The Tails of Truth Podcast:

Scratch That: A Vet Dermatologist on Why There's Real Hope for Itchy Pets

Itchy dogs and itchy cats, finally explained by a veterinary dermatologist who makes the topic fun and interesting.

In this episode, Dr. Darin Dell of Wheat Ridge Animal Hospital answers the questions pet parents and vets ask most:

  • Is Cytopoint safe, and does it cause cancer?
  • Are Apoquel, Zenrelia, and Numelvi something to fear?
  • Do at-home allergy tests actually work?
  • What gets to the root of allergies instead of masking them?

For pet parents: real answers about why your pet is itchy and what actually helps.
For vet professionals: the dermatology insight most of us never got in vet school.

Dr. Angie emails Dr. Dell almost every week with her hardest itchy cases, and in this conversation he walks through how he thinks about allergies, testing, and immunotherapy, with plenty of laughs along the way. You will leave with real hope and a clear next step.

Key Takeaways

  • Allergy is inflammation in the skin at its root. Itch is only one sign. It can also show up as hair loss, odor, a swollen foot, anal gland issues, or ear problems.
  • Cytopoint is a monoclonal antibody, not a drug metabolized by the liver or kidneys, and Dr. Dell does not worry about it causing cancer. The real risk is that it can mask a symptom while the underlying allergy keeps going.
  • Apoquel side effects are uncommon. Zenrelia is a strong option for dogs that have stopped responding to Apoquel, and the newer Numelvi is a more selective JAK inhibitor.
  • The FDA removed the Zenrelia vaccine warning after follow-up studies showed dogs reached adequate vaccine titers, and Dr. Dell does not change vaccine or dosing protocols because of it.
  • At-home hair and saliva allergy tests are not rooted in science. A dermatologist once submitted samples from stuffed animals and sterile saline and got positive allergy results.
  • Skin testing is the gold standard in allergy testing. Blood testing is useful in specific cases and the lab you use matters.
  • Immunotherapy treatment addresses the root cause and can slow the atopic march. It works best when started young. A year of testing and immunotherapy runs around two thousand dollars and is often covered if insurance was in place before symptoms began.
  • The most allergic dog breeds Dr. Dell sees are English Bulldogs, French Bulldogs, and Bull Terriers. Breeds he rarely sees include English Springers, smooth Collies, and Border Collies.
  • Cats are harder to treat because there are fewer options. Atopica is the only label-approved allergy drug for cats, Apoquel is used off label, and immunotherapy works very well, in Dr. Dell's experience even better than in dogs.
  • A part two is coming, covering diet, supplementation, and Dr. Dell's approach to cats.
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Sound Bites

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  • "Allergy at its root is inflammation in the skin." ~Dr. Dell

  • "I see itchy dogs every day. All year round, I have itchy patients." ~ Dr. Angie 

  • "The test itself is really just to get us to immunotherapy, which is where the magic happens." ~ Dr. Dell

  • "My dog's no longer itching, therefore problem solved." ~ JoJo

  • "No matter what we need to rescue your dog from their itchy states." ~ Dr. Angie 

  • "If you want a constant infant, bulldog is your thing." ~ Dr. Dell

  • "I see those test results every day and I have to just say, I'm so sorry that this isn't helpful."   ~ Dr. Angie 

  • "If you think about the return on investment over a lifetime, if you broke that down over the next 10 years, that's actually not that much money." ~ JoJo

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