Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Shampoo with chlorhexidine helps allergic itching in dogs
By Schilling, J & Mueller, R S·Published in The Veterinary record·2012·Small Animal Medicine Clinic, Germany·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Double-blinded, placebo-controlled study to evaluate an antipruritic shampoo for dogs with allergic pruritus.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of 27 dogs with itchy skin due to allergies were treated with either a medicated shampoo or a regular shampoo without active ingredients for four weeks. Owners reported their dogs' itching levels daily, and a vet assessed the dogs' skin conditions before and after treatment. Both shampoos seemed to help reduce itching, but there was no significant difference in effectiveness between the medicated shampoo and the placebo. This suggests that while shampoo therapy can be beneficial for dogs with itchy skin, the specific medicated shampoo tested may not be more effective than a regular shampoo.
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Abstract
Shampoo therapy is frequently used on pruritic dogs. However, there are few double-blinded, placebo-controlled studies of this form of therapy. This randomised, double-blinded, placebo-controlled study evaluated the efficacy of a commercial medicated shampoo (DermaTopic; Almapharm) containing chlorhexidine, lactoferrin, piroctone olamine, chitosan and essential fatty acids in 27 dogs with mild to moderate allergic pruritus without secondary skin infections. All dogs received shampoo therapy with either DermaTopic or a shampoo vehicle as placebo twice weekly for four weeks. The extent of pruritus was evaluated before the study and then on a daily basis by the owners using a visual analogue scale. Before beginning the treatment and after four weeks, the skin lesions were evaluated by an experienced clinician with a validated lesion score (Canine Atopic Dermatitis Extent and Severity Index - CADESI). The pruritus was reduced significantly by both DermaTopic and placebo. However, there was no significant difference between both groups. There was no statistically significant difference in the CADESI scores pre- and post-treatment in either group or between the two types of treatment. This study provides further evidence of the benefit of shampoo therapy for pruritic dogs.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22678620/