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
Tag: dermatitis
Chronic Atopic Dermatitis
Management of Dogs with Chronic Atopic Dermatitis: What’s New?
Rosanna Marsella, DVM, DACVD
University of Florida
Concept of pruritic threshold and co-factors involved in the pathogenesis of atopic dermatitis (AD) According to the theory of threshold a given individual can tolerate a variety of stimuli without developing clinical signs as long as the threshold is not reached. All these stimuli have an additive effect and once the threshold is reached itching and other clinical signs become evident
Most dogs with AD also have other allergies thus control of concurrent allergies is crucial to decrease the severity of clinical signs.
Dogs with AD are prone to secondary skin infections that significantly contribute to the level of discomfort. Resolution of skin infections may dramatically decrease the level of pruritus. Continue reading Chronic Atopic Dermatitis