An Update on the Diagnosis and Management of Canine Atopic Dermatitis

Canine atopic dermatitis (CAD) is a common, pruritic disease that negatively impacts dogs’ quality of life. The diagnosis is based on history, clinical findings and ruling out alternative diagnoses. Glucocorticoids and calcineurin inhibitors are effective for managing canine AD. Allergen specific immunotherapy (ASIT) is widely used to manage CAD in many countries, but requires allergy testing that may not be available or reliable. Region specific immunotherapy (RSIT), incorporating allergen mixtures standardized for specific geographic areas is a suitable alternative to ASIT when the reliability, availability and expense of allergy testing are limitations.