Effects of Feeding a Hypoallergenic Diet with a Nutraceutical on Fecal Dysbiosis Index and Clinical Manifestations of Canine Atopic Dermatitis.

Background: an imbalance of the intestinal microbiota can cause health problems in the gastrointestinal tract and in other organs. Canine Atopic Dermatitis (CAD) is a genetically predisposed, inflammatory and pruritic allergic skin disease with multifactorial etiology and multimodal treatment. The aim of this study was to assess the effect of a nutraceutical product on Dysbiotic Index (DI) and the skin lesions of atopic dogs.

Ear tip ulcerative dermatitis treated with oclacitinib in 25 dogs: a retrospective case series.

Background: Ear tip ulcerative dermatitis (ETUD) is an uncommon clinical reaction pattern in canine dermatology. The lesions are suggestive of vascular damage which may be caused by inflammatory or noninflammatory diseases, and often are idiopathic. Therapeutic options for ETUD include topical glucocorticoids or tacrolimus, pentoxifylline, vitamin E, doxycycline, tetracycline and niacinamide, sulfonamides, glucocorticoids, ciclosporin and surgical correction.

A case of drug-resistant staphylococcal para-aural abscess treated with photodynamic therapy in a West Highland White Terrier presenting with chronic otitis and craniomandibular osteopathy.

A 10-year-old canine with chronic unilateral otitis and a history of unsuccessful systemic and topical antibiotic treatments was referred. A computer tomography scan (CT scan) revealed unilateral chronic otitis with calcification of the ear canal, abscessation and fistula. On bacterial culture a Staphylococcus pseudintermedius sensitive to pradofloxacin was isolated.

In vitro activity of lactoferricin solution against Malassezia pachydermatis from otitis externa in dogs and cats.

Background: Malassezia pachydermatis is a commensal organism of the skin, yet it may induce dermatitis and/or otitis. Lactoferricin (Lfcin) is an antimicrobial peptide obtained by the pepsin-mediated digestion of lactoferrin, a multifunctional innate-defence milk protein. The antibacterial activity of Lfcin is thought to cause alteration of bacterial membrane permeability, thus inducing cell death.

Use of oclacitinib as antipruritic drug during sarcoptic mange infestation treatment.

Sarcoptic mange is a parasitic disease causing severe pruritus, self-induced skin lesions and secondary infections. In many cases, an antipruritic treatment is useful to decrease clinical signs of the disease. Oclacitinib is a synthetic janus kinase-1 (JAK1) inhibitor, that selectively inhibits cytokines involved in inflammation and pruritus.

Acral congenital superficial dermal lymphatic malformations in two unrelated cats: clinicopathological, dermoscopic and ultrastructural findings.

Background: Cutaneous vascular malformations (CVM) represent a spectrum of human diseases identified at birth or in paediatric patients and classified according to the type of vessel affected. Confusing classification in human medicine has led to misdiagnoses and frequent nomenclature revision. Cutaneous lymphatic malformations (CLM) are reported sporadically in humans.

Prevalence of Gene Mutation in 48 Breeding Golden Retriever Dogs.

A non-epidermolytic ichthyosis has been identified in Golden Retrievers due to a variant in the gene, and a genetic test is available to detect wild-type, heterozygous and homozygous dogs. The aims of this study were to investigate the prevalence of the gene variant in Golden Retrievers used for breeding and to provide more information to breeders in order to restrict the spread of this disease. Clinical examination and assessment of the genotype using PCR testing of oral swabs were performed in 48 breeding Golden Retrievers.

Randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled pilot study on the effects of topical blackcurrant emulsion enriched in essential fatty acids, ceramides and 18-beta glycyrrhetinic acid on clinical signs and skin barrier function in dogs with atopic dermatitis.

Background: Lipid-based emulsions can be useful for the management of canine atopic dermatitis (cAD). 18-beta glycyrrhetinic acid (GRA), a component of liquorice root, has anti-inflammatory and anti-pruritic effects.

Hypothesis/objectives: To evaluate the effects of a topical lipid emulsion containing ceramides, fatty acids and GRA on clinical signs of cAD and skin barrier in a randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled trial.

Increased filaggrin-metabolizing enzyme activity in atopic skin: a pilot study using a canine model of atopic dermatitis.

Background: Filaggrin (FLG) and its metabolites are essential for skin barrier function and hydration of the stratum corneum. Alteration of the FLG metabolism could be the basis for an abnormal skin barrier in allergic dogs.

Objectives: To investigate the expression and distribution of calpain-1, caspase-14, furin and matriptase, four enzymes involved in FLG metabolism, in the skin of atopic and healthy beagles.

Lymphocyte subpopulations and Treg cells in dogs with atopic dermatitis receiving ciclosporin therapy: a prospective study.

Background: Canine atopic dermatitis (CAD) is a chronic dermatological disease partly due to dysregulation of the immune system. Inappropriate activation of CD4(+) lymphocytes could favour and promote the allergic response. An inadequate activation system of regulatory T cells (Tregs) is suspected to be a key immunological feature of the allergic response in atopic dogs.

Alopecia in four kittens caused by abnormal maternal licking behaviour.

Case Report: Abnormal maternal behaviour has been reported in cats, but is generally not included among the causes of alopecia in kittens. A litter of four kittens, 2 months old, was referred for evaluation of facial alopecia of differing severity. The 2-year-old queen was unaffected.

Identification by real-time PCR with SYBR Green of Leishmania spp. and Serratia marcescens in canine 'sterile' cutaneous nodular lesions.

Background: Noninfectious, non-neoplastic, nodular to diffuse, so-called 'sterile' granulomatous/pyogranulomatous skin lesions (SGPSLs) are infrequently identified in dogs and may represent a diagnostic challenge. Their correct identification is based on history, histopathology and absence of intralesional foreign bodies and micro-organisms.

Hypothesis/objectives: The aim of this study was to investigate the presence of Leishmania spp.

Cytologic and immunocytochemical characterization of feline progressive histiocytosis.

Background: Feline Progressive Histiocytosis (FPH) is a cutaneous dendritic cell neoplasm characterized by slow progression and spread to internal organs in the terminal stage. FPH is often misdiagnosed as an inflammatory reaction and has not been fully characterized from a cytologic diagnostic perspective.

Objectives: The purpose of the study was to characterize the cytologic and immunocytochemical aspects useful for FPH diagnosis.

Feline trombiculosis: a retrospective study in 72 cats.

Background: Trombiculosis is the infestation of a host by the larval form of mites belonging to the Trombiculidae family. Few data are available regarding this infestation in cats.

Hypothesis/objectives: The aim of this retrospective study was to report data, clinical signs, diagnostic and therapeutic features of feline trombiculosis.

Monthly application of 10 per cent moxidectin and 2.5 per cent imidacloprid spot-on to prevent relapses in generalised demodicosis: a pilot study.

Canine generalised demodicosis (GD) can be difficult to cure, with some dogs requiring life-long treatment. The aim of this pilot study was to evaluate the effectiveness of monthly 10 per cent moxidectin/2.5 per cent imidacloprid spot-on in maintaining long-term (12 months) clinical and parasitological remission in dogs with relapsing GD.

Sublingual reactive histiocytosis in a dog.

Lingual lesions are relatively uncommon in dogs and are mostly represented by neoplasms and glossitis secondary to trauma or infections. Reactive histiocytosis is an uncommon, poorly understood, reactive disorder characterized by proliferation of activated, interstitial, dendritic, antigen-presenting cells associated with lymphocytes and neutrophils with a specific angiocentric orientation and occasional angioinvasion and angiodestruction. Clinically, the disease has a waxing and waning behavior with possible response to treatment and regression, or progression to multiple lesions and internal organ involvement.

Transepidermal water loss in healthy and atopic dogs, treated and untreated: a comparative preliminary study.

An impaired skin barrier function is thought to be crucial for allergic sensitization. In humans, the skin barrier is assessed by noninvasive methods, such as the measurement of transepidermal water loss (TEWL). Although limitations have been reported, measurement of TEWL has been demonstrated to be a suitable method to assess barrier function indirectly in dogs.

Comparable efficacy of a topical 0.0584% hydrocortisone aceponate spray and oral ciclosporin in treating canine atopic dermatitis.

This study compared the efficacy of a 0.0584% hydrocortisone aceponate (HCA) spray (Cortavance(®); Virbac SA) and ciclosporin (Atopica(®); Novartis Animal Health) in canine atopic dermatitis in a single-blind randomized controlled trial. Dogs received HCA (two sprays/100 cm(2); n=24) or ciclosporin (5 mg/kg; n=21).

Detection of feline herpes virus 1 via polymerase chain reaction and immunohistochemistry in cats with ulcerative facial dermatitis, eosinophilic granuloma complex reaction patterns and mosquito bite hypersensitivity.

Ulcerative dermatitis caused by feline herpes virus 1 (FHV-1) is an uncommon disease characterized by cutaneous ulcers secondary to epidermal, adnexal and dermal necrosis. Differential diagnoses for FHV-1 lesions include, but are not limited to, mosquito bite hypersensitivity and eosinophilic granuloma complex. Histopathological diagnosis of FHV-1 dermatitis is based on the detection of the intranuclear inclusion bodies.

Canine nodular dermatophytosis (kerion): 23 cases.

Dermatophytosis is a common zoonotic disease, and one of its clinical presentations in the dog is nodular dermatophytosis (kerion). Because the infection is located within the dermis, routine diagnostic tests such as a Wood's lamp examination, microscopic examination of hair shafts for fungal elements and fungal culture can yield negative results. In such cases, histopathological examination with routine and special stains (periodic acid-Schiff, Gomori methenamine silver) is required to confirm the diagnosis.

Efficacy and tolerability of once-daily cephalexin in canine superficial pyoderma: an open controlled study.

Objectives: The aims of this study were to evaluate the efficacy and tolerability of oral cephalexin given at 30 mg/kg once daily in dogs with superficial pyoderma and to compare them with those of oral cephalexin given at 15 mg/kg twice daily.

Methods: Twenty dogs with superficial pyoderma were treated with cephalexin at 30 to 60 mg/kg orally once daily (group A) and compared with 20 dogs treated at a dose of 15 to 30 mg/kg orally twice daily (group B). Dogs were treated until 14 days after clinical remission.

Idiopathic mucosal penile squamous papillomas in dogs.

A new papillomatous clinical entity is described affecting the penile mucosa of dogs. The animals, 11 male dogs of different breeds, ageing from 6 to 13 years, were presented for genital mass and occasional haematuria. Surgical incision of the prepuce skin of the anaesthetized dogs showed the presence of single pedunculated, soft, pink-red, cauliflower-like masses arising from the penile mucosa, with diameter ranging from 2 to 8 cm.