Complementary feed for the control of pruritus in atopic dermatitis in dogs

Pruritus is a common manifestation in dogs with allergic skin diseases and itching can significantly affect the quality of life of both affected animals and their owners, with even severe repercussions [1]. Pharmacological treatments and complementary feeds that are able to control itching quickly and in the long run are in great demand and attract the attention of many researchers and companies. The aim of this study was to assess the effectiveness of a complementary feed containing flavonoids, stilbenes, and cannabinoids (obtained from vegetable/botanical by- products/vegetable/botanical source) in the control of itching in dogs suffering from atopic dermatitis. Such complementary feed has been shown to be able to reduce the gene expression of ccl2, ccl17, il31ra and tslp in an experimental in vitro model of atopic dermatitis [3]. The primary efficacy endpoint was the reduction of CADESI-04 and pruritus visual analogue scale (pVas) scores. The study protocol was successfully submitted to the Animal Welfare Body of the University of Camerino (protocol code 10/2021). Ten dogs affected by atopic dermatitis, diagnosed according to current guidelines [1, 2], received a hypoallergenic food for the duration of the study. Once enrolled, in the first 6 weeks dogs received the administration of oclacitinib (Apoquel®, Zoetis) twice daily for two weeks and then once daily for 4 weeks. Starting from the fifth week, the administration of complementary feed began, according to the following dosage: twice daily for two weeks and then once daily for 8 weeks. Administration of oclacitinib was discontinued at week 6 in all dogs enrolled in the study, who received the complementary feed up to week 12. In all dogs there was a marked reduction in both CADESI-04 and owner-reported pVas for pruritus in the first four weeks of oclacitinib administration. In the fifth and sixth week of the study (oclacitinib + complementary feed) the trend of CADESI-04 and pVas was the same, as well as from the seventh week onwards for all dogs enrolled in the study. Although data collected are only preliminary, it is possible to highlight that the complementary feed effectively control itching in supplemented dogs, which did not show any adverse event. This study further confirm the ability of selected complementary feed to control dermatological disease manifestation in dogs [4]. COMPLEMENTARY FEED FOR THE CONTROL OF PRURITUS IN ATOPIC DERMATITIS IN DOGS Andrea Marchegiani (1), Alessandro Fruganti (1), Elena Dalle Vedove (2), Benedetta Bachetti (2), Marcella Massimini (2), Cataldo Ribecco (2), Matteo Cerquetella (1), AndreaSpaterna (1) (1) Università degli Studi di Camerino, Scuola di Bioscienze e Medicina Veterinaria. (2) Research and Development Unit (NIL), C.I.A.M. srl. Corresponding author: A. Marchegiani (andrea.marchegiani@unicam.it) [1] Favrot C et al. A prospective study on the clinical features of chronic canine atopic dermatitis and its diagnosis. Vet Dermatol, 21:23–31, 2010. [2] Hensel P et al. Canine atopic dermatitis: detailed guidelines for diagnosis and allergen identification. BMC Vet Res, 11(1):196, 2015. [3] Massimini M et al. Polyphenols and Cannabidiol Modulate Transcriptional Regulation of Th1/Th 2 Inflammatory Genes Related to Canine Atopic Dermatitis. Front Vet Sci, 8:1–14, 2021. [ 4] M arc hegi ani A et al . Im pac t o f N utri ti o na l Supplementation on Canine Dermatological Disorders. Vet Sci MDPI, 38:1–13, 2020.