Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Atopic itch in dogs: pharmacology and modeling.
- Journal:
- Handbook of experimental pharmacology
- Year:
- 2015
- Authors:
- Olivry, Thierry & Bäumer, Wolfgang
- Affiliation:
- Department of Clinical Sciences · United States
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
Itchiness is a very common issue for dogs with skin problems, especially those with atopic dermatitis, which is an allergic skin condition. While there isn't a complete system to classify all the causes of itching in dogs, many of them are related to skin issues. The main treatments for this kind of itch usually involve medications like topical or oral steroids and oral cyclosporine, which help reduce the itching. Some antihistamines can help, but they don’t always work reliably. Recently, a new medication that targets a specific pathway in the body has been approved and works quickly to relieve itching in dogs.
Abstract
Itch is the most common clinical problem seen in dogs with skin diseases. Although an etiological classification of canine pruritus does not yet exist, most causes would likely fall into the IFSI class I (dermatological) itch. One of the most common causes of canine itch is that associated with atopic dermatitis, and there is randomized controlled trial grade evidence of the efficacy of several antipruritic interventions. At this time, the mainstay of treatment of canine atopic itch relies principally on the use of topical and/or oral glucocorticoids and oral cyclosporine. Type 1 receptor antihistamines are notorious in their inconsistency in reducing pruritus in atopic dogs. A new Janus kinase (JAK)-1 inhibitor has recently been approved for treatment of allergic itch in dogs, and its onset of efficacy is remarkably fast. Modeling itch in dogs can be achieved by allergen sensitization (fleas, house dust mites), and challenges that elicit pruritic manifestation can be used for mechanistic studies as well as for testing of novel anti-itch modalities.
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Search related cases →Original publication: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25861789/