Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Risk factors for atopic dermatitis in Swedish boxer, bullterrier
By Nødtvedt, Ane et al.·Published in Veterinary dermatology·2007·Department of Clinical Sciences·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: A case-control study of risk factors for canine atopic dermatitis among boxer, bullterrier and West Highland white terrier dogs in Sweden.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
Boxer, bullterrier, and West Highland white terrier puppies may be at higher risk for developing canine atopic dermatitis (CAD), a skin condition that causes itching and irritation. A study found that if the mother dog was fed a homemade or noncommercial diet while nursing, her puppies had a lower chance of developing CAD compared to those whose mothers were not fed this type of diet. This suggests that what the mother eats during lactation could play a role in protecting her puppies from skin problems later on. More research is needed to confirm these findings and understand the best dietary practices for pregnant and nursing dogs.
People also search for: dog skin problems prevention · homemade diet for nursing dogs · boxer puppy atopic dermatitis risk
Abstract
Environmental and dietary risk factors for the development of canine atopic dermatitis (CAD) in the high-risk breeds of boxer, bullterrier and West Highland white terrier were assessed in a case-control study. A logistic regression model was developed to evaluate their relative importance in 58 cases from 12 practices in Sweden and 61 unaffected controls, matched to cases by breed and year of birth. The final model included a random error term for 'examining veterinarian', as dogs from the same practice were not considered independent. No effect of gender, season of birth, environment, vaccination or de-worming practices on the odds of developing CAD was detected. The main finding was that feeding a diet including noncommercial products to the bitch during lactation had a protective effect on the development of CAD in her offspring; the odds of developing CAD were twice as high among offspring from bitches that were not exposed to home-made/noncommercial diets [95% confidence interval (CI) of the odds ratio: 1.2-3.8]. The population attributable fraction for not feeding home-made diets to the lactating bitch was estimated as 0.4 (95% CI: 0.04-0.63). Randomized controlled clinical trials are needed to further support the finding of a potential protective role of diet in CAD development.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17845618/