Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Shortened elimination diet test for food allergy in dogs
By Fischer, Nina et al.·Published in Veterinary dermatology·2021·Clinic for Small Animal Internal Medicine·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 We do not publish original research — every detail traces back to the citation above.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: Sensitivity and specificity of a shortened elimination diet protocol for the diagnosis of food-induced atopic dermatitis (FIAD).
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of 87 dogs with skin allergies were tested to see if a shorter elimination diet could help diagnose food allergies faster. They were treated with either prednisolone or oclacitinib for two to three weeks while on a special diet. The results showed that many dogs diagnosed with food allergies had fewer relapses after stopping the medication, allowing for a quicker diagnosis. Both treatments were effective, with prednisolone showing a higher sensitivity for identifying food allergies. This approach can help pet owners get answers sooner about their dog's skin issues.
People also search for: dog skin allergies treatment · food allergy diet for dogs · prednisolone for dog dermatitis
Abstract
BACKGROUND: The gold standard to diagnose food allergy in dogs is an eight week elimination diet trial (EDT) followed by a re-challenge. A recent study demonstrated that a shorter EDT is possible if prednisolone is administered initially. HYPOTHESIS/OBJECTIVES: The goal was to evaluate the sensitivity and specificity of the EDT based on the number of relapses after prednisolone discontinuation. In addition, the aim was to determine whether the initial treatment length or the replacement of prednisolone with oclacitinib would influence the outcome. ANIMALS: Eighty-seven dogs with atopic dermatitis. METHODS AND MATERIALS: Dogs were fed an elimination diet and treated with either prednisolone or oclacitinib for two to three weeks. Relapsing dogs were treated a second time. In the absence of a relapse after two weeks off medication, dogs then were challenged. Dogs never achieving two weeks off treatment without relapse received the regular EDT. RESULTS: Fifty-eight of 87 dogs completed the study. Thirty-nine of 58 dogs received prednisolone; 21 of these were diagnosed with FIAD and had no relapse (n = 14), one relapse (n = 6) or two relapses (n = 1). Nineteen of 58 dogs received oclacitinib; 11 of these were deemed food-allergic and had no relapse (n = 7) or two relapses (n = 4). The initial treatment duration did not influence the outcome. The threshold of one relapse or less for the diagnosis of FIAD was associated with a sensitivity of 95% for prednisolone and 63% for oclacitinib. The specificity was 100% for both drugs. CONCLUSION AND CLINICAL IMPORTANCE: Initial prednisolone or oclacitinib use in EDT shortens the time to diagnosis of FIAD.
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/33565651/