Question submitted by the audience in our recent webinar: "The Itchy Dog":
I switched my English Setter from Atopica to Apoquel about 6 months ago. Since then, she has lost a lot of her fur on her back legs and flanks. She already has no fur on her underside. Does Apoquel cause more fur loss or is it from a flare up of her allergies / canine atopic dermatitis? She is also on a 10 mg dose of prednisone every other day.
Answer by: Andrew Hillier, BVSc, MANZCVS, DACVD
Poor hair growth or loss of hair has not been reported as an adverse event with Apoquel. We do know that long term corticosteroids (I am not sure how long the every other day prednisone has been administered) certainly can do this. There are also other reasons for poor hair growth such as a developing endocrine disease, unrecognized dermatophytes (ringworm) or demodex infestation (which can be a consequence of long term corticosteroid use). I would suggest that you have your veterinarian evaluate your dog for these or other causes of the hair loss.
