I have Labrador Retrievers who get itchy from late spring until late fall

Hello sandy!!! I’m a veterinarian, and seasonal itching in Labrador Retrievers is commonly associated with environmental allergies such as pollen, grasses, molds, or other allergens. I understand your concern about using immune-modulating medication long term. For supportive, non-prescription care, you can consider a reputable pet-specific omega-3 (EPA/DHA) supplement, maintain a balanced diet, bathe with a gentle veterinary-formulated shampoo, and wipe the paws and belly after outdoor exposure. These measures may help, but natural supplements are not a guaranteed treatment and may provide only limited relief. Because this problem occurs repeatedly from spring through fall, I strongly recommend having your dogs evaluated by a veterinarian, ideally during an active flare-up. It is important to determine whether the itching is truly caused by environmental allergies or whether parasites, food allergies, yeast, or bacterial skin/ear infections are contributing. A veterinarian can also help develop a long-term management plan that does not necessarily rely solely on medication. Please don’t continue trying multiple supplements without veterinary guidance, especially if your dogs are scratching excessively, developing sores, losing hair, or getting recurrent ear infections.

Hi Sandy! Given the seasonal presentation, it definitely sounds like your labradors are experiencing some form of an environmental allergen flare. Are your pets also on flea and tick preventatives? Flea induced allergy responses (hypersensitives) are very common this type of year and even if you do not see a flea, one bite can trigger itchiness, hair loss, and flaky skin. I totally understand your concern regarding Apoquel long-term. The good thing about Apoquel is that it only targets the JAK-STAT pathway that signals itchiness — it is not suppressing the actual immune system, it is just modulating it and just telling the body not to itch! This has proven to be very efficacious and safe over time. There are some food options that may benefit your pets depending on the type of allergens such as the Hill's Derm Complete diet; this is formulated to help mitigate the symptoms of food and environmental allergens by providing a diet that promotes a healthy skin barrier. This is all about consistency, so this would be a full lifestyle change and the food would be given year round. This food does require a prescription from a veterinarian. Nutramax also offers a skin health supplement called Dermaquin that you may want to discuss with your veterinarian, as well. Both of these encourage omega-3 fatty acids to restore the healthy skin barrier to keep allergens out and inflammation down. Just recognize that you likely will not provide the full relief your pets experience with Apoquel. Instead, these modalities may be able to combine to decrease the dosage of Apoquel at a given time to manage flares as they occur. Best, Grace 3rd Year Veterinary Student

Written by a veterinary student, not a licensed veterinarian, and without examining your pet. It is general information to help you decide what to do next: not a diagnosis, a treatment plan, or a prescription, and not intended to establish a veterinarian-client-patient relationship. Do not start, stop, or change any medication based on it. Your own veterinarian has examined your pet and knows their history, so ask them before acting on anything here.

Sorry to hear your dog is having what seems to be some seasonal itching due to allergies and apoquel helps with the itching and discomfort, but that you don’t seem comfortable keeping him on it long-term. Apoqrel doesn’t suppress the entire immune system it targets pathways to help suppress the urge to itch. They also have an injection called cytopoint and another daily tablet called numelvi, they were designed to target specific pathways involved with itching and not broadly suppress the immune system like steroids would. I would recommend discussing these other medication’s with your vet to get his recommendations on these medication’s, that might be best for your dog. There are sensitive skin and sensitive stomach diets out there, but there’s a high chance that it’s not going to make too big of a difference as far as helping with the itching and discomfort because your dog experiences the itching seasonally and it’s most likely environmental and not a food allergy and diet changes aren’t normally recommended until you’ve gotten to the point that it’s possibly food related and not just environmental and at that point you would need to make a change to an actual prescription diet for allergies. I would go ahead and start with adding the omega-3‘s to the diet making sure that your dog is on a flea and tick preventative and then discussing those other two medication’s with your doctor. Seems to be seasonal from what you described so he’s not on the medication year-round but also there are a lot of pets that end up only needing that cytopoint injection couple of times a year and/or only needing to take the oral medication during that reactive time of year..

Thank you all for your thought provoking responses. Yes my dogs are on flea and tick meds. I appreciate your explanations about Apoquel’s effect on the immune system. I didn’t know that. I have decided to try the Nutramax Omega 3 supplement and see if that helps. I have also added raw eggs 3 days a week and cooked sweet potatoes twice weekly. What about Probiotics? Do they have a role in this problem?