Stop the itch!

Cytopoint or Apoquel

To continue the discussion of controlling the incessant itching of canines suffering with allergies, we now have two excellent alternatives in the injectable Cytopoint and oral tablet Apoquel. These modern, magical medicines arose from decades of discovery of what really causes what and exactly where that “what” is happening within Farfle’s allergy afflicted body.

Cytopoint is a monoclonal antibody, which means, in musical terms that it, like an organ pipe, can sing only one note, which blocks the action of Interleukin 31. What, you ask, is Interleukin 31? Well, it is the primary mediator of itching with canine allergies. Note: Interleukin 31 is NOT a histamine, ergo antiHISTAMINE does not touch it.

Apoquel works its magic in another way. Recall in the previous paragraph that Interleukin 31 is the PRIMARY mediator of itching with canine allergies, NOT the ONLY mediator. Apoquel is a Janus Kinase (JAK) pathway inhibitor, mostly JAK 1, but to an extent JAK 2. This set of enzymes results in the release of cytokines or proteins that drive the canine allergic response. In essence, allergies cause your poor pup to be all JAKed up! Again, note that the JAK pathway is NOT histamine based. Histamine is not a cytokine.

AVC has been using these valuable pharmaceuticals for several years with outstanding results. Still, we find those cases that require adjunctive medications.