Product Review: Atopica for Dogs

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.