CANINE ATOPIC DERMATITIS
Allergic skin disease is a common concern, impacting between 10-30% of the canine population. It ranks as the third most prevalent disorder among canine health conditions and is responsible for up to 58% of dogs affected by skin issues. Canine atopic dermatitis is the result of an allergic reaction to environmental allergens, which manifests as allergy symptoms in dogs. The diagnosis of this condition involves excluding other potential causes of the clinical signs. Once a diagnosis is confirmed, environmental serological allergy testing plays a vital role in identifying the specific allergens responsible. Nextmune Laboratories offers a range of comprehensive tests suitable for this purpose, including the PAX Complete Environmental & Food and PAX Environmental tests. The results from these tests provide valuable insights for allergen avoidance or reduction in allergen exposure and facilitate targeted desensitization through allergen-specific immunotherapy (ASIT). For more detailed information on these tests, please refer to our canine tests page.
There are a number of breeds found to be at an increased risk of atopic dermatitis, including :
Basset Hound, Beagle, Bichon Frise, Bull Mastiff, Bulldog, Bull Terrier, Boxer, Cairn Terrier, Chow Chow, Dalmatian, Fox Terrier, French Bulldog, German Shepherd Dog, Golden Retriever, Great Dane, Hungarian Vizsla, Jack Russell Terrier, Labrador Retriever, Lhasa Apso, Newfoundland, Pug, Rhodesian Ridgeback, Schnauzer, Shar-Pei, Springer Spaniel, Staffordshire Terrier, Tibetan Terrier and West Highland White Terrier5,6
The peak age of onset for canine atopic dermatitis is between 1-3 years and it is unlikely to occur after 7 years of age. Significant breed variation exists for both the clinical presentation and age of onset.7
There are a number of breeds found to be at an increased risk of atopic dermatitis, including:
Basset Hound, Beagle, Bichon Frise, Bull Mastiff, Bulldog, Bull Terrier, Boxer, Cairn Terrier, Chow Chow, Dalmatian, Fox Terrier, French Bulldog, German Shepherd Dog, Golden Retriever, Great Dane, Hungarian Vizsla, Jack Russell Terrier, Labrador Retriever, Lhasa Apso, Newfoundland, Pug, Rhodesian Ridgeback, Schnauzer, Shar-Pei, Springer Spaniel, Staffordshire Terrier, Tibetan Terrier and West Highland White Terrier5,6
The peak age of onset for canine atopic dermatitis is between 1-3 years and it is unlikely to occur after 7 years of age. Significant breed variation exists for both the clinical presentation and age of onset.7
Dogs with canine atopic dermatitis present with a range of clinical signs including;
- Pruritis
- Erythema
- Otitis externa
- Recurrent bacterial or yeast infections
There are many steps to follow in order to reach a diagnosis of atopic dermatitis – please see our work-up chart in our Nextview for more information. Favrot’s diagnostic criteria can also aid in this process; it is a well-accepted method to follow, when working up cases of canine atopic dermatitis.
Dogs with canine atopic dermatitis present with a range of clinical signs including;
- Pruritis
- Erythema
- Otitis externa
- Recurrent bacterial or yeast infections
There are many steps to follow in order to reach a diagnosis of atopic dermatitis – please see our work-up chart in our Practice Portal for more information. Favrot’s diagnostic criteria can also aid in this process; it is a well-accepted method to follow, when working up cases of canine atopic dermatitis.
Favrot’s diagnostic criteria
Using Favrot’s diagnostic criteria, if five of the following criteria are met, the sensitivity and specificity for diagnosis is 85% and 79% respectively4:
- <3 years of age
- Living mostly indoors
- Steroid responsive pruritis
- Pruritis seen prior to lesions seen
- Affected front feet
- Affected ear pinnae
- Ear margins not affected
- Dorso-lumbar area not affected
References
- Marsella R and De Benedetto A. Atopic dermatitis in Animals and People: An Update and Comparative Review. Veterinary Sciences 2017; 4:37.
- Hillier A, Griffin CE. The ACVD task force on canine atopic dermatitis (I): incidence and prevalence. Vet Immunol Immunopathol. 2001;81(3–4):147–51.
- Llewellyn-Zaidi AM, Evans KM, O’Neill DG et al. Large-scale survey to estimate the prevalence of disorders for 192 kennels club registered breeds. Canine Genetics and Epidemiology 2017; 4:8.
- Saridomichelakis MN and Olivry T (2016). An update on the treatment of canine atopic dermatitis. The Veterinary Journal; 207: 29–37.
- Mazrier H , Vogelnest LJ, Thomson PC et al. Canine atopic dermatitis: breed risk in Australia and evidence for a susceptible clade. Vet Dermatol. 2016; 27: 167-e42.
- Nuttall T, Uri M and Halliwell REW. Canine atopic dermatitis – what have we learned? Veterinary Record 2013; 23: 201-7.
- Hensel P, Santoro D, Favrot C et al. Canine atopic dermatitis: detailed guidelines for diagnosis and allergen identification. BMC Vet Res. 2015; 11:196.
- Favrot C, Steffan J, Seewald W. et al. A prospective study on the clinical features of chronic canine atopic dermatitis and its diagnosis. Vet Dermatology 2010; 21:23-31.