Foundation therapy in canine atopic dermatitis

Abstract

Therapy in canine atopic dermatitis should be multimodal and should be individualised for each patient. Therapies can be described as foundation or supplementary. In all but the mildest cases, dogs require a foundation therapy for the control of their atopic dermatitis. These include allergen-specific immunotherapy, ciclosporin, glucocorticoids, lokivetmab or oclacitinib. All of these five therapeutic options have a strong evidence base to recommend their use in canine atopic dermatitis. Supplementary therapies, which include drugs such as antihistamines, essential fatty acids, topical emollient and antiseptics, help in treatment to improve barrier function and correct skin biome dysbiosis, but can rarely control canine atopic dermatitis in isolation. When combined with foundation therapy they can reduce the risk of relapse and the level of foundation therapy that is required. https://doi.org/10.12968/coan.2019.0020