Assessing the Benefits of Main Meal Diets in Dogs with Canine Atopic Dermatitis

The University of Florida College of Veterinary Medicine is currently recruiting dogs diagnosed with atopic dermatitis for a clinical research trial.

Enrollment Status: Currently Enrolling

Inclusion Criteria: Dogs diagnosed with atopic dermatitis who have had symptoms for a year or longer are eligible for enrollment.

Exclusion criteria: Dogs with seasonal allergies, dogs that have received Omega-3 supplements in the last 90 days, and dogs with systemic dermatological diseases other than atopic dermatitis will not be able to enroll in the study.

Treatment: This is a six-month long randomized, double blinded, placebo-controlled study. This means that enrolled dogs will be randomly assigned to either a study treatment group (receiving one of the testing diets) or the control group. Specific food and treats will be provided exclusively for this clinical trial. Participants must exclusively feed their dogs with the provided food and treats, and refrain from giving any other edible treats, including table scraps, toppers, and/or supplements for skin or immune health. Enrolled dogs may be fed the trial treats up to a maximum of 10% of their daily caloric requirement. If needed, medication will be prescribed along with the study diet.

Enrolled dogs will be seen on day -7 (enrollment), 21, 27, 60, 90, 120, 150, and 180 (end of the study). At each visit, dogs will undergo a clinical evaluation and skin barrier function evaluations, which include tests of skin hydration and pH. Information on the quality of life of you and your dog will also be collected. At select visits, blood will be collected to run bloodwork consisting of a complete blood count and chemistry, to run markers of inflammation, and to save 2 extra serum cryovials and 1ml of blood to be stored for future analysis. In addition, a sterile swab will be used to collect bacteria from the skin in two locations (axillae and abdomen).

Owners will be required to complete daily medication logs (if prescribed medication), a weekly pruritus visual analog scale (PVAS) evaluation, and quality of life (QoL) surveys at each visit. Enrolled dogs will be equipped with an activity monitor to track the overall activity of the dogs. Owners will also be expected to collect fecal samples at home a total of three times for microbiome analysis.

Costs: The study will cover the examination fees, diets, treats, topical (shampoo and ear solution), and systemic medications needed to control the allergic clinical signs for the duration of the study. The study will also cover the bloodwork on day -7, 21, 27, 60, 90, 120, 150, and 180, microbiome, immunological, and the skin quality evaluations associated with the clinical trial. No other costs will be covered.

Contact: Please fill out our Study Interest Form.

PI: Dr. Domenico Santoro

Background: Skin allergies are very common in dogs. The goal of the present study is to evaluate the clinical effects of diets as adjuvant treatment of mild-to-moderate atopic dogs.