The short answer
Suspected extra tablets? Call now, even if your pet seems well
If your dog or cat may have eaten extra Apoquel Chewable tablets, call your veterinarian immediately. If unavailable, contact an emergency animal hospital or animal poison control. FDA warns that an overdose can be life-threatening in either species; cats can be more severely affected.[1]
In the U.S., ASPCA Poison Control: 888-426-4435 is available around the clock; a consultation fee may apply.[6] Do not wait to complete this guide before calling.
Do not induce vomiting or give a home remedy unless a veterinary professional directs you.[5]
Secure the scene, then follow professional instructions
Move your pet away from the remaining medicine if you can do so safely, and keep other animals out of the area. Save the packaging for the veterinary team. ASPCA recommends collecting relevant evidence and contacting a professional even when a pet appears normal, because effects of some exposures can be delayed.[4]
If your pet is unconscious, struggling to breathe or having seizures, head to the nearest veterinary hospital immediately; call ahead if possible.[4] Do not put yourself at risk trying to retrieve tablets from a distressed animal.
Do not use salt, gagging or other improvised vomiting methods. ASPCA warns that these can injure pets and says there is no safe at-home way to make a cat vomit. A professional must decide whether vomiting is appropriate for the particular exposure.[5]
Not sure it was Apoquel? Read the package to the person handling the call. Say whether it is labeled Chewable or another formulation. An unidentified pill or a damaged container is a reason to explain the uncertainty, not to select a similar-looking product online.
A call note that keeps facts separate from guesses
FDA recommends having the animal’s weight, amount consumed, timing and packaging ready.[1] This original worksheet adds a second column for uncertainty. Use it while calling or have another adult gather details; it is not a toxicity calculator.
| Information to give | How to describe uncertainty |
|---|---|
| Pet’s identity and weight | Give species, name and latest known weight. Say when that weight was measured. List every pet that could have reached the package. |
| Exact product and strength | Read the label, including milligrams per tablet. Keep the package or a clear label photo available; do not identify medicine by color alone. |
| What may be missing | Distinguish tablets seen swallowed from tablets merely missing. Say if the starting count was unknown or packaging was chewed. |
| Time or possible window | Give the time you saw ingestion, or the last time the package was secure and the time you found it open. |
| Current signs and recent medicines | Describe what you see, the pet’s health conditions and known doses already given. “No signs noticed yet” is an observation, not a clearance. |
Hypothetical opening: “I found an open Apoquel Chewable package at 8:20. It was closed at 7:00. I don’t know the starting count. Both my dog and cat had access. I have the label with me.” This communicates the gap without turning missing tablets into a confirmed dose for either pet.
Let the veterinary team assess the exposure. Do not use the prescribed-dose chart, an online anecdote or another animal’s outcome as a home safety threshold.
A flavored prescription is still medicine
Apoquel Chewable contains oclacitinib. Its prescribing information identifies it as a prescription medicine for specified allergic skin conditions in dogs at least 12 months old, and warns that it must be secured away from dogs, cats and other animals.[2]
FDA explains that its pork-liver flavor can attract pets, including cats, and that it is not approved for cats.[1] The flavor is not a feeding instruction. This guide concerns access to a medicine containing an active drug; it does not establish a toxicity claim about ordinary pork-liver food or treats.
In everyday organization, keep three categories clear: prescribed medicines, supplements and food rewards. Our calming-chew versus training-treat checklist covers a different question: what to check before adding a supplement. Neither guide authorizes changing a prescription.
Check the storage location and the dosing handoff
FDA advises keeping medicines in their original, legibly labeled containers, secured from pets and children. A high counter is not necessarily inaccessible, and child-resistant packaging is not pet-proof: animals can chew through bottles, boxes and blister packs. Separate medicines for different pets and people to reduce mix-ups.[3]
Turn those storage principles into a short household routine:
- Name the storage location. Tell the caregiver exactly where the labeled medicine belongs and how it is secured. Keep it separate from treat jars, food puzzles and loose rewards.
- Use the current prescription instructions. Ask the clinic to clarify anything unclear before a planned handoff. Do not transfer tablets into an unlabeled snack container.
- Log the completed dose. After administration, record the pet, date, time and caregiver initials in one shared place. Avoid separate notes that another caregiver cannot see.
- Close the loop. Return the medicine to secure storage immediately. A note that says “given” should mean administered, not merely set out.
This is an original organization aid, not a substitute for the prescription. If you cannot establish whether a dose was already given, ask the prescribing clinic what to do rather than guessing or doubling it.
For travel or evacuation, add the clinic’s details and the medication record to your caregiver handoff. Keep the actual medicine secured during packing and transport too.
Write down the plan you receive
Before ending the call, repeat back the next action: where to go, what to bring, any prescribed instructions, when to check in again and which changes require another call. Ask specifically what to do about the next scheduled dose. Record the case number if one is provided.
Medical care comes first. FDA also encourages reporting accidental Apoquel exposures to the manufacturer.[1] Keep a separate record of the incident and the advice received; filing a report is not the same as obtaining treatment.
Common questions
My pet seems normal. Should I wait for symptoms?
No. Call your veterinarian or an animal poison control service immediately if an overdose is suspected. Looking normal does not establish that the exposure is safe.
What if I do not know how many tablets are missing?
Call anyway. Explain what you know and what is uncertain, including the product strength, when the package was last secure and which pets could reach it. Do not delay the call to finish counting.
Should I make my dog or cat vomit?
Do not try to induce vomiting unless a veterinarian or animal poison control professional specifically directs you. Home methods can cause harm; cats have no safe at-home vomiting method.
Does a child-resistant cap make the bottle pet-proof?
No. Pets can chew through medication packaging. Keep the original labeled container inside secure storage that pets and children cannot access.
Sources
- Preventing Accidental Apoquel Chewable Overdoses — U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Accessed October 15, 2026.
- Apoquel and Apoquel Chewable prescribing information (chewable section, pages 3–4) — Zoetis. Accessed October 15, 2026.
- Properly Store Medications to Keep Your Pet Safe — U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Accessed October 15, 2026.
- What to Do if Your Pet Is Poisoned — ASPCA Poison Control. Accessed October 15, 2026.
- Is It Ever Safe to Induce Vomiting? — ASPCA Poison Control. Accessed October 15, 2026.
- ASPCA Poison Control — ASPCA. Accessed October 15, 2026.