Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Oclacitinib treatment lowers antibiotic use in allergic dogs
By Rynhoud, Hester et al.·Published in BMC veterinary research·2022·School of Veterinary Science, Australia·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: The effects of oclacitinib treatment on antimicrobial usage in allergic dogs in primary practice: an Australia wide case-control study.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A study found that dogs with allergic skin issues who were treated with oclacitinib (Apoquel) needed fewer courses of antibiotics compared to those receiving other allergy treatments. This is important because allergic dermatitis can lead to secondary skin infections that require medication. The results showed that dogs on oclacitinib were prescribed significantly less of several common antibiotics. This suggests that oclacitinib may help manage allergic dermatitis while reducing the need for additional antibiotic treatments, which is beneficial for both the dog's health and responsible medication use.
People also search for: dog allergic dermatitis treatment · oclacitinib for dogs · antibiotics for dog skin infections
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Canine allergic dermatitis is a common diagnosis in veterinary practices which can lead to secondary infections requiring treatment with antimicrobials. A previous study suggested that dogs treated with oclacitinib in an Australian referral hospital required fewer courses of antimicrobial therapy compared to dogs receiving other anti-pruritic treatments. This study aimed to quantify the effect of oclacitinib treatment on the use of antimicrobials and other therapies in general practice veterinary clinics across Australia. A retrospective case-controlled review of patient records was designed to investigate the number of courses of antimicrobials and other therapies in dogs that received oclacitinib (Apoquel®), compared with those who received an anti-pruritic treatment that was not oclacitinib. RESULTS: The target population included canine patients with a presumptive diagnosis of allergic dermatitis presenting between 2008 and 2018 to general practices contributing to the VetCompass Australia database. Patient records of interest were identified using search terms relating to allergic dermatitis, resulting in over 700,000 observations. Multivariable logistic regression models were developed to determine whether cases were prescribed fewer antimicrobial courses than controls, after adjusting for the presence of concurrent skin infections or infectious agents in ears. Our results indicate that fewer antimicrobial courses were prescribed in the cases compared to the controls. After adjusting for the concurrent skin infections, there was a significant reduction in the use of cefovecin [OR:0.62(0.39-0.98), P = 0.043], chlorhexidine [OR:0.57(0.42-0.77), P < 0.001], neomycin [OR:0.4(0.28-0.56), P < 0.001] and amoxycillin clavulanic acid (AMC) [OR: 0.55(0.39-0.78), P = 0.001] in cases compared to controls. CONCLUSION: This study demonstrates a potential sparing effect of oclacitinib on the prescription of antimicrobials for the treatment of allergic skin diseases in dogs. This information may assist in the planning of treatment for canine allergic dermatitis, with consideration for antimicrobial stewardship.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35477466/