After trying allergy shots and watching my dog experience an increase in his allergy symptoms, my vet recommended we try Atopica for atopic dermatitis relief. My dog has an allergy to a host of things: wheat, sagebrush, and grass pollen to name a few. You may notice that your dog has similar ranges in allergy symptoms: from itchy skin to hives, patchy fur and atopic dermatitis; from a runny nose to bad breath and prodigious amounts of flem; from foot licking to inflamed footpads and foot cysts. My goal in trying Atopica was to decrease the severity of his allergy reactions, particularly dog atopic dermatitis, and to improve his quality of life.
What Atopica Does
Atopica is formulated to address atopic dermatitis in dogs, which is chronic itchy and inflamed skin. It does this by suppressing the immune system in a dog, so that some undesirable reactions to irritants are kept at bay. I noticed that my dog, Ribeye, experiences far fewer itching related skin issues while on Atopica: no more hives, no more patchy fur, and greatly reduced foot licking. Although he doesn’t appear allergy free, his quality of life is greatly improved.
What Atopica Doesn’t Do
Atopica is not a cure for atopic dermatitis in dogs, or for any specific allergy, it simply suppresses the immune system reaction. That means you’ll need to continue dosing your dog on a daily basis while he is experiencing an allergy or coming in contact with whatever irritates him. My vet did not explain this to me, and Ribeye ended up paying the price for the miscommunication. I gave him Atopica for a month, with wonderful results within the first week. A week after stopping Atopica, my dog had a huge bounceback reaction – he was covered in hives and large chunks of his fur was missing.
Know this when you begin Atopica: it treats the symptoms of atopic dermatitis in dogs, it does not cure the allergy. Using Atopica means an ongoing prescription for atopic dermatitis or a specific allergy.
Atopica also did not address the prodigious flem production or the footpad swelling for my dog. Although several vets have expressed an opinion that these are allergy related reactions, they are not atopic dermatitis, so I wasn’t terribly surprised to see no changes in these allergy symptoms.
Good Reactions
Ribeye has stopped bursting out with hives at the drop of a hat. Previously, my dog could begin a day with no signs of an allergy or skin issue, and 2 hours later I could find him furiously scratching away at a bleeding pustule. Since bulldogs tend to have curved nails, they carry a high level of bacteria on their claws, which means a high probability of infection when Ribeye scratched to the point of drawing blood.
In the past, hives and itchy skin often led to a patchy looking coat, with hunks of missing fur. Ribeye’s coat looks healthy on Atopica – soft, glossy, fully filled in, and no missing patches. He no longer has the hot spots or irritated pink areas associated with atopic dermatitis, which had occurred in the past, particularly in his leg pits.
Tips:
Dosing instructions say to give your dog Atopica at least one hour before a meal or two hours after a meal. Ribeye lost his appetite when I dosed him before a meal, and he got lethargic when I dosed him during the day. In checking with other users, the best timing seems to be at least two hours after dinner, right before the dog goes to sleep for the night. Viola, the appetite returns; you and your dog get a good night’s sleep.
Atopica will suppress the immune system in your dog, so take care in exposing him to situations like the dog park or a doggie day care, where his immune system will need to fight off aggressive bacteria or other infectious agents.
Price for 50mg tablet: $3.30. Ribeye takes one 50mg tablet a day, which is half the recommended dose by Novartis, the manufacturer, for a 60lb dog. I’ve tried internet searches for cheaper sources to no avail. Atopica does occasionally offer a 1-time rebate of $25-$50 based on the amount you’ve spent on a one month supply. Ask your vet, as the rebate coupons go directly to them, not to the consumer.
For more info on the quest to relieve allergy reactions for Ribeye, click on this article.
