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Is it safe for my young dog to take Apoquel long-term for allergies?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Chihuahua | Male | neutered | 3 years and 6 months old

He's going on at apoquel 5.4 for almost 2 years now I live in Florida we have tried to find what he's allergic to whether it's a seasonal allergy or a food allergy we have not been to figure it out he does well on the Apoquel i'm just wondering he's a young dog can he take this without any kind of serious side effects for the rest of his life

2 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By David Darvishian

Veterinarian

Published on August 28th, 2017

Hi and thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Sorry to hear about Tiny. I'm not sure anyone can answer that question and the best thing to do is to call the manufacturer of Apoquel and talk with their veterinary consultant team. I'm not sure we have any long term studies on this drug in dogs. Here's the info I copied from the Zoetis website regarding contact information- PRODUCT SUPPORT If you have product-related questions or wish to report an adverse event associated with a Zoetis product, including a human exposure, please contact our Veterinary Medical Information & Product Support Team at 1-888-ZOETIS-1 or 1-888-963-8471 I would advise also discussing with your veterinarian or a Zoetis veterinarian, other treatments for dogs with allergies. These can include medicated bathing, fish oil, antihistamines, corticosteroids, allergy shots, etc. Good luck with Tiny. Allergies can be very challenging but with good care they can be controlled quite well. Also a good flea and tick medicine should be part of the overall treatment.

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    Answered By Kevin Sanada, DVM

    Veterinarian

    Published on

    Apoquel is a newer drug and there are really not much for long- term studies, so it's not fully known what the risks are for long- term use. However, there have been good studies showing that it is safe at high levels over 6 weeks. The possible long-term risks are increase chance of infection, vomiting/ diarrhea and lethargy. With minimal chances of a serious problem, the fact that it's safer than the alternatives and is keeping Tiny comfortable...I would definitely keep him on it. I would only consider stopping if there was a concern of the aforementioned problems. I hope that helps.

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