Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Oclacitinib reduces itching in cats with allergic skin disease
By Noli, Chiara et al.·Published in Veterinary dermatology·2019·Servizi Dermatologici Veterinari, Italy·View original on PubMed →
PetCaseFinder translated the abstract of this peer-reviewed paper into plain English so pet owners can read it. We do not publish original research — every detail traces back to the citation above. How we work →
Original publication title: A double-blinded, randomized, methylprednisolone-controlled study on the efficacy of oclacitinib in the management of pruritus in cats with nonflea nonfood-induced hypersensitivity dermatitis.
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
A group of 40 cats with itchy skin due to non-flea, non-food allergies were treated with either oclacitinib or methylprednisolone for 28 days. Both treatments helped reduce itching and skin lesions, but the cats receiving methylprednisolone showed slightly better results overall. About 70% of the cats on oclacitinib and 75% on methylprednisolone had significant improvement in their symptoms. While oclacitinib was effective, it seemed that methylprednisolone worked a bit better for most cats. Both treatments were generally safe, with only a few cats showing mild changes in kidney function or liver enzymes.
People also search for: cat itching treatment · oclacitinib for cats · methylprednisolone side effects in cats
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Oclacitinib is a Janus-kinase inhibitor that decreases interleukin-31-induced pruritus in cats. At 0.4-0.6 mg/kg/day orally, it decreased pruritus and skin lesions in <50% of allergic cats. HYPOTHESIS/OBJECTIVES: To evaluate efficacy and safety of oclacitinib in feline nonflea nonfood-induced hypersensitivity dermatitis (NFNFIHD). ANIMALS: Forty cats with NFNFIHD. METHODS AND MATERIALS: Cats were randomly assigned to receive oclacitinib (group A, 20 cats, 0.7-1.2 mg/kg) or methylprednisolone (group B, 20 cats, 0.5-1 mg/kg) orally twice daily for 28 days. On day (D)1 and D28, lesions were evaluated using the Scoring Feline Allergic Dermatitis (SCORFAD) scale and owners assessed pruritus using a Visual Analog Scale (VAS) and quality of life (QoL) questionnaire. Results were analysed by General Linear Mixed Model (P < 0.05). Haematochemical analyses were performed on D1 and D28. RESULTS: In both groups all parameters improved significantly, with no difference at either time point. Group A had a 61% mean SCORFAD and 54% pruritus VAS improvement, compared with 69% and 67% in group B; 70% of cats in group A and 75% in group B achieved a ≥ 50% reduction of pruritus VAS scores; with 60% and 80% of SCORFAD. There were five non-responders in group A and three in group B. The QoL score improved in both groups (25 and 21%). Four of 14 cats had mild increases in kidney function tests (oclacitinib group) and three of 12 cats had elevated alanine transferase (methylprednisolone group). CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL IMPORTANCE: Oclacitinib appears to be effective for treating pruritus and lesions in cats with NFNFIHD, albeit methylprednisolone seemed to perform better.
Find similar cases for your pet
PetCaseFinder finds other peer-reviewed reports of pets with the same symptoms, plus a plain-English summary of what was tried across them.
Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30656750/