Gracie is having some gastrointestinal issues.

[Gracie, Jade, & Barkley]

I haven't posted much lately, but have been reading here and there.

Gracie is currently on Apoquel due to her itchy paws (and all of the stuff I was trying like washing paws, booties, antihistamines, etc. was not giving her any relief this time around). She has been taking it for almost a month now. Friday evening I gave her her pill. I'm not sure if I didn't get it in her mouth right or what, but I usually pet and stroke under her chin until she swallows. This time she sort of jumped around after I put it in her mouth (and I put it as far back as I can.)

Anyway, maybe 15 min after I gave it to her she vomitted. She had eaten about an hour and a half prior. So, most of it was partially digested food and the pill was there too - it was in the process of dissolving.

She seemed to be ok afterwards, a little tired, but other than that ok. The next morning (Saturday) I went to feed the dogs and she didn't want to eat so I didn't force her, but later I felt bad and hand fed her a little (against my better judgement.) I went to take a shower and came out to a pile of vomit. So, then, I cut her off of all foods. She also vomitted a small amount in her crate in the early afternoon (not sure exactly when since we left) - I crated her and gave her two ice cubes. Later in the afternoon, I made some rice and chicken. I gave her a spoonful at around 6 pm and she kept it down.

Besides some water and ice cubes, that is all she got yesterday. Today, I gave her a 1/2 cup of the mixture with plain yogurt to see if she could keep it down. She did. Except for she opened her mouth and a small bit of watery yogurt came out. I then gave her about a cup late afternoon and she kept that down as well.

Her bowel movements were ok except that there was a little blood on the outside of it yesterday morning - then she got up around 2 am and we took her out which is not her normal routine. It was hard to see it at that time, but I noticed it was darker than normal on the outside when I looked at it so I'm assuming there was some blood again. Also last night, she kept trying to get comfortable on our bed so it was a very sleepless night for me. Obviously she's having tummy issues.

She had another bm later in the day that was normalish with no blood, but a little "sticky" not as firm. Now, she has been out twice with diarrhea. The first time was runny with some firmness and the second time runny - no blood.

Other than all of these episodes - which initially I thought it was due to the pill - she is acting normal. She "asked" us in her funny way to go out and play at her evening play time, but we thought she should have a low key play time indoors so we didn't take her out to play.

She is on Holistic Select dog food. She has tried the duck and the lamb with no problems. I recently had her on the lamb and switched her back to the duck. It is/was my plan to switch it up once in awhile. I didn't switch as slowly as I would if I had introduced a whole new brand - so maybe that's the issue?

Anyway, because she is acting normal, I am reluctant to take her to the vet but then part of me is worried since she now has diarrhea.

[Frank and Pippa]

I think you should play it safe and take her to the vets. There could be a dozen things with the different symptoms but usually blood is a signal to me to take her to the vets.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I don't think the digestive issues are related to the Apoquel. I also don;t think this is due to switching between the duck and the lamb kibbles. I would take her to the vet.

Is there any possibility that she ingested something she shouldn't have? 

Regarding her food, I'd consider switching her to a limited ingredient grain free food. Wellness Simple Solutions and Acana Singles would be two good choices, and you can find more in The Food Group's Recommended brands List. 

What I would not do is put her on Rx food, even if the vet recommends it. There are no medicinal or therapeutic ingredients in the Rx foods the vets sell, they're garbage with a big price tag. If the vet wants her on a "bland diet", you can make your own. 50/50 mix of plain boiled white meat chicken and mashed sweet potatoes. 

[Gracie, Jade, & Barkley]

She could have eaten something she shouldn't as she goes to my in laws with my husband and I'm not there. The last time she went was the day before she got sick. He said that he didn't see her get into anything.
Their pup has just recovered from parvo about a month ago. The vet said that our dogs should be fine since they are older and vaccinated. But, she is way past the incubation period for that. But, I don't really know.
I will have to stock up on sweet potatoes as we are currently out.
Any input on slippery elm? I've read that works like pepto for dogs.
I'm definitely calling the vet today.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I'd say that if she was at your in-laws the day before this started, there's a chance this is due to her eating something she shouldn't have. I'd mention that to the vet. I don't think an X-ray would be out-of-line, either. I'd mention the parvo, too. 

[Bonnie Barber]

Poor Gracie! I hope a trip to the vet will shed some light. I have a question about her itchy paws. Have you any idea what is causing her itchy paws? Our Shih Tzu has turned his white paws dark from licking them. Our vet mentioned Aloquel, but I would like to figure out why the constant licking.

[Bonnie Barber]

Sorry, Apoquel.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

It's a sign of seasonal allergies, also called environmental or inhalant allergies. The real name for the disease is Atopic Dermatitis. Apoquel is an immunosuppressant drug used to treat the symptoms of Atopy. You can't cure it, and any dog with symptoms more than 4 months of the year should see a veterinary dermatologist. Immunosuppressants have serious side effects when used long term. 

[Gracie, Jade, & Barkley]

Bonnie, Gracie started licking her paws last year around this time. I tried many natural remedies which seemed to help, but this year nothing was working. The vet prescribed Apoquel because it is a fast working immune suppressant and not a steroid, but he said if it didn't work we would have to try other options including steroids.
There have been no side effects for her and the licking stopped within the day she first got it.
I didn't know if she might have built up some resistance to it or if it was just a big coincidence that she got sick when I gave her pill. I'm thinking coincidence at this point.

The vet said that she can go off the Apoquel anytime and there is no withdrawal symptoms plus we don't have to quit gradually. So, once we get our big freeze, she will be off until next season. He did mention that the allergies never go away and that they can get worse from year to year - even start sooner in the year.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

 Here's the thing: there IS a treatment for allergies that doesn't involve any drugs. It's immunotherapy, also called desensitization therapy, and it's about as "natural" as it gets. It isn't successful for every dog, but in 65-70%, it works great. But you need a veterinary dermatology specialist to do the diagnostics and implement the treatment. Jack has done amazingly well with immunotherapy for his allergies, and he used to scratch bite and lick so much that he infected himself.  Your vet is correct: true allergies can't be cure and they do get worse as the dog ages. The immunotherapy also has the best chance of being successful when it's started while the dog is young.That's why you should really consider consulting a specialist. 

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Also, if the symptoms are limited to the paws, there are topical steroid preparations that can be used, which don't have the systemic effects of oral steroids. Another reason to consult a specialist. GP vets, no matter how good they are, cannot be experts in every disease, or stay up-to-date on every treatment. That's why there are specialists, for people and for dogs. :) 

[Jane, Guinness and Murphy]

If it was one of my dogs I would want to talk to the vet, especially because of the blood in the stool.  I would be pretty shocked if this was due to the Apoquel.  My Murphy was on it for a few months during the Spring allergy season, and although there were a few times I thought he might be feeling a little nausea, he never had symptoms like you are describing.  I also agree with Karen that just switching the "flavors" of the food would not cause this severe of a response.  I'd keep her on a bland diet until you talk to the vet.  Please let us know how she's doing.