Veterinary Medicine - July 2008 - (Page I1)

Research. Reports. Analysis. Advice. Iams New study conﬁrms beneﬁts of nutritional management for atopic dogs Insider BETTER BEGINS INSIDE ™ and on a heartworm preventive throughout the eight-week trial. No additional treatments were initiated or changed during these studies. At weeks one, two, four, and eight, owners returned to the clinic with their dogs, and both owners and veterinarians assessed the dog’s clinical signs. Only the veterinarians’ assessment of clinical signs is reported here. Pruritus, skin lesions, and overall severity of atopy were evaluated and assigned a score from zero to 100, with lower scores indicating milder clinical signs and higher scores indicating more severe clinical signs. Dogs were assigned a numerical score based on severity of their baseline clinical signs of 25 (mild), 50 (moderate), and 75 (severe). Most of the dogs were initially classiﬁed as mildly or moderately affected. Results Clinical signs were found to be Omega-6:omega-3 fatty acid ratio affects the clinical signs of atopy. By Mark A. Tetrick, DVM, PhD; Mary P. Schick, DVM, DACVD; Lori A. Ho man, MS ; Leighann Daristotle, DVM, PhD Canine atopy is a multifactorial disease in which genetically predisposed dogs develop a combination of cutaneous immune responses to environmental antigens. Although the clinical signs can often be controlled, managing atopic dogs can be frustrating. Dogs usually require life-long therapy, and in most cases, a multimodal treatment plan is needed to yield optimal results. Nutritional management is a simple but powerful tool in controlling pruritus in dogs with allergic conditions.1-3* In atopic dogs, feeding a diet that includes a speciﬁcally adjusted fatty acid ratio (omega-6: omega-3) has resulted in a clinical response that compares favorably with other therapies, with satisfactory control of pruritus based on veterinarian and client assessment observed a few weeks after the initial feeding.1 The recent doubleblind study described below compares the performance of three commercial veterinary diets during in-home management of clinical signs in atopic dogs (data on ﬁle, P&G Pet Care, 2008). The Study Fifty-six client-owned, adult, atopic dogs were randomly assigned to be fed one of three commercial veterinary dry diets indicated for nutritional management of allergic conditions (diet A, Iams® Veterinary Formulas Skin & Coat Response™ FP; diet B, ROYAL CANIN Veterinary Diet™ Canine Hypoallergenic HP 19™; diet C, Hill’s® Prescription Diet® d/d® Potato & Salmon Formula Canine). Study groups were balanced by gender, age, and atopy severity on the initial screening examination. Dogs were fed only the study diet, treated for ﬂeas and ticks, Did you know?1 Become familiar with common triggers of atopy. • About 70% of atopic dogs ﬁrst manifest clinical signs between 1 and 3 years old. • About 80% initially manifest clinical signs from the spring through the fall, although about 80% eventually have nonseasonal signs. • Allergens commonly reported to be important in dogs are house dust and dust mites, human dander, feathers, kapok, molds and weeds, grass, and tree pollen; most dogs in the United States are multisensitive.

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Veterinary Medicine - July 2008

Veterinary Medicine - July 2008 Contents Leading Off Practical Matters Idea Exchange Clarification Dental Corner The Diagnostic Approach to Hematuria Guidelines for Evaluating Hypercalcemic Cats CE Form Advertiser Index Marketplace/Classifieds Mind Over Miller

Veterinary Medicine - July 2008

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