Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Best treatments for dog skin allergies - what works?
By Olivry, T & Mueller, R S·Published in Veterinary dermatology·2003·Department of Clinical Sciences, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Evidence-based veterinary dermatology: a systematic review of the pharmacotherapy of canine atopic dermatitis.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A review of treatments for dogs with atopic dermatitis (a skin allergy condition) found that oral glucocorticoids and cyclosporin are effective options for managing symptoms like itching and skin lesions. Other treatments, such as topical triamcinolone spray and oral pentoxifylline, showed some promise but were not as strongly supported. However, many commonly used medications, including certain antihistamines and herbal remedies, did not have enough evidence to recommend their use. If your dog is suffering from skin problems, discussing these effective treatments with your veterinarian could help improve their condition.
People also search for: dog skin allergy treatment · atopic dermatitis in dogs · glucocorticoids for dog itching
Abstract
The efficacy of pharmacological interventions used to treat canine atopic dermatitis, excluding fatty acid supplementation and allergen-specific immunotherapy, was evaluated based on the systematic review of prospective clinical trials published between 1980 and 2002. Studies were compared with regard to design characteristics (randomization generation and concealment, masking, intention-to-treat analyses and quality of enrolment of study subjects), benefit (improvement in skin lesions or pruritus scores) and harm (type, severity and frequency of adverse drug events) of the various interventions. Meta-analysis of pooled results was not possible because of heterogeneity of the drugs evaluated. Forty trials enrolling 1607 dogs were identified. There is good evidence for recommending the use of oral glucocorticoids and cyclosporin for the treatment of canine atopic dermatitis, and fair evidence for using topical triamcinolone spray, topical tacrolimus lotion, oral pentoxifylline or oral misoprostol. Insufficient evidence is available for or against recommending the prescription of oral first- and second-generation type-1 histamine receptor antagonists, tricyclic antidepressants, cyproheptadine, aspirin, Chinese herbal therapy, an homeopathic complex remedy, ascorbic acid, AHR-13268, papaverine, immune-modulating antibiotics or tranilast and topical pramoxine or capsaicin. Finally, there is fair evidence against recommending the use of oral arofylline, leukotriene synthesis inhibitors and cysteinyl leukotriene receptor antagonists.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12791047/