant high-alert. He barks at things that I don’t see or hear. He paces from window to window, etc. His allergies aren’t as bad as some bull terriers I’ve seen, but I thought this injection would help calm down the red paws and licking/chewing. Henry is a bit high strung (typical for BT) but this feels different. Last night he was laying all over me half asleep. I picked up his paw to massage it and he growled and sort of snapped at me. This is not at all typical which is why I’m searching to see if this unrest is typical of Cytopoint. I’m not going to get the shot for him again. Thanks for all the information, Dr. Falconer. I’m also wondering if you have any knowledge of Dermoscent, which I have been using twice monthly for about a year now. Thanks!
Hi Donna,
I’m sorry you’re having to deal with illness like this. In my experience, the edginess and over sensitivity is largely correlated with vaccines. We often call this nervous system inflammation “brain on fire.” I’m not aware of Cytopoint causing such a state, but it’s usually the drug used AFTER vaccines have made their inflammatory, immune confusing damage in the form of allergic itch. Let’s see if others have any similar experience.
My vets all but stick their fingers in their ears if you mention vaccines causing health issues. It is so frustrating. I have no idea how to talk to them because they are defensive or hostile if I mention it.
Simplest way to talk to them is just two words: YOU’RE FIRED! If you care to tell them why, I’d encourage that, as they need to get up to speed on vaccine injury as a reality in our pets just like it is in our kids.
And then, find a holistic or better, a homeopathic vet who aligns with your goals.
For those who have had adverse reactions which may be linked to Cytopoint, you can (and should) call Zoetis to report it. The phone number is 888-963-8471 M-F 8:00-5:00 EST.
My 13 year old German Shepherd died of “bloat” 24 hours after his 2nd Cytopoint injection. He developed a severe and extremely painful elbow infection 72 hours after his 1st Cytopoint injection but the vet did not think it was related, hence the 2nd injection 1 month later. Cytopoint truly did relieve his itch, allowing him to be prednisone free for the first time in 11 years. Too bad he only got one month of relief and his death may have been caused by the drug that provided the relief.
Of note, my boy did not suffer from allergies like most dogs who are candidates for Cytopoint. He had a subcutaneous parasite called Onchocerca. Like most of the commentators on this site, I would like to see Zoetis do a more thorough study.
My 14yr old beautiful lurcher Archie had an injection of Cytopoint one week ago. His itching wasn’t half as bad as some of these dogs though. I personally don’t take pills so in hindsight (huh) how did I agree to this? He was very lethargic and started falling over 2 days later. His eyes looked scared. He had laboured breathing, shaking, completely went off his food though I think he was hungry – he would take something into his mouth and drop it out again like he couldn’t chew it or it made his mouth taste bad. He stared into space and wasn’t interested in anything at all. Previously he was eating a lot, tossing his chews around like a puppy and barking to tell me things. He did have short periods of walking well and sniffing around and each time optimistically I thought he was going to be fine. The vet 6 days later told me to completely discount the internet comments and my thoughts that it was Cytopoint that caused this. He wanted to do all sorts of tests which I didn’t want to put Archie through being his age and ‘knowing’ the drug caused this. We agreed on pain relief since I wasn’t I did not want him to suffer with the other effects – vomiting, going blind etc so after last night of him waking up a lot and continuing this sad behaviour I took him again to the vet for the final injection. I can’t believe I inflicted such a terrible final week of his life on him.
I so feel for people who have had young dogs affected.
It is good that it is helping some dogs so much but I believe there needs to be more testing to find out which dogs it should not be given to and vets educated on it’s bad effects. I so miss Archie
Amanda, I am so sorry for you, and your Archie. That is a tough one. You just never know. Thanks for sharing your story. After reading all of these I don’t think I would ever give my dog another Cytopoint injection for sure. Thank God we’ve only done 2. I had already decided, after the 2nd one didn’t really help, that we won’t be doing that again.
I’m so sorry you didn’t get more time. take care.
HELP!!
I have a two year old English Bulldog who has, get ready, NO KNOWN environmental allergies, except bee stings (it causes anaphylaxis).
After taking him to the emergency vet for facial swelling and what appeared to be an allergic reaction to DOG knows what, he was released without medication except, Cerenia (to control his non stop vomiting). I pulled a stinger out of his face and he seemed to do alright with another dose of Benadryl. A Monday.
I followed up with his RDVM the following day, since he wasn’t getting better and was actually declining, and he was given a Cytopoint injection for his itchy/yeasty paws but nothing, nor was I told to continue to administer any antihistamine going forward. A Tuesday.
Fast forward four days to Saturday and no Benadryl or other medications prescribed except Cerenia (two doses already administered earlier in the week) and my Bulldog went into anaphylactic shock and has aspiration pneumonia from inhaling his own vomit during the anaphylactic episode. He was rushed to a different ER vet who stabilized him and has now, hopefully, had his allergies dealt with.
Is it possible Cytopoint made his allergic reaction worse, or masked the allergic reaction and is it possible for a dog to be allergic to this protein compound? I’m not sure if someone has asked something similar but I’d greatly appreciate a response and some assistance.
Sorry to read about your problem. Your questions should be directed to veterinary professionals. Here’s one site with useful information that might help you:
Cerenia
Hello, I know this is an old post, but can you please tell me, is your dog alive still? I am absolutely desperate, our girl had cerenia before (2 days prior infection and was fine) now 2 days after cytopoint had cerenia and also went into severe anaphylactic shock. We were luckily at the vet and headed back in immediately, she was given the injection, and 5 minut3s later was unconditional. We’re atleast $3,000 in now and I’m on the verge of a mental breakdown feeling like my chihuahua won’t survive. How is this awful stuff even on the market!?
Excellent points. I’m sure most visitors who come here want to know the same thing – both the positive and the negative experiences of dog owners with the medications they choose for their canine family members. This information, presented fairly and in an unbiased manner, is essential to making informed decisions.
Like many drugs, including human one’s, there are side effects. Many human drug side effects can be very serious including death, but if the condition the drug is being used for is so bad that the risk of side effects is worth it, then we use the drug.
I find the cytopoint debate to be similar. How much do you let your dog suffer before trying it. Many dogs use cytopoint with no side effects just as many humans use certain drugs without side effects.
Its a risk we all have to decide. I try to imagine what if it was me that was itching constantly so badly I was drawing blood. Would I risk the side effect potential to get some relief especially if I had tried every natural alternative I could find?
How important is quality of life vs length? This question is one most of us will be personally faced with at some point and one that nearly all dog owners face eventually.
I see all the comments showing negative reactions. Most people who use the drug and have no negative reactions don’t post to sites like this so most of the comments are from people upset about that has happened and go searching for more information.
What I would like to see is data showing how many dogs are helped by cytopoint that don’t react negatively to it.
What is the ratio of dogs that have bad reactions to dogs that don’t?
My vet says the number of dogs with reactions is very small compared to the total number of dogs he has given it to, but that is just one small example.
Dr Falconer, you have more and better resources than I do, can you come up with information showing the ratio of dogs with no reaction to dogs with severe reactions?
Are you willing to publish those results even if it shows that most dogs that get cytopoint do not have serious or life threatening reactions to it?
I appreciate what you do.
Do not give your dog Cytopoint. My dog “Franklin” got his 5th dose yesterday. He was rambunctious as always on the way to the vets office and within 1 hour of getting his injection, he became very lethargic. I assumed it was a side effect of the medication. This morning he had blood coming from his gums. I rushed him to the emergency vet hospital. Blood work revealed his platelet count was 2,000. Normal k-9 platelet count is 175,000 – 500,000. They gave a blood infusion in an attempt to get his platelets up enough to give him a fighting chance. Unfortunately he did not make it. I feel extreme guilt for not knowing more about this drug. I believe each dose slowly began to kill him. More research has to be done. Looking back, I realized how much he slowly started to decline which I contributed to his age. He began having slower response, stiff joints and not as playful. I noticed also his symptoms became worse just before his injection was due. I feel he was slowly poisoned by Cytopoint. Please seek other options.
My 2.5-yr-old Boxer was having awful allergies and had developed sores on either side of her snout from itching so hard. Her ears were red and she’d scratch them open, too. We’d tried different proteins, plus and minus grain, different natural treats with probiotics and other beneficial ingredients, baths with tea tree and other good stuffs (trying to stay away from potential triggers like oatmeal), etc etc. Lots of trial and error, with most of it being error. She was taking Benadryl a couple times a day just to give her some respite.
Finally, after talking with her vet, we looked into Cytopoint. I wasn’t thrilled about trying Apoquel because, as a form of immunosuppresant, I was worried about what might happen to my Boxer (Boxers known to be pretty prone to cancers and such). Vet offered a short trial of Apoquel (4 days), after which — if it looked to be working! — we’d switch to Cytopoint. It was a fair plan, I thought, because we could try a few-day trial for fairly low cost, and then move to the much more expensive Cytopoint shot thereafter.
Apoquel was AMAZING. It worked almost instantly. My gal could sit by me on the couch and I could give her skritches without her practically falling over from joining in on the SCRATCHING. She was much more relaxed. Her face started to heal pretty quickly.
As planned, we moved to Cytopoint a few days later. For the first couple of weeks, it seeemed to be a wonder drug. My gal’s patches of rash in her armpits and on her tummy cleared up. The sores on her face healed. She wasn’t chomping on her poor little paws.
Then one morning, a couple weeks in, coming in from morning potty…she collapsed at the back door. And then again. We went immediately to her vet. A whole days of tests and Xrays and observation later, and very few answers or ideas — except that her red blood cell count was a little lower than it had been a couple weeks earlier at her original (yearly) appointment.
We went home, still with little information. My Boxerfriend was doing OK, but seemed a little OFF. We went back for more bloodwork a week or two later. Red blood cells still lower. No real ideas of why, but tests were ruling some stuff OUT. We made an appointment for a vet cardiologist to see if her heart was causing collapse, and then waited.
A few days later, more collapsing. Went right in to my vet, and they referred me to an emergency vet with a lot of different specialists under one roof. The ER vets ran a bunch of tests but weren’t really finding much (heart OK per ECG, films OK, tests on tests on tests not showing tons of…anything). Went back the next day and got a Holter monitor put on for 24 hours, to keep track of her heart function.
While wearing her monitor, she had 2 more collapsing episodes. I took her in again (luckily, her visit to the ER the day prior meant we didn’t have to pay another ER fee! Yay for one break!). They ran the results from the Holter, and it only showed that her heart slowed down slightly during her episodes. More tests: red blood cells still lower.
My gal was REALLY low. If you know a Boxer, especially a young Boxer, you know they are basically one big ball of energy. My dogfriend had zero energy. She wasn’t getting up enough. She was collapsing and disoriented.
Many tests, a blood transfusion, and a bone biopsy later, and it looks like she has PIMA (precursor-directed immune-mediated anemia).
She’s on Prednisone now. We go back today to check her red blood cell count. She seems to be on the right path, and has more energy, and is eating and drinking normally (well…a little EXTRA, really, because of the ‘roids).
Was it the Cytopoint that triggered the PIMA? Who knows. Immune responses are weird and many things can make them GO. But it’s AWFULLY damn coincidental that a perfectly healthy — aside from itchiness — dog goes from zero to needing an emergency blood transfusion in a very short time, and that the timing lines up very closely with when she had her one (and final) shot of Cytopoint. Whether or not it WAS Cytopoint, my vet and others are now recommending no more vaccines, no more antibiotics. Ever. She has to stay on the steroids as long as it takes to get her red blood cells back in line, but other than that…no drugs.
I’m glad we found this early. I’m glad I have family and friends who have helped me gather funds to cover many of these costs. I’m glad my BBFF is still with us.
Good luck, everybody. And to those of you saying, “if it means my dog’s life is shortened by a bit?” …I hope it doesn’t come to that for you. I hope you have no side effects.
Wow, Kera! That’s a strong NO!! from this dog’s immune system. Glad you saw the connection, even if the WhiteCoats failed to make it.