Pet care: Tasty medicine Apoquel may put your cat at risk

We don’t like seeing our pets itch and scratch. I’ve treated lots of them. Our best management, back in the day, was corticosteroids like prednisone but long-term use often led to serious problems. Now we have better, safer options. But, of course, it’s seldom that simple.

Once daily Apoquel (oclacitinib) has been a godsend. It calms the itch quickly and seldom causes side effects. Now it’s available as a pork-flavored chewable. Rather than prying your nervous dog’s mouth open or trying to hide the pill in caviar, you just gift your pupster or your kitty with an irresistible treat. Sadly, the folks in white lab coats may have done their job too well.

Apoquel hasn’t been officially approved for kitties, but independent work has found it to be every bit as valuable for them. But regardless of who takes these tasty pills, you’d better cat-proof your medicine cabinet.

The Journal of Medical Toxicology reported an almost threefold increase in Apoquel overdose calls following the release of the chewables. Cats love this stuff. Some have climbed 6-foot shelves to tear open boxes to feast. And they’re getting really sick.

Emergency veterinarians rinse the stomach of insatiable felines following their dietary indiscretions and then start supportive care that includes IV fluids, warmth and close monitoring. Those who’ve wolfed down more than a few tablets, like maybe dozens, have faced kidney failure. Dr. Tina Wismer, a toxicologist and senior director of ASPCA poison control, explained that “cats don’t metabolize drugs as readily as dogs.” “(They) are missing major metabolic enzyme groups.” Hemodialysis has been essential to survival for a few of these thieves. They haven’t all survived.

The Nichol family cat, Gaston, is the hardest creature I have ever tried to convince that pills really are for his own good. He loves me, but he’s always believed that medication is poison. No tasty tablets or liquids have ever passed his lips — until the Apoquel chewables that he needs and dearly loves. He’s safe from overdose, unless he figures out the combination to the vault.

For help with behavior problems, you can sign up for a Zoom group conference at drjeffnichol.com

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