Kelly in Houston has three dogs. One has lymphoma and is on the CHOP protocol. Naturally, Kelly wants to prevent her other two from getting cancer in the future. One of her dogs has severe skin allergies, and the only thing that is keeping her from scratching is a drug called Apoquel. But now, Kelly is reading that it might cause cancer! What to do??

Dr. Nancy Reese, our chief medical editor, joins us to discuss Apoquel, the pros and pitfalls, and possible alternatives to try. Another pragmatic and useful Question and Answer episode for any dog lover who is worried about quality of life and the number one killer of dogs: cancer. 

Today’s episode is sponsored by the book The Dog Cancer Survival Guide written by Dr. Demian Dressler and Dr. Sue Ettinger.

Things Mentioned in Today’s Show:

Apoquel is the anti-itch medication Kelly asked about.

Cytopoint is the newer, injectable drug Dr. Nancy talked about.

The dog cancer diet Dr. Nancy recommended is in chapter 14 of The Dog Cancer Survival Guide: Full Spectrum Treatments to Optimize Your Dog’s Life Quality and Longevity by Dr. Demian Dressler and Dr. Susan Ettinger.

Helpful Resources and Related Links: 

Here is a study published in the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association about the incidence of cancer in dogs treated for 6 or more months with Apoquel: Age- and breed-matched retrospective cohort study of malignancies and benign skin masses in 660 dogs with allergic dermatitis treated long-term with versus without oclacitinib | Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association | Vol 257 , No 5 (avma.org)

To join the private Facebook group for readers of Dr. Dressler’s book “The Dog Cancer Survival Guide” go to https://www.facebook.com/groups/dogcancersupport/

About Today’s Guest, Dr. Nancy Reese:

Dr. Nancy Reese is a small animal veterinarian with over 30 years of clinical experience taking care of cats and dogs and other critters in the Sierra Nevada foothills. She is also a perpetual student and researcher, as evidenced by her many degrees. In addition to her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine from the University of California, Davis, she earned a Masters in Preventive Veterinary Medicine at UC Davis and then a Ph.D. in Epidemiology at UC Davis.

Other Links:

If you would like to ask a dog cancer related question for one of our expert veterinarians to answer on a future Q&A episode, call our Listener Line at 808-868-3200.

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