Treatment of canine atopic dermatitis: 2015 updated guidelines from the International Committee on Allergic Diseases of Animals (ICADA).
BACKGROUND
In 2010, the International Task Force on Canine Atopic Dermatitis (now International Committee on Allergic Diseases of Animals, ICADA) published the first consensus guidelines for the treatment of atopic dermatitis (AD) in dogs. This is the first 5-year minor update of this document.


RESULTS
The treatment of acute flares of AD should involve the search for, and then elimination of, the cause of the flares, bathing with mild shampoos, and controlling pruritus and skin lesions with interventions that include topical and/or oral glucocorticoids or oclacitinib. For chronic canine AD, the first steps in management are the identification and avoidance of flare factors, as well as ensuring that there is adequate skin and coat hygiene and care; this might include more frequent bathing and possibly increasing essential fatty acid intake. The medications currently most effective in reducing chronic pruritus and skin lesions are topical and oral glucocorticoids, oral ciclosporin, oral oclacitinib, and, where available, injectable recombinant interferons. Allergen-specific immunotherapy and proactive intermittent topical glucocorticoid applications are the only interventions likely to prevent or delay the recurrence of flares of AD.


CONCLUSIONS
This first 5-year minor update of the international consensus guidelines for treatment of AD in dogs further establishes that the treatment of this disease is multifaceted, and that interventions should be combined for a proven (or likely) optimal benefit. Importantly, treatment plans are likely to vary between dogs and, for the same dog, between times when the disease is at different stages.
Department of Clinical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, North Carolina State University, 1060 William Moore Drive, Raleigh, 27606, NC, USA. tolivry@ncsu.edu.
Thierry
T
Olivry
Department of Medical Sciences, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Wisconsin, 2015 Linden Drive, Madison, 53706, WI, USA.
Douglas J
DJ
DeBoer
Clinic for Small Animal Internal Medicine, Dermatology Department, Vetsuisse Faculty, University of Zürich, Winterthurerstrasse 260, 8057, Zürich, Switzerland.
Claude
C
Favrot
Dermatology Referral Services LTD, 528 Paisley Road West, Glasgow, Scotland, G51 1RN, UK.
Hilary A
HA
Jackson
Medizinische Kleintierklinik, Centre for Clinical Veterinary Medicine, Ludwig-Maximilian University, Veterinärstrasse 13, 80539, Munich, Germany.
Ralf S
RS
Mueller
Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies, The University of Edinburgh, Easter Bush Campus, Roslin, Scotland, EH25 9RG, UK.
Tim
T
Nuttall
Clinique Advetia, 5 rue Dubrunfaut, Paris, 75012, France.
Pascal
P
Prélaud
D000208:Acute Disease; D000284:Administration, Oral; D000287:Administration, Topical; D000818:Animals; D000890:Anti-Infective Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000893:Anti-Inflammatory Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001494:Baths / Q000662:veterinary; D002908:Chronic Disease; D003876:Dermatitis, Atopic / Q000628:therapy / Q000662:veterinary*; D003879:Dermatologic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D004283:Dog Diseases / Q000188:drug therapy*; D004285:Dogs; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination / Q000662:veterinary; D005938:Glucocorticoids / Q000627:therapeutic use; D007391:International Cooperation; D017410:Practice Guidelines as Topic
D000890:Anti-Infective Agents; D000893:Anti-Inflammatory Agents; D003879:Dermatologic Agents; D005938:Glucocorticoids