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My dog has constant itching and skin issues. Is Apoquel effective?

Updated on September 23, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Australian Shepherd | Female | spayed | 3 years and 1 month old | 45 lbs

Hi! My Australia shepherd of about 45 pounds has always had an issue with itching. It seems to come seasonally but recently it's gotten worse. She is beginning to leave herself scabs and she has started to chew at her back legs which is removing the fur. I can tell she is not comfortable. I have given her baths and flea treatments but nothing seems to stop the itching. I just saw a commercial about a pill called "Apoquel" meant for dogs with skin issues. Would this be a good medicine to try out?

2 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

Answered By Dr. Melanie, BVSc MS

Veterinarian

Published on April 10, 2017

Yes, this could potentially be a good product for Emmi. It's been reported to have excellent success in dogs with bad allergies, and I would discuss with your vet if this would be an appropriate treatment for her should she be suffering from allergies. If your vet feels it's a good treatment for her, they can prescribe it :-)

1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

Related Answers from Veterinarians

Answered By Ricardo Fernandez, DVM
Veterinarian, Veterinary Oncology Resident
Published on December 6, 2017
Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! The main thing with allergies is that the allergic component needs to be addressed or medications like Apoquel are only going to help just to some extent.

It really comes down to figuring out what is causing her allergies so that they can be treated or the specific allergen avoided.

There are many things that can cause allergies though in most cases they can be broken down into 3 big categories: flea, food and environmental allergies.

Allergies are usually worked up in a stepwise fashion starting with flea allergies as this is the easiest and cheapest to take care of. If not on a flea preventative, then it would be a good idea to get started on one. If already on one then it would be a good idea to change to something else (there are many new products out in the market).

If not improved in 1-3 months then it is time to move on and check for food allergies by switching to a novel diet (new protein and new carbohydrate). If that does not seem to be the issue then you are left out having to check for environmental allergies which require blood and/or skin tests.

Allergies can be very frustrating to deal with at first but so rewarding at the end when we are able to treat them effectively!
2Pet Parents found this answer helpful

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