Veterinary Medicine - July 2008 - (Page I2)

Iams Insider BETTER BEGINS INSIDE ™ Table 1. Results of veterinary assessments of clinical signs diet A in improvement of any of the clinical signs. Discussion This study demonstrates that diet can affect clinical signs of atopy in the ﬁrst few weeks of feeding. Diet A was signiﬁcantly more effective than diet B in managing pruritus, skin lesions, and overall atopy severity in moderately to severely atopic dogs. These results are similar to those of other studies in which the response to a similarly formulated diet was found to be superior to that of a homeprepared diet or other commercial diets.4,5 In the latter study, the authors concluded that changing the diet of an atopic dog could be a useful component of a complete treatment plan. The three diets in this study varied in ingredient and nutrient composition. Protein, fat, fatty acids, vitamins, and minerals have all been shown to affect skin and coat condition in dogs, but numerous studies have shown that fatty acid therapy beneﬁts the management of pruritus in dogs, especially in atopic disease.6, 7 Although the most effective fatty acid composition, dose, and ratio for supplements have not been deﬁned, improvement in clinical signs in allergic dogs was observed in several studies when a diet including an omega-6: omega-3 ratio approximating 5:1 was fed.1-3 In those studies, pruritus improved in more than 40% of the dogs, and one study saw a response in some of the Clinical sign Baseline score Overall severity of atopy Pruritus Skin lesions 50 75 50 75 50 75 Score at four weeks Diet A (n=18) 32a 46 a Diet B (n=22) 47 68 48 71 37 56 Diet C (n=18) 40 56 42 61 25 36 36a 48a 23 33 a a Bolded values are signi cantly different from baseline; a values are signi cantly different from diet B. affected by both diet and duration of feeding in this study. In dogs with higher baseline scores, the response to the diet was more pronounced. Beginning after two weeks of feeding diet A, dogs that were moderately to severely affected at baseline showed a signiﬁcant lowering of mean scores for pruritus and overall severity of atopy that were maintained over the study period. However, similarly affected dogs fed diet B showed no signiﬁcant improvement in these scores, and dogs fed diet C showed signiﬁcant improvement only after four to eight weeks of feeding. All dogs fed all diets showed signiﬁcant improvement in skin lesion scores, compared with baseline, starting as early as week one and maintained throughout the study. Feeding diet A also resulted in signiﬁcantly greater improvement in mean scores for all three clinical signs, compared with diet B, in dogs that were moderately to severely affected at baseline (see Table 1). By week four, the improvement in pruritus scores with diet A was approximately six times that of diet B, and the improvement in skin lesion scores was approximately twice that of diet B. Dogs fed diet C did not show signiﬁcant differences vs. Client education1 The more your clients know about atopy, the better chance their atopic dog has for relief of clinical signs. Talking points to consider are: • Atopic disease is a life-long problem • Many aggravating factors may cause ﬂare-ups • Concurrent disease complicates the control of atopic disease and requires different therapies • Clients must be committed to ongoing treatment. dogs within one week.1 The omega-6:omega-3 fatty acid ratio in diet A, as with similarly formulated diets, was in the range of 2.5:1 to 3:1 (data on ﬁle, P&G Pet Care, 2008). These diets differed in fatty acid composition from those shown effective with a 5:1 omega-6:omega-3 fatty acid ratio primarily in a higher omega-3 content. Although a study of healthy dogs showed reduced tissue inﬂammatory potential when diets with an omega-6:omega-3 fatty acid ratio between 5:1 and 10:1 were fed, dogs with inﬂammatory skin conditions may require two to 10 times the conventional intake of dietary omega-3 fatty acid to control the inﬂammatory response, based on results from studies that used supplements and diet.6, 8 In comparison, diet B had an omega-6:omega-3 fatty acid ratio of approximately 8:1 (data on ﬁle, P&G Pet Care, 2008). The results of this study suggest that a dietary omega6:omega-3 fatty acid ratio in the range of 2:1 to 3:1 may be more effective in managing the skin inﬂammation that is associated with atopy. As found in this study and others, diet can be key in successfully managing atopy in dogs. Veterinarians should consider the dietary omega-6: omega-3 fatty acid ratio and evidence of its efﬁcacy in minimizing clinical signs when choosing a diet for atopic dogs. *References are available online at www.advanstarvhc.com/c46. http://www.advanstarvhc.com/c46

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

For optimal viewing of this digital publication, please enable JavaScript and then refresh the page. If you would like to try to load the digital publication without using Flash Player detection, please click here.