Cytopoint long term side effects

[milosmom]

Has anyone here had any negative side effects from long-term use of Cytopoint? My dog has had two injections and they have helped him SO much, but I have started seeing people say they believe it has caused auto-immune diseases in their dogs that has resulted in death.

I chose Cytopoint over Apoquel specifically because it is not an immunosuppressant and instead only targets the "itch gene."

If anyone has any experience, good or bad, I'd love to hear it!

[Bella7808]

Hi just sharing if you scroll down and read the thread on Another Picky Eater, you will find LadyJane and Lovetodream88, talking about the usage of Cytopoint injections. It's very informative. I don't have experience but hope this helps you.

[milosmom]

Thank you! I missed those comments. So far what I am seeing is very positive, and that has been my experience as well. I have found that talking to other owners of Yorkies/Biewers is often more helpful then the vet.

[Lovetodream88]

I have heard of absolutely no negative effects of cytopoint which is why many people prefer to use it. I am part of a vet group and they have been asked many questions about cytopoint and never have any of the answers said anything bad and they all say none of their patients have had any side effects. The thing is most dogs end up have some other illness and the owner doesn't catch it and it is caused by something else but they choose to blame whatever they can.

I will say this on apoquel. I feel extremely good that it caused Callie's Cushings. Can I fully prove this no because I didn't want to do a necropsy. See Callie took it for a very long time and apoquel keeps the body from reacting to any kind of lumps or tumors that the body would normally fight off and keep from turning into something more. Well Cushings is a tumor on the Pituitary or Adrenal gland and had one of these tumors been developing in a normal dog their body in most would fight it off and keep it from becoming something but a dog on apoquel will not do that so tada you have a tumor and that causes Cushings.

Personally I think Cytopoint is the best allergy medicine out there. I have no issues using it and if it didn't work I wouldn't allow my dog to suffer I would still use apoquil as a last ditch effort.

[milosmom]

Thank you so much for your informed response! I completely agree with you that people like to find blame in things that may or may not be the root cause of their dog's illness or death. My dog has responded wonderfully to this treatment....I can't call it a medication, because it's not....and I really would like to continue to use it. He has seasonal allergies and last night he licked his back foot for an hour. The Cytopoint gives him almost instant relief.

I actually have a close relative that worked for Zoetis and was one of the scientists involved in the creation of both Apoquel and Cytopoint. Even with his knowledge, I still like to talk to others that own this breed because we sometimes have different experiences.

[matese]

My pup was on Cytopoint for 2 1/2 years, one shot every 6 weeks for food and environmental allergies, no side effects. His scratching stopped 18 months ago so did the Cytopoint. He will need a shot in Spring when pollen is raging. I haven't heard anything negative about using Cytopoint.

[Bella7808]

I was just wondering since I noticed Bella licking her paws a lot before on and off. When I caught her I always said to her no licking your paws and she would stop. Then some times hide under her blanket and I see movement, haha. She really knows that it's wrong, so cute. I thought it was food related. Right now I'm in slow transition in changing her foods, so I don't see her licking her paws. At what point do you decide to try Cytopoint? When her paws are sore red and itchy? I don't see that now. Anyways, do you just make an appointment to see the vet and say I wish to have the Cytopoint injection and let him/her decide? I'm just wondering for future issues. Thank you for sharing.

[milosmom]

Rocco was scratching a lot and biting at his back legs. I originally thought it might be an allergy to chicken, but my vet said the top allergies are fleas, environmental and then food. Because it was summer and my dogs love to be outside, he suggested I try Apoquel first to see what happened. I tried it for five days and it worked, so then we discussed switching to Cytopoint because it is not an immunosuppressant like Apoquel.

One thing my vet did say is that Cytopoint doesn't work as well for food allergies, so if the shot wasn't working, it could possibly be related to food and not environmental. I thought it was worth trying this first before try to do a food elimination diet.

I think you could discuss Bella's paw licking with your vet and see what he suggests.

[matese]

Originally Posted by Bella7808

I was just wondering since I noticed Bella licking her paws a lot before on and off. When I caught her I always said to her no licking your paws and she would stop. Then some times hide under her blanket and I see movement, haha. She really knows that it's wrong, so cute. I thought it was food related. Right now I'm in slow transition in changing her foods, so I don't see her licking her paws. At what point do you decide to try Cytopoint? When her paws are sore red and itchy? I don't see that now. Anyways, do you just make an appointment to see the vet and say I wish to have the Cytopoint injection and let him/her decide? I'm just wondering for future issues. Thank you for sharing.

Never wait until paws are red or sore. Licking paws can be a sign of allergies and should be discussed with your vet.

In the case of Cody, I was feeding him Wellness Core grain free kibble, then articles started popping up about grain-free food might be giving dogs a life-threatening heart problem due to legumes, like lentils and peas being in the list of the first 10 ingredients in grain free kibble. I discussed this with my vet who told me to get him off grain free kibble and feed regular kibble.

Cody was constantly scratching under his nose area, got to the point where it was red and losing hair. Apoquel was fairly new and hard to get because it was being sold so fast, thankfully my vet had a good supply. He was on Apoquel for several months when Cytopoint came out and he was switched to that.

When I transitioned him to regular kibble the scratching stopped and all allergy meds stopped, but allergy does flair up in Spring due to pollen, so he will get one Cytopoint shot with a 3 day supply of Apoquel until the Cytopoint shot is fully in his system.

[Ellie May]

My young Boxer girl (sorry, not a Yorkie) has been on Cytopoint since fall ‘19. Because of a breed predisposition to mast cells, traditional allergy meds are a last resort.

We have had zero problems with it. It has become much less effective over time, but that is most likely because there is food component (I need to do an elimination diet soon). To provide more relief we use off label dosing.

Aside from itching, she had severe axillary dermatitis. It looked like her armpits were going to rip. Cytopoint was curative for this. She also had the white dog tear staining and crusty eye fur. It disappears for 1-2 weeks after injection.

[Bella7808]

I learned a lot here in this discussion. When the time comes and Bella needs to see the vet I will share this information and discuss with him. Thank you to everyone, really appreciate this.

[Lovetodream88]

Originally Posted by milosmom

Thank you so much for your informed response! I completely agree with you that people like to find blame in things that may or may not be the root cause of their dog's illness or death. My dog has responded wonderfully to this treatment....I can't call it a medication, because it's not....and I really would like to continue to use it. He has seasonal allergies and last night he licked his back foot for an hour. The Cytopoint gives him almost instant relief.

I actually have a close relative that worked for Zoetis and was one of the scientists involved in the creation of both Apoquel and Cytopoint. Even with his knowledge, I still like to talk to others that own this breed because we sometimes have different experiences.

My now passed girl had great success with Cytopoint and I was doing the injections myself at home so I didn't have to drag her to the vet every time. My 4 year old girl had 2 shots in the spring/fall and hasn't needed another one yet. I really like it over the other medications. In all the dog groups I'm in I have never heard anything bad about it.

[Lovetodream88]

Originally Posted by Bella7808

I was just wondering since I noticed Bella licking her paws a lot before on and off. When I caught her I always said to her no licking your paws and she would stop. Then some times hide under her blanket and I see movement, haha. She really knows that it's wrong, so cute. I thought it was food related. Right now I'm in slow transition in changing her foods, so I don't see her licking her paws. At what point do you decide to try Cytopoint? When her paws are sore red and itchy? I don't see that now. Anyways, do you just make an appointment to see the vet and say I wish to have the Cytopoint injection and let him/her decide? I'm just wondering for future issues. Thank you for sharing.

Food allergies are very rare it is generally environmental allergies. A true food allergy would require a prescription food. Telling her to stop is like telling a kid not to scratch a bug bite. If you wait until the paws are red then you have waited to long and there is probably a yeast or skin infection going on also. If she is licking her paws you go to the vet and if they think it is allergies you can bring up the cytopoint.

[Britster]

Cytopoint has worked wonders for my cockapoo girl. Lola used to get really bad hot spots, yeasty build up on skin and ears, and discoloration of fur around paws/legs due to constant licking and itching. While she still has some discoloration and some itching - between Cytopoint injections as needed, giving Welactin omega 3 fish oil, and we use the shampoo Duoxmo (sp?) and wipes as needed she is doing 1000x better. The Cytopoint is great for just calming things down. She has been getting it off and on for approx 2 years at this point.

[ladyjane]

I love Cytopoint and have used it for a few pups now. Fosters and my own. I have not had any problems at all.