Equine allergic skin diseases: Clinical consensus guidelines of the World Association for Veterinary Dermatology.

Background: Allergic skin diseases are common in horses worldwide. The most common causes are insect bites and environmental allergens.

Objectives: To review the current literature and provide consensus on pathogenesis, diagnosis, treatment and prevention.

A small scale study to evaluate the efficacy of microneedling in the presence or absence of platelet-rich plasma in the treatment of post-clipping alopecia in dogs.

Background: Post-clipping alopecia often has a clinically poor response to therapy and prolonged alopecia is a source of anxiety for some owners. In humans and dogs, superficial microtrauma via a microneedling (MN) device induces mechanical stimulation of the hair follicle with resultant hair regrowth. Human studies suggest that concurrent application of platelet-rich plasma (PRP) with MN induces more rapid regrowth of better-quality hair than microneedling alone.

Update on pathogenesis, diagnosis, and treatment of atopic dermatitis in dogs.

Improved understanding of the pathogenesis of atopic dermatitis in dogs has led to more effective treatment plans, including skin barrier repair and new targeted treatments for management of allergy-associated itch and inflammation. The intent of this review article is to provide an update on the etiologic rationale behind current recommendations that emphasize a multimodal approach for the management of atopic dermatitis in dogs. Increasing knowledge of this complex disease process will help direct future treatment options.

Agreement between allergen-specific IgE assays and ensuing immunotherapy recommendations from four commercial laboratories in the USA.

Background: Canine allergen-specific IgE assays in the USA are not subjected to an independent laboratory reliability monitoring programme.

Hypothesis/objectives: The aim of this study was to evaluate the agreement of diagnostic results and treatment recommendations of four serum IgE assays commercially available in the USA.

Methods: Replicate serum samples from 10 atopic dogs were submitted to each of four laboratories for allergen-specific IgE assays (ACTT(®) , VARL Liquid Gold, ALLERCEPT(®) and Greer(®) Aller-g-complete(®) ).