Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Probiotics to help treat atopic dermatitis in dogs
By Pacheco, Roberta Cavalcanti Fischer et al.·Published in The Journal of veterinary medical science·2025·Department of Veterinary Medicine, Brazil·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Probiotics as an adjunct in the treatment of canine atopic dermatitis: a systematic review and meta-analysis of in vivo studies in dogs.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A review of studies on dogs with atopic dermatitis (a common skin condition) found that probiotics, which are beneficial bacteria, were used as an additional treatment. While the overall results didn't show significant improvement in skin scores, all studies indicated some reduction in the severity of the condition when probiotics were included in the treatment plan. This suggests that while probiotics may not be a standalone solution, they could still help improve skin health when used alongside other treatments. Pet owners might consider discussing the use of probiotics with their veterinarian for managing their dog's skin issues.
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Abstract
Probiotics have been suggested as a treatment for canine atopic dermatitis, a form of dermatopathy common in dogs. This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to evaluate the effect of probiotics as an adjuvant in treating canine atopic dermatitis in vivo studies with dogs. The study was conducted following the PRISMA guidelines. Only clinical studies in dogs with atopic dermatitis that received intervention with probiotics were selected, being just original articles in English from the last 5 years (2019-2023). A total of 293 articles were obtained, and after the inclusion criteria, only 5 articles were eligible and included in the systematic review and meta-analysis. The 5 studies used different probiotics at concentrations of 10to 10CFU/mL/g, 3 studies with oral administration for 12 weeks, and 2 studies with topical use for 4 weeks. The meta-analysis results show that probiotics did not present significant effects against atopic dermatitis by evaluating the CADESI-4 scale (P=0.08) and the PVAS scale (P=0.85). Furthermore, regarding the method of administration of probiotics (oral or topical), the meta-analysis showed that there were also no significant results when the disease index was evaluated using CADESI-4 (P=0.07) or PVAS (P=0.92). We concluded that, even without significant effects, all trials showed a reduction in CADESI-4 and PVAS scores, reflecting a reduction in the severity of atopic dermatitis in dogs that used probiotics as treatment adjuvants.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40603066/