Atopic dermatitis is a chronic, pruritic inflammatory skin disease. Its severity can range from an annoyance in the form of mild itching through to debilitating extensive lesion coverage that has a profoundly negative impact on the quality-of-life. The prevalence of canine atopic dermatitis is poorly defined but it is well recognized that dogs suffering from this condition will be regularly presented to veterinary practitioners and that is likely to be a life-long condition. A commonly cited rate of incidence is 10%, whilst others have ranked it as the second most common cause of canine pruritus. Therapeutic options for treating generalized canine atopic dermatitis are currently limited to oral glucocorticoid steroids and calcineurin inhibitors such as oral ciclosporin. However, both are associated with numerous detrimental side effects and may be ineffective for a notable proportion of dogs (resistant or intolerant population). Continue reading About canine atopic dermatitis