Has your dog reacted badly to 'Cytopoint' injection (new anti-itch shot)

[rilywilliams]

I'm so sorry to hear about your dog. I hope he recovers with his condition right now. I'm sure he'll be better soon with the help of you guys.

 

[Joflatcoat]

Our vet gave our 3 year old flatcoated retiever Cytopoint last Thursday - it's now 4 days later, and she hasn't stopped the most awful diarrhoea. Wish I had found this forum first , as the vet said there were no contraindications.

 

[Esme]

IMO pet parents need to start contacting the company that makes this poison. Here's their contact information I posted before in this thread:
Zoetis Global Headquarters
10 Sylvan Way
Parsippany, NJ 07054
Tel: +1 973.822.7000
Reporting an Adverse Event
To report a possible adverse event associated with a Zoetis product, including human exposure, contact the Veterinary Medical Information Support Team in your country using the drop down menu (from their website) In the U.S., call 1-888-Zoetis1 (1-888-963-8471)
Source:
https://www.zoetis.com/contact-us.aspx

 

[Lukie's mom]

We did it in my vets office. Company denied a part in my Yorkies near death.

 

[Etmiddleton]

Reaction to Cytopoint

Our 14 pound 8 yr old doxie had Cytopoint about 3 weeks ago. A few days after that I noticed she seemed tired, unable to finish her walk. I thought it was the heat. She has become progressively more lethargic, not her normal peppy self. Staying inside on her bed and normally she would be outside all the time despite the heat. Taking her to vet tomorrow, just recently thought of the possible connection between the vaccine and her behavior. Any similar experiences?

 

[KOconnor109]

Hello, that is how our dog was acting about 3 weeks after his second injection. He experienced a drop in red blood cells, causing his body to not be able to get enough oxygen to circulate throughout. Check your dogs gums, inner ears, and around the eyes. Make sure they are still pink, and blood is visible around the eyes. Our dogs gums and inner ear was completely white, and no sign of blood around the eyes, also we noticed his tongue was pale.

 

[winniewest]

We took Valentina a 3 year old cavapoo for her annual on 6/1/18. I mentioned she had been itching a little. The vet recommended Cytopoint and indicated it was new and not a steroid etc. Within 3 hours after the injection she started throwing up. She started having diarrhea by 6/2 along with vomiting. Very lethargic. By 6/4 she would no longer eat at all. Since it was her annual on 6/1 they checked her CBC & everything about her was normal. By 6/4 her CBC level was way off. The vet recommended an Internal Medicine specialist. I feel that by acting quickly we may have saved her life.
They shaved her belly to do an ultrasound & discovered hives. So far we are out $1800 & have another appointment coming up 6/8. She is currently on 5 medications & we are waiting to see how she does. I would never use this ever again. Unfortunately I also did the research after the injection.

 

[Esme]

With such horror stories I can't imagine any readers on this forum ever getting these injections for their dogs. I just hope the dogs recover fully from it.

 

[Dog Force One]

Yes, this is all horribly heartbreaking and angering. Thank you to all who share their experience here to warn other people.

 

[CMMNJ]

These stories are horrifying. My dog received this shot last week and I admit, I did zero research on the drug before agreeing to the expensive shot. I just took the Vet's word for it. So far it's been amazing as advertised, but after reading all these posts I am paranoid that something bad is going to happen.

 

[Jlabounty]

My dog had 'Cytopoint' injection 3 weeks ago (new anti-itch med) and her existing back/pain issues seemed to have increased. Due to get 2nd injection in 3 days......Has anyone else experienced similar?? Hesitating to get 2nd shot.

My pug has been on Cytopoint for at least a year, getting a shot about every 8 weeks. There hasn’t been anything dramatic happen like with many of these heartbreaking stories. The injection has definitely worked to stop itching. But in about that same time frame, I’ve noticed that he just doesn’t seem the same. His energy is way down. He has always been a great eater, and still is. He’s never had the firmest poops, and that hasn’t changed.

At first, I thought well, he’s getting older (He’s 10 now but has always had a puppy disposition and energy, zooming around all the time, just the most tenacious little guy). I’ve taken him to the vet 3x over the past year for no other reason than me just thinking something wasn’t right, even though I couldn’t put my finger on what. That’s not something I’ve ever done before...in the past, if I went to the vet, there was a specific complaint.

They did urinalysis and blood work. Even x-rays, thinking maybe he wasn’t moving as much because his legs or back were bothering him. Everything looked normal, although there was one number having to do with blood work that was “off” but not alarmimg to the vet, so I’m realizing I need to follow up with that tomorrow. For whatever reason I just woke up from a deep sleep and immediately thought “I wonder if I should stop the shots”.

I got online, read these posts (thank you all) and of course feel like an idiot that I didn’t think of it sooner. I still don’t know that the injection is to blame, but won’t be getting it again. I like my vets but realize I should have asked more questions. I’ll go back to the Apoquel which he did fine on before he started the injections. His last shot was about a month ago so I’m hoping to see an increase in his energy as it makes it’s way out of his system. I will post an update.

It’s awful enough when our dogs feel bad. And the idea that I may have been the one doing it to him makes it even worse. To those who have actually lost your dogs, and to the those whose pets are sick now, I’m so sorry.

 

[Laluloh]

My dog, Abby, has been on Apoquel but her itching was constant. We tried everything natural and not. Thus we tried the shot. She had the shot twice about 4 months apart. It does help the itching calm down immensely. After the first shot I didn’t notice any extreme difference in Abby, but after the 2nd one I definitely noticed a huge difference. She was in a zombie like state, walking very slowly and never making eye contact with you. We thought she might be dying. It fortunately went away after 2 weeks, but it was scary. Of course it’s been a few months since the shot, and she’s beginning to itch again and I thought to go online and see if any others have had the same experience with the shot. We will go back to a Apoquel and hope it helps.

 

[Dog Force One]

Hi, is it possible that your dog has low grade mange or another skin pest, enough to make her itch constantly but not enough to produce telltale sores? After a late start, I have taken care of nine dogs until today, and none ever had mysterious itching, not one. Despite that we live in a rather unsanitary and polluted place and that some of the dogs had a rough start in life. But all my dogs have always received a monthly Ivermectin shot to prevent heartworm, mange and ear mites, and they also receive a monthly Frontline Plus application, carefully applied between the shoulderblades, against fleas and ticks. Ivermectin is not an expensive shot, and it covers heartworm as well, more reliably than oral medication like HeartGard. If a dog has mange, no amount of anti-allergy meds will treat it. But Ivermectin works like a charm.

Note: There are a few dog breeds that cannot tolerate Ivermectin and must not receive it- I believe it is certain Collies, but I don't remember for certain- I'm sure it's on the net.

 

[Laluloh]

Thank you Dog Force One for your response. Abby does itch to the point of bleeding sores if I don’t give her Apoquel or the Cytopoint shot. She receives her monthly heart worm/flea called Revolution. We adopted her when she was 5 and now she’s 11 and this itching/sores began 1.5 years ago. Her breed of a Soft Coated Wheaton Terrier are prone to skin problems. I started her back on Apoquel yesterday and she’s doing better with her itching this evening

 

[Dog Force One]

Glad Abby is feeling better for now. By the way, Revolution can't do anything for mange, and it also doesn't control ticks. I trialed switching from Frontline to Revolution once, and soon there were baby ticks everywhere. It was scary- I switched back right away. If there are sores, that would increase the likelihood that the underlying issue might actually be mange. Ivermectin could be your long sought solution.

 

[Laluloh]

I think you might be correct Dog Force One! After reading about Mange this might be what she has. I’ve seen pictures of Mange in the past where a dog is nearly hairless (not Abby’s case), but didn’t realize there is a milder form. Recently when she was biting her paw incessantly it looked kind of red. I assumed the skin was red and her white fur was making it look like that. But I read there’s a kind of mite that actually makes the area red due to the redness of the mite.

We’ve been dealing with this on and off for a few years while spending hundreds if not thousands for appts, pills, injections, etc. And not once did I ever hear this could be caused by mites. I will inquire about the Ivermectin.

Thank you so much for reaching out to me. I truly appreciate you!

 

[Dog Force One]

No problem- it certainly seems worth a try. Two more things I should note. The Ivermectin dose for only heartworm prevention alone is very small. For mange or mite treatment/prevention a more normal dose is used. So best point out to the vet that you'd like the dose against mange, not the very small heartworm dose. It's not that the mange dose is high, but that the heartworm dose is very low.

Also, there are many brands of Ivermectin that the vet might use- it's a common med made by many companies- but although the effect is the same, there can be one difference. Some brands sting the dog right after injection. Some brands do not sting at all. It's not even the Ivermectin that causes the sting, but something about the saline solution it is carried in, is what my vet said. Hopefully the vet will use a brand that doesn't sting. But if your dog suddenly squeaks, panics, and wiggles two seconds after the shot, don't worry. It will pass in a minute. Just comfort and calm her. Why anyone produces or uses the stinging solution is beyond me, but Ivermectin is also common for farm use and I guess, sadly, some people don't care at all how farm animals feel. Personally I avoid the stinging kind for the additional reason that I don't want my dog to start associating getting shots with feeling stung- it could make it more difficult to administer medicine in the future.

Last thought- HeartGard chewables are also based on Ivermectin, so if you use HeartGard, best wait until the next dose is due before using an Ivermectin injection. Again, I think the dose of Ivermectin in HeartGard is very small- just enough for heartworm prevention. Still, it's never a good idea to give overlapping doses of the same med.

Good luck! It can't hurt to give it a try, and it might work.

 

[CatMom1994]

I linked this thread and three others about Cytopoint to a new member's post in the Introductions section. It is another sad story about someone's dog getting sick after taking the shot.

 

[loveforpaws]

I am so sorry everyone has been having their dogs have horrible reactions on Cytopoint. Has anyone heard of any good reactions from Cytopoint ? My Pitbull and poodle mix are itching like crazy from allergies and I was thinking about bringing them in for a steroid shot, but I am not sure which one is the best. Has anyone tried just a steroid shot?

 

[dingydogmom]

We have been using the Cytopoint injections for about a year now, and have had no bad experiences-but after reading all of these negative posts, I'm very scared. My 18 pound Havanese mix Has an appointment for his next one today, and I don't know if I should cancel it until I can speak further with his holistic vet, who recommended trying it when I was about to try Apoquel. She said it was new, last May, but had fewer side effects than Apoquel. I went online to try to find out any negative side effects then, but could not find any. He's so much better, about three days after an injection. But of course, we can't know what's happening to his blood on the inside! He gets it about every 60 days, through summer and fall, when he usually starts chewing himself raw! I am sharing this because one of the last people to post, asked if anyone had had good luck with it.

 

[scovino]

Hi Lisa
Can you help me with information of pursuit with Zoetis?

 

[Dog Force One]

Please DO NOT have CYTOPOINT administered/injected into your Dog for allergies or itchy skin. CytoPoint is a Biologic with Antibodies that are to program how cells send messages to the brain about itching. Georgie was injected with these Antibodies, where the antibodies turned against his body attacking red blood cells and platelets. My family is in pursuit to go after Zoetis for compensation for the $5,000 of Emergency Blood Transfusions that we incurred. Please head this warning and share with anyone you think may be considering CytoPoint for their Dog.

Hi Lisa
Can you help me with information [to pursue] Zoetis?

Unfortunately Lisa is not a regular poster here, so she is unlikely to see your message, but if you send her a Private Message (by clicking on her forum name and then clicking Private Message), that will generate an e-mail to her.

 

[gmerilli]

Be careful with this drug. My 7 Year old Sheltie had some skin allergies that kept coming back after the normal antibiotic treatment. My Vet said to try this new "wonder drug". I believe that it compromised my shelties immune system. After two shots, she started developing a weakness in her hind quarters. A month later she got a UTI. And a month later, she got kennel cough. In looking at these things they are all signs of a compromised immune system. I believe that the IL-31 molecule, has a lot more to do with the overall immune system in a dog than we know about. My dog will not be getting this shot any more. I am using an antihistamine to keep her skin allergies under control. She has been off the cytopoint for more than 2 months and her hind end weakness seems to be getting better. cytopoint does not get eliminated by the kidneys or liver, so it can take quite some time for it to be eliminated from a dogs system.
The UTI and kennel cough are getting better with antibiotic treatment. Although I have no firm proof, with the exception of the skin allergies, she was always healthy up until we started the cytopoint treatment.

 

[Dog Force One]

Gmerilli, thank you for sharing your experience. Hopefully others can be warned in time.

 

[Puglover]

DrG, Can you please tell me what you did to help get your dog back on track? Mine is eating but drinking tons of water and is having trouble walking after a Cytopoint injection. She had to be rushed that night to the ER Vet for an allergic reaction. Since she had several Cytopoint injections prior, they claim that it's just not possible it's related to the Cytopoint. My instincts tell me differently.