My dog on Apoquel still smells, scratches, and has greasy fur. Why?

Question

My dog is currently on apoquel for allergies. She has a strong odor that cannot be controlled, every other day she can have a bath and still smells. Her fur is greasy as well. She also seems to have dandruff and scratches a lot. How can I fix this? Pet's info: Dog | Mixed Breed Medium (23 - 60lb) | Female | 5 years and 5 months old | 50 lbs

Andrea M. Brodie, DVM · Accepted Answer

Apoquel usually works very well in dogs with atopic dermatitis. It does stop the pruritus (itch) in most cases. However, allergies don;t usually smell bad. Baxcterial infection or a mite infection can cause a bad, often sweetish smell, so unless your vet has checked your dog for sarcoptes mites or a bacterial infection on top of the allergy. Frequent bathing actually may cause higher skin grease production which gives bacteria a substrate to thrive on. So I suggest the following: 1) do not bathe your dog every other day 2) make an appointment with your vet for a skin swab ( to determine bacterial infection) and a skin scrape to be looked at under the microscope. 3) Your dog may need an antibacterial shampoo for bathing (frequency according to the instructions on the shampoo).

My dog on Apoquel still smells, scratches, and has greasy fur. Why?

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