Anyone using Atopica?

Hi everyone - thanks for all of the great posts.  My 12 year old Siamese/tabby cat has recently been prescribed atopica for his chronic allergies.  He also has feline lower urinary tract disease (FLUTD), so his diet is extremely limited.  It has been quite a struggle to administer this medicine as he has to take a dosage for an 18 lb cat!  (My vet stated that every cat who has to eat the royal canin SO formula cat food for FLUTD is always large because the ingredients are so bad.)  Anyway, so - I've been using the #5 gel caps and hiding the atopica inside of the gel caps, then place them into a greenie pill pocket and then have to disguise the pill pocket in a can of cat food that he isn't supposed to be eating (i.e. Friskies) - he wont eat the pill pockets on their own anymore.  Since he knows what is inside of the pill pocket I constantly have to surprise him with a new flavor of wet food to hide it in.  I've been noticing that as soon as he takes the medicine he instantly lays down and is not himself.  It makes me so sad to see him this way.  So I started looking into the long term side affects which completely scare me.  Has anyone been successful in using atopica for a long period of time?  I'm considering telling my vet that I do not want to use this product until they tell me more about this drug.  They only told me about the short term side affects (vomiting and diarrhea) but nothing long term.  How can we be sure that the potential side affects aren't worse than those of steroids?  I'm pretty nervous about this medicine.       

I do have to go back to the cat dermatologist this upcoming Monday so they can check on his progress (it has been a month since he's been on atopica).  My cat is also less itchy than before, but still not back to normal.  He had scabs all over, and his belly and hind legs were bald - it was bad.   But I am hoping that they start to wean him off of this medicine come Monday.  I may ask that they perform bloodwork, since they didn't do it initially.  I really want to make sure that everything is OK.  As a side note - my regular vet is a holistic vet that comes to my house because my cat gets sooooo stressed when he has to actually go to the doctor.  She is the one who told me to go to the dermatologist.  I'm wondering if other holistic vets have other options.  It just seems weird that a holistic vet would suggest I go to a dermatologist who would then prescribe this type of medicine.  I live in the Philadelphia area, so maybe there are other holistic vets that I can look into.  I will provide an update after Monday.  Does anyone have any questions that they want me to ask??  Haha!  I always bring a list with me

^ I had to put a shirt on Mikki once and I used some long sleeves of mine. The band around the wrist fit perfectly around her neck...and all I did was make 2 holes for her front legs and cut the length to her size. Worked perfectly. She needed something that wasn't real loose around the neck as she was an escape artist!

Well I've been scouring the internet for information on Atopica in felines for the last week, and was so pleased to find this thread is still active!

My catmate Shakti, is a 12 year old long hair and has been getting eosinophillic granulomas since he was 5. I've had him allergy tested and came up with nothing, so it came down to giving him Depo Medrol (steroid) shots 3-4 times year. In the last 2 or 3 years his ulcers have been coming back more frequently, every month to two months. I have him on a limited ingredient diet, and since we moved from Florida to Utah, he has stopped sneezing so much! But the lesions didn't stop coming back. Also, my vet would give him an antibiotic and b12 at the same time to help him feel better after his shots, and that was always great, current vet does not do that..

I'm obviously concerned about him developing diabetes (although my partner is diabetic and they could share insulin... I hardly call that a silver lining...) especially since he is a little over 12 pounds now, a little overweight but not prohibitively so, but my vet said older cats should keep their weight up, rather than down... it doesn't help with the diabetes, and the 6+ years of steroid shots...

Well so, I started him on Atopica today, its been a month since his last shot, I mushed it up with his wet food and kept petting and pushing it at him, although he KNEW something was wrong, he ate it anyways, out of love for wet food but maybe out of love for me too... I like to think! He hasn't vomited, he's obviously very drowsy and seems lethargic/heavy (trying to clean himself he just slipped and decided to just stay where he was...) I think I'll try to get some flavored gel capsules so he doesn't have to taste it. I'm really hoping it'll work, I'm sure other cat parents probably want to hear some real life stories especially since ECG is so prevalent. After reading this, maybe a holistic solution is the answer. In 6-8 weeks I'll know if its working and update, if not we'll have to try something else, I don't think I can go back to shots.

So glad that you have found this site & that this thread is still alive.  I had to look up what ECG was ... and now I see that it is skin condition very similar to what my poor darling is suffering from .   It's just heartbreaking stuff!  I sure hope that Atopica can help your precious kitty & many others.

I have had my furbaby on Atopica for about 20 days now & although it made him extremely lethargic, it has seemed to alleviate some of his itching, especially around his eyes where he used to just rub with his dew claw til he had it nearly raw. I am pleased with that result.  However, this past week, his bowels have become really loose on a couple occasions.  I called vet's office to express concern, but they said to just watch closely & let them know if it got worse.  This morning, I awoke to find a hard little dried piece of feces on my bedroom floor, so I thought it was getting better.  Then after I fed him his usual wet food of the morning, he went to his box & had a very very loose bowel movement, which required me to clean up his "bum" ... he is a long hair also, sooooo ... I had to wash some away, cut some away ... not fun & of course he is not pleased with that process either!  So .. I don't know which way the pendulum is going to swing on this now ... and I'm right at the point of needing to order a new round for a month ... and at a cost of $146.00, I am hesitant because there is certainly no refunds for the unused portions!!    I will definitely need to be calling the vet's office again today.

They have my LB on a very big dose of it & it is in the capsules that are actually meant for dogs, but from what I've heard about the liquid, I actually thought the capsules would be better to get down.  I put them in a pill pocket, but I have to wait until he's very hungry or he doesn't like to take them.  I used to try to hide it completely, but have found that he would just chew off the outside & leave the pill, so I put a thin covering of the stuff over it now & he chews it right up.  So, my hope is that perhaps they can cut his dosage a bit (now at 35mg, which is a 25mg & 10mg pill) and he will still receive some good benefits?  I dunno ... 

I forgot to mention that LB is a very young 2 yrs. old & this disease was diagnosed about a year ago.  There is no cure for feline idiopathic ulcerative dermatosis, but only management.  I'm not sure if that's the case with ECG?  My LB weighs about 15# and believe me that is all from steroids, injections & liquid.  He eats very little ... about 1/3 can of wet food & 1/4 cup of dry throughout the day & night ... would not keep most cats alive??  And I have to feed him in small portions at a time ... I am constantly feeding ... a little dab here, a little dab there. I offer more, but he only leaves it & walks away & once he does that, he will not return to eat any leftovers!  

Well, I've rambled long enough, need to get my day going here ... will post any updates as I get them ... looking forward to others updates also!  Praying for all our kitties to get the help they need to get better!!  

Wow - I hope your little guy is OK.  that is so scary and he is too young to be going through all of this.    My little-big guy started throwing up and having diarrhea about a month into the medicine - so that really threw me off.  I thought it would be worse in the beginning, but it was worse after a month.  I did go to the dermatologist this past Monday (this was the one month milestone of being on Atopica) and they switched his dosage to every other day.  That was a relief as I am still nervous about this medicine.  He is still itchy, but not as bad as he used to be.  I'm just hoping that every other day still has positive effects on his itchiness.  The one thing I did want to share was that I requested that bloodwork be done.  As it turns out, one of his white blood cell types (neutrophil) is low.  Surprise surprise.  I had a feeling this would happen.  I'm so nervous now and they have to check it again in a month to see if it gets worse.  I'm somewhat upset that they didn't suggest doing bloodwork before starting him on this medicine just as a baseline.  So now my regular vet is warning me that if anything is out of the ordinary to contact her ASAP.  SO just a suggestion to anyone that is prescribed this medicine - if you can afford bloodwork, its worth it.  I am now looking into an alternative diet - royal canin venison and peas.  I really do not want to support royal canin, but I spoke with an animal nutritionist at Cornell University this week and they thought that was a good first start for food trials.  Ugghhh, now I will have to worry about his crystals coming back and will somehow need to monitor the pH of his urine.  Guess that will be my next thing to research.  I just want to say that I'm so glad there are others who care so much about their kitties to share these stories.  I find it to be helpful to at least know someone is listening and doesn't think I'm a crazy cat person.    One last thing - I will be making a call to a holistic vet in Philadelphia.  I know this is a long shot, but she was very responsive to my email.  I wonder if she could provide you support over the phone.  It might be worth a shot to just email her and see.  Or another holistic vet closer to you may be willing to talk to you over the phone.  I was surprised that Cornell University spent half an hour on the phone with me free of charge!  There are still people out there who want to help and aren't always in it for the $.  Anyway - this is the website: http://holisticvetphilly.com/

Well - I just spent some time typing a response, but this site has to review it because I put a link in my post and I wasn't supposed to.  If there are two long responses from me - that is why  I will try to make this short though as to not be so repetitive.  My cat started to experience vomiting and diarrhea after a month of being on atopica.  it wasn't so bad in the beginning, but started getting worse after being on it for a long period.  This concerned me, but it sounds like other kitties have the same problem.  I did have his one month check up and luckily he was cleared to receive this medicine every other day rather than every day.  I did request that bloodwork be done - and it came back that one of his white blood cell types (neutrophil) was low.  This is what I was worried about all along.  it scares me that this medicine suppresses the immune system.  Now that has to be monitored very closely.  So, that would be my suggestion to anyone using this medicine - make sure bloodwork is done if you can afford it on top of all of the expenses for the medicine itself.  The other thing that i wanted to say was that some vets have spent a lot of time talking to me on the phone over these past few weeks.  Maybe you can call a holistic vet to see if they will just offer some initial guidance.  You can even try a holistic vet in another city and just explain that you've read their reviews and are wondering if you can receive some advice.  There really are some people out there who are willing to help free of charge.  I hope that LB is OK  It breaks my heart to hear stories like this.  Such a young kitty to have to go trough all of this.  Good thing he has a great mom.  The most recent thing I am looking into is a new diet.  Perhaps venison to rule out food allergies.  I'm not sure if this would help other kitties, but maybe making sure they are eating well could help.  But you probably know that.  My guy is a different case because he has to be on a specific diet for his crystals.  Sometimes I wish they could just catch a break. 

Thanks so much for the update allisonmg!  Your kind words mean a lot to me.  LB is doing better since we have stopped the medicine completely ... my reorder did not arrive today, so I called vet's office to see if perhaps he could continue the medicine in an lessened amount, every other day, or what??  That was early this morning & I have not received a call back ... this happens far too often.  Unless I call with an absolute emergency, it seems they just pass us over   I have decided to refuse this order of medicine when it arrives tomorrow & find another vet asap!  

LB is already on the best diet for allergies, but it is just not cutting it ... that's why I want to try raw food diet.  I was told by this vet that would be dangerous to LB ... right now he is one Science Diet duck/pea both canned & kibble.  I hope that  a change in diet can help your & other furbabies, as it so often does!  

Today, I do not know just what I am gonna do, but will post an update as soon as I can.  Thanks again for your kind words & concern.  I am praying for all our furbabies!!  As I was feeling sorry for myself yesterday for having to deal with this, I had to remind myself that many were dealing with more/worse problems & some were even losing their precious pets this day ... we are gonna deal with it as it comes & hopeful there will be a better vet in our future soon!!  

Has anyone tried to have Atopica mixed with a flavoring from a compounding pharmacy?  I had great success with Atopica for over a year treating my cat for stomatitis and now she absolutely refuses to take it and the stomatitis is active again.  There has got to be a way to neutralize the bitterness and disguise the smell.

As I promised, I have a very positive update to report for my LB!  The new vet that I saw today was very supportive and responded well to all my concerns over his healthcare.  When I assured him that LB is a total indoor cat & never has interaction with any other pets whatsoever, he assured me that he could be exempted from routine vaccinations ... made me so happy I just wanted to cry!

He did a pretty thorough check-over & could not find any signs of allergies at the present ... sees no need to medicate.  As for the dry skin/dander & hair loss, he gave me supplements of fish oil to add to his food or to hide in some pill pockets.  

He said I am doing a good job with him & if I have any concerns to just call & of course IF there is any sign of return allergic reactions or lesions from his ulcerative dermatosis, he will want to see him immediately.

I feel strongly that after all our trauma/drama that I have finally found a vet who is willing to not only listen to my concerns, but allow me to be an active participant in deciding the best course of treatment!  That's a HUGE accomplishment!!

Also, since it had been the first time LB had a vet visit that did not involve surgery/shots/tests/drugs, etc., he came home without being traumatized (as has so often happened) & actually ate a meal & went soundly to sleep on his playground.  Usually, he would be hiding under the bed for at least 12 hours!  

This is my 3rd vet that I have sought out ... so if you have trouble getting the results you need or the communication you desire from a vet, I would encourage you to try another.  I am so glad that I did.  I hope my post may encourage others to not give up when one vet/treatment does not work.  Change can sometimes be a good thing

Mom2LB 

that's def a thumbs up!!

Thank you!! 

Wow - that is such great news!!! Its so scary to think that your past vet was putting LB through all of this trauma for no reason.  I hope that LB is feeling much better and can maintain a healthy coat.  By chance do you know if the fish oil was over the counter, or something you would have to purchase from the vet?  there are so many types of fish oil out there, that you never know what is good.  I've been noticing that my little guy is still pretty itchy now that i've switched to every other day on the atopica.  I'm really hoping that he doesn't have to go back on it daily.  keeping fingers crossed and thinking that fish oil might help.

Regarding the compounding - I have tried it.  the pharmacist in my neighborhood has all sorts of flavors to compound pet medicine with.  I tried the fish flavor thinking it would be the stinkiest, but my cat just sniffed and walked away.  he can be such a bugger.  But, i have contemplated the cheese flavor.  Ha!  I might suggest that if you do take atopica to be compounded that you only have a few days worth compounded, rather than the whole bottle.  I'm so glad i didn't have them compound more than 2 days worth because i ended up throwing it away - and it's too expensive to waste.  So if you can work with someone directly who can do that, its worth a try.  But in the end - i'm still trying to disguise it in pill pockets and then wet food on top of it.    

Thanks Allisonmg!  I can't tell you how much I am enjoying literally "having my cat back" again.  He is actually playing & exhibiting his old personality which had just about disappeared   I don't think I will ever understand all that he experienced at the hands of his last vet ... but I am just thankful he is getting better each day!!

The fish oil was from the vet's supply, so I am not sure if it can be purchased over the counter.  It is AllerG-3 Omega 3 Fatty Acid Supplement.  It says on the back "AllerG-3 is in the natural, or triglyceride (TG) form which has been shown to be more bio-available than either the ethyl or free fatty acid forms".  They are 600 mg per capsule & one cap a day is recommended dosage.  They are BIG, so he recommended poking open with a a sterilized pin & squirting into a pill pocket or food to administer.  I tried it last night & he ate it right up, so it must smell good to him?  Putting in the pill pocket is not really possible, so I just broke the pocket into tiny pieces & sprinkled the oil on them & he liked that fine.  I will try it in his food another time & see which he does better with.  It cost $15.00 for 60 day bottle supply & is manufactured by Vetoquinol.  Hope this info is helpful!!  

Have a great day!!