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My dog still scratches on Apoquel. Can I use OTC allergy meds?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Chinese Shar-Pei | Female | spayed | 2 years old | 44 lbs

Our 2-year-old Shar-pei is taking a course of Apoquel along with her Bravecto. While Bravecto seems to work very well, as advertised, the Apoquel does not seem to work. Our Coco is still scratching, some licking, and shedding balls of hair. She eats Purina One. Would she be as well off taking over the counter allergy medicines like Benadryl, Claritin, etc.? Thank you for your time.

2 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Laura Johnson VMD

Veterinarian

Published on June 1st, 2018

Hi, thanks for using PetCoach! While apoquel is a great drug to stop scratching and to help atopic dermatitis it doesn't do anything in the face of a skin infection. Coco should be checked to see if she now has a yeast and or bacterial skin infection. There is also the option of doing an injection for scratching called cytopoint, which lasts 30-60 days (dog dependent). I would also consider adding Omega 3 fish oils and changing her diet to a non-chicken based novel protein diet (try venison, lamb, fish). Claritin, benadryl and zyrtec can be sued in dogs, see links below: https://www.petcoach.co/canigive/dog/benadryl/ https://www.petcoach.co/canigive/dog/zyrtec/ https://www.petcoach.co/canigive/dog/claritin/ https://www.vrshealth.com/canine-products/omegadog/ https://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=15235

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    Answered By Jenny, DVM

    Veterinarian

    Published on February 26th, 2018

    It does sound like allergies either from food or something in the environment. You can switch to a novel protein or hypoallergenic diet such as royal canine rabbit and potato or science diet D/D. The goal is to find a single carb and single protein to monitor ehat they eat. Treats also count and results take 4-8 weeks. You can also get a medicated shampoo to bathe weekly and add omega 3 fatty acids and fish oils tonthe diet to help If this does not help then you are left with medication. This can be given every day or even seasonally if needed to control symptoms. Apoquel is a good option to talk to your vet about or a stronger antihistamine such as hydroxyzine to help

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Related Questions

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My dog is on this allergy medication called apoquel 16mg half pill daily, and it did help her allergies for the first few months but now she's back to constantly scratching, biting, licking, to the pint she's losing hair and she's covered in scabs, s
Hello. While Apoquel has been an absolutely wonderful addition to our ability to help allergic dogs, it is not 100% effective all the time & in every pet. I have had to add medications to the really tough cases, including using the injectable Cytopoint, adding antihistamines, or even very low doses of glucocorticoids. Talk to your vet to see what might be the next step for helping Zelda. You might also consider seeing a veterinary dermatologist to see what exactly she might be allergic to & if a desensitization protocol would be helpful. Good luck & thanks for using Boop by Petco.
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Thanks for using Boop by Petco! 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
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