J Vet Sci.  2016 Dec;17(4):549-554. 10.4142/jvs.2016.17.4.549.

Effects of cetirizine in dogs with chronic atopic dermatitis: a randomized, double blind, placebo-controlled trial

• Hsiao YH
• Chen C
• Willemse T

• KMID: 2412611
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.4142/jvs.2016.17.4.549

Abstract

This study was conducted to evaluate the effects of cetirizine in dogs with atopic dermatitis (AD) while fulfilling Favrot's diagnostic clinical criteria. Dogs received either 3 mg/kg cetirizine (n = 27), or a placebo (n = 23) orally once daily for 14 days in a randomized, double blind, placebo-controlled study, without concomitant medication. The effects were evaluated using a pruritus visual analog scale at the start (day 0) and at day 14. After 14 days, cetirizine clearly had no effect on the pruritus in dogs with chronic AD, and there was no significant difference between groups. These findings indicated that cetirizine (and likely H1 histamine receptor antagonists in general) should not be recommended for the control of pruritus in dogs with long term allergies.

Keyword

atopic dermatitis; cetirizine; dogs; placebo-controlled study

MeSH Terms

Animals
Cetirizine/*therapeutic use
Chronic Disease
Dermatitis, Atopic/drug therapy/etiology/*veterinary
Dog Diseases/*drug therapy/etiology
Dogs
Double-Blind Method
Female
Histamine H1 Antagonists, Non-Sedating/*therapeutic use
Male
Treatment Outcome
Histamine H1 Antagonists, Non-Sedating
Cetirizine

Figure

• 

  Fig. 1 Individual and median group improvement (%) of dogs with atopic dermatitis treated with cetirizine (n = 27) or a placebo (n = 23).

Reference

1. Bizikova P, Papich MG, Olivry T. Hydroxyzine and cetirizine pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics after oral and intravenous administration of hydroxyzine to healthy dogs. Vet Dermatol. 2008; 19:348–357.

2. Bloom P. Nonsteroidal, nonimmunosuppressive therapies for pruritus. Vet Clin North Am Small Anim Pract. 2013; 43:173–187.

3. Cook CP, Scott DW, Miller WH Jr, Kirker JE, Cobb SM. Treatment of canine atopic dermatitis with cetirizine, a second generation antihistamine: a single-blinded, placebocontrolled study. Can Vet J. 2004; 45:414–417.

4. Cosgrove SB, Wren JA, Cleaver DM, Walsh KF, Follis SI, King VI, Tena JKS, Stegemann MR. A blinded, randomized, placebo-controlled trial of the efficacy and safety of the Janus kinase inhibitor oclacitinib (Apoquel®) in client-owned dogs with atopic dermatitis. Vet Dermatol. 2013; 24:587–597.

5. De Vos C, Maleux MR, Baltes E, Gobert J. Inhibition of histamine and allergen skin wheal by cetirizine in four animal species. Ann Allergy. 1987; 59:278–282.

6. Favrot C, Steffan J, Seewald W, Picco F. A prospective study on the clinical features of chronic canine atopic dermatitis and its diagnosis. Vet Dermatol. 2010; 21:23–31.

7. Griffin CE, DeBoer DJ. The ACVD task force on canine atopic dermatitis (XIV): clinical manifestations of canine atopic dermatitis. Vet Immunol Immunopathol. 2001; 81:255–269.

8. Hill PB, Lau P, Rybnicek J. Development of an owner-assessed scale to measure the severity of pruritus in dogs. Vet Dermatol. 2007; 18:301–308.

9. Kang MH, Kim HJ, Jang HJ, Park HM. Sensitization rates of causative allergens for dogs with atopic dermatitis: detection of canine allergen-specific IgE. J Vet Sci. 2014; 15:545–550.

10. Kim H, Rather IA, Kim H, Kim S, Kim T, Jang J, Seo J, Lim J, Park YH. A double-blind, placebo controlled-trial of a probiotic strain Lactobacillus sakei probio-65 for the prevention of canine atopic dermatitis. J Microbiol Biotechnol. 2015; 25:1966–1969.

11. Loeffler A, Soares-Magalhaes R, Bond R, Lloyd DH. A retrospective analysis of case series using home-prepared and chicken hydrolysate diets in the diagnosis of adverse food reactions in 181 pruritic dogs. Vet Dermatol. 2006; 17:273–279.

12. Maina E, Galzerano M, Noli C. Perianal pruritus in dogs with skin disease. Vet Dermatol. 2014; 25:204–209.

13. Olivry T, DeBoer DJ, Favrot C, Jackson HA, Mueller RS, Nuttall T, Prélaud P. International Task Force on Canine Atopic Dermatitis. Treatment of canine atopic dermatitis: 2010 clinical practice guidelines from the International Task Force on Canine Atopic Dermatitis. Vet Dermatol. 2010; 21:233–248.

14. Olivry T, DeBoer DJ, Favrot C, Jackson HA, Mueller RS, Nuttall T, Prélaud P. International Committee on Allergic Diseases of Animals. Treatment of canine atopic dermatitis: 2015 updated guidelines from the International Committee on Allergic Diseases of Animals (ICADA). BMC Vet Res. 2015; 11:210.

15. Olivry T, DeBoer DJ, Prélaud P, Bensignor E. International Task Force on Canine Atopic Dermatitis. Food for thought: pondering the relationship between canine atopic dermatitis and cutaneous adverse food reactions. Vet Dermatol. 2007; 18:390–391.

16. Olivry T, Foster AP, Mueller RS, McEwan NA, Chesney C, Williams HC. Interventions for atopic dermatitis in dogs: a systematic review of randomized controlled trials. Vet Dermatol. 2010; 21:4–22.

17. Olivry T, Saridomichelakis M. International Committee on Atopic Diseases of Animals (ICADA). Evidence-based guidelines for anti-allergic drug withdrawal times before allergen-specific intradermal and IgE serological tests in dogs. Vet Dermatol. 2013; 24:225–e49.

18. Olivry T, Saridomichelakis M, Nuttall T, Bensignor E, Griffin CE, Hill PB. International Committee on Allergic Diseases of Animals (ICADA). Validation of the Canine Atopic Dermatitis Extent and Severity Index (CADESI)-4, a simplified severity scale for assessing skin lesions of atopic dermatitis in dogs. Vet Dermatol. 2014; 25:77–85.

19. Proverbio D, Perego R, Spada E, Ferro E. Prevalence of adverse food reactions in 130 dogs in Italy with dermatological signs: a retrospective study. J Small Anim Pract. 2010; 51:370–374.

20. Pucheu-Haston CM, Bizikova P, Eisenschenk MNC, Santoro D, Nuttall T, Marsella R. Review: the role of antibodies, autoantigens and food allergens in canine atopic dermatitis. Vet Dermatol. 2015; 26:115–e30.

21. Rybníček J, Lau-Gillard PJ, Harvey R, Hill PB. Further validation of a pruritus severity scale for use in dogs. Vet Dermatol. 2009; 20:115–122.

22. Temizel EM, Cihan H, Akhtardanesh B, Aytug N. Effect of prednisolone and cetirizine on D. farinae and histamine-induced wheal and flare response in healthy dogs. Tierarztl Prax Ausg K Kleintiere Heimtiere. 2011; 39:25–30.

23. Wilhelm S, Kovalik M, Favrot C. Breed-associated phenotypes in canine atopic dermatitis. Vet Dermatol. 2011; 22:143–149.

24. Willemse T. Atopic skin disease: a review and a reconsideration of diagnostic criteria. J Small Anim Pract. 1986; 27:771–778.