Use of D-Squame as a Minimally Invasive Technique to Evaluate Skin Immune Response Biomarkers in Canine Atopic Dermatitis.

Evaluation of skin inflammation biomarkers in canine atopic dermatitis (AD) currently requires skin biopsies. Tape stripping has been shown to be a reliable technique to study biomarkers in the stratum corneum (SC) in humans. The aim of this study was to assess the immune response and identify biomarkers in the SC of dogs with canine AD using D-squame as a minimally invasive technique.

Validation of method for faecal sampling in cats and dogs for faecal microbiome analysis.

Background: Reproducible and reliable studies of cat and dog faecal microbiomes are dependent on many methodology-based variables including how the faecal stools are sampled and stored prior to processing. The current study aimed to establish an appropriate method for sampling and storing faecal stools from cats and dogs which may also be applied to privately-owned pets. The approach investigated the effects of storing faeces for up to 12 h at room temperature and sampling from various locations within the stool in terms of microbial diversity, relative taxa abundances and DNA yield.