#CYTOPOINT Stops Severe Seasonal Itching in Dogs

Scooby Doo has had a terrible time with his allergies this spring. We don't know if it is the lack of winter or if something is out there that he is highly allergic too. He will go weeks without any problems and then out of the blue he swells up and starts itching to the point where he will sit and cry.

Anti-itch shampoos didn't help

✽This is NOT a paid post. When Scooby Doo's allergies went beyond our control, our vet recommended a new vaccine. These are the results that Scooby Doo had*.

 It is very important to note that not all drugs are created equal, and you may not see the same results as Scooby did.We are not responsible if your pet does not have the same results. We are merely sharing a product on the market ✽

Scooby would whine and cry until tears fill his eyes. Scratching didn't ease the itch. It is all over his body. He develops red welts all over his belly, neck, and under his arms. His back becomes nothing but bumps. It covers almost every inch of his body. Then the scary part happens. His neck and face will swell up until he is almost unrecognizable.

He will start to get restless and wake us up whining. The first thing ma does is grab the Benedryl. We even keep a bottle next to her bed for emergencies. After she administers the Benedryl, she puts him in a cool tub of water. It seems to help stop the burning but until the Benedryl kicks in, nothing really helps. 

Last year Scooby had 3 episodes of this itching. It happened once in the spring, once in the summer and once in the fall. He uses the potty in the same area. The area has nothing new, 9 times out of 10 it doesn't bother him but it almost always happens at night. 

This year Scooby had 3 episodes within 2 months!

We've checked him for bug bites but never found anything. We went as far as taking one item from each plant that is around the potty area and rubbing it on him one at a time. We never could cause the systems to happen. I think ma has rubbed Scooby with every plant in the neighborhood. It doesn't happen in high grass, it doesn't happen in the freshly mowed grass, and it happens in all seasons. 

Each episode was getting worse than the one before. 

The last time he had a reaction, he started having problems breathing. He sounded really raspy and was gulping for air. This was our last warning sign to discuss this in detail with our vet.

Ma sent a text to Dr. Mercer along with photos of Scooby. She told him the Benedryl was not relieving his systems this time. He told her to administer half of one of my Prednisone. In 3 hours if he hadn't got relief or got worse let him know. 

After about 20 minutes, Scooby started to calm down. His skin didn't look as raw and he had almost stopped whining. Ma reported what was going on to the vet. Dr. Mercer said if the symptoms didn't subside in 12 hours to give him the other half of the prednisone. Did I mention that this happened over the weekend, you know when vets aren't in the office??

12 hours later, Scooby got the other half of the pill. He was finally able to sleep. Monday morning we were in the vet's office. Ma and the vet discussed what had happened, what Scooby ate, what he may have been exposed to. A long line of questions with nothing standing out as to what triggered it. It was time for a solution. 

First, they talked about pills such as Apoquel. Ma had spoken with a few pet parents whose dogs were on Apoquel to see if they were satisfied with the treatment. She tends to ask too many questions sometimes. There were 2 clients that said they didn't feel the pills were working like they should but the whole time they were there their dog didn't scratch once. 

One of the dogs that the treatment wasn't working like the owners wanted it to, had fleas. No anti-itch pill is going to take care of flea bites. They needed flea treatments.

After the day was over, Doc and ma talked more about Scooby's problems. Since I take pills two times a day and ma with her regimen, she was afraid that she wouldn't give Scooby his on time every day. 

That is when our vet recommended CYTOPOINT™.

CYTOPOINT™ is the liquid version of Apoquel. In Dec. 2016 Zoetis earned a license for the approved therapy. CYTOPOINT was known in 2015 as Canine Atopic Dermatitis Immunotherapeutic in which they improved upon. 

The vaccine starts working in less than 24 hours and lasts anywhere from 4 to 8 weeks. CYTOPOINT is a monoclonal antibody (mAb)* that specifically targets and neutralizes canine IL-31, its stops the protein from sending signals to the brain that the body is itching. CYTOPOINT is a biological therapy and not an actual drug. It can be used safely on dogs of all ages. It is safer on the kidneys and liver due to the fact it is not passed through them to eliminate from the body.  

Scooby didn't even act like he felt his shot. We waited a half hour before coming home. This wait was only to see if he would have a reaction to the shot. This is not the normal wait time. We had a rough weekend with Scooby and wanted to make sure there was no side effects or reactions. A few dogs may have vomiting, diarrhea, and lethargy but those symptoms subside by themselves with no medical help.

Ma helped with filing while we waited and once we hit the 30-minute mark with no reaction, we came home. She fixed our dinner early for us. Scooby and I ate and then Scooby asked to get in ma's lap. She picked him up, gave him a kiss and a hug and she thought he was going to get down but instead he made himself comfy and fell fast asleep. 

Doc says that we shouldn't wait the full 8 weeks before getting Scooby his second shot. Due to his severe reactions to whatever is out there, it's best to go ahead and leave him on it for the summer. Some dogs may not need another shot. These shots are only used when needed. When the itching gets out of control and other solutions do not work. 

You can visit the CYTOPOINT for Pet Parents to read more about the shots. They answer a lot of questions that you may have. They also include an itch tracker chart to keep progress of your dog's symptoms. If you notice that your dog is starting to scratch more often, it may be time to schedule another shot. 

To find more research about the canine allergic disease, visit The Itch Cycle. The more pet parents understand about the itch cycle the more they can understand how to possibly help it. 

If your dog has any of these symptoms, they may suffer from

 canine atopic dermatitis

 Itching, Scratching, Biting at the skin, Licking, Chewing, Rubbing, Scooting, Gnawing, Paw chewing, Inflamed skin, Flaky skin, Foul odor, Skin Infections, Ear irritation, Ear infections 

Common allergens 

Pollen: tree, weed and grasses

 Dander

Grass
      Dust mites
Mold

It has been 2 weeks since Scooby has had his shot. He has been itch free during those 2 weeks. It is like the difference in night and day with him. He is happier, sleeps more soundly and doesn't whine constantly.

 Being super itchy is a miserable way to live. We have found our solution to have a peaceful summer with Scooby Doo. 

I hope this article has helped and if you have a dog with canine allergic disease, you can find help like we did. Talk to your vet to figure out the best solution for your situation. 

Does your dog suffer from seasonal allergies? 

Will you be speaking to your vet about CYTOPOINT? 

Have you seen the signs below at your vet's office?