The treatment method of cat atopic dermatitis, the method to solve the cat's skin symptoms! Atopic dermatitis is referred to as CAD, the main symptom of CAD is itching, manifested as excessive scratching, Behaviors such as rubbing, biting, and self-licking. Skin erythema is seen in early symptoms, but most lesions result from chronic inflammation and self-scratching, resulting in exfoliation (scratching), hyperpigmentation (darkening of the skin), lichenification (thickening, roughening of the skin), and lesions Symptoms of hair loss. Atopic dermatitis in cats can be difficult to treat, and sometimes you need a little luck.

The incidence of atopic dermatitis varies and has been reported in some studies to be as high as 73% of all allergic cats, or second only to fleas Allergies, there may be a genetic predisposition here, because some families have a higher incidence, but no specific genes have been found. Seasonal and non-seasonal allergies exist in cats. A study of 66 cats with atopic dermatitis found: 50% had fleas, 58% were non-seasonal, 39% were both seasonal and non-seasonal, and 5% were allergic to pollen only , house dust mites are the most common non-seasonal response.

Distribution:

Variable, localized areas can be on the head, face, ears, neck, medial forelimbs, ventral and lateral sides of the body, back of the thighs, or the whole body.

Clinical symptoms: pruritic papular crusting (miliary dermatitis), hairlessness due to self-injury - barber's hairless (Symmetrical alopecia in cats), erosive-exfoliative dermatitis due to self-injury, eosinophilic granulomatous complex lesions, asthma, combined symptoms. Indistinguishable from other allergies, although there may be seasonality, many cases also have flea allergies, some have food allergies, and in cats, respiratory symptoms are more common.

Diagnosis:

Intradermal antigen tests are harder to do and harder to interpret than dogs, and in vitro tests are helpful.

Treatment

1. Glucocorticoids

Glucocorticoids are the most commonly used drugs to control pruritus in AD. Prudent dosing and short-term use can also cause mild side effects in animals. Many dermatologists usually choose this drug when other treatments have failed. The specific recommended medications are: prednisone, prednisolone and methylprednisolone, 0.5-1 mg/kg/day, orally, for 5-7 consecutive days. Because glucocorticoids are the most adverse AD treatment drugs, they are not suitable for long-term use unless there are no other alternatives. The antipruritic mechanism of this class of drugs is the inhibition of phospholipase A2, the rate-limiting step in the synthesis of prostaglandins and leukotrienes, which effectively blocks the entire inflammatory cascade and rapidly relieves itching. Side reactions are equally famous.

Short-term use is common: shortness of breath, polyuria, polydipsia and polyphagia. The side effects vary greatly among individuals. Unpredictable for veterinarians. In some cases, iatrogenic Cushing's syndrome occurs only because of the use of steroid-containing eye drops, while in some cases, multiple injections of long-acting steroids have no clinical side effects. In contrast, oral and injectable short-acting corticosteroids are routine options, and longer-acting injections are safer.

2. Antihistamines

Antihistamines Medicine is best used at the beginning of the itching season and is not effective for severe itching. The simultaneous use of antihistamines, essential fatty acids and topical therapy can significantly control the degree of pruritus in some cases, thereby reducing the incidence of superficial pyoderma and other secondary diseases. The first generation of H1 blockers is the representative of antihistamines, which are prone to side effects of drowsiness or excitement due to their anticholinergic properties. The antipruritic effect of this drug is unpredictable, but the risk is low, making it suitable for use in most cases. It usually takes 14-21 days to see results. Through competitive inhibition, these drugs moderately modulate the synthesis of leukotrienes and prostaglandins (fatty acids and arachidonic acid are precursors of both). The metabolites of essential fatty acids are less inflammatory substances. When given high doses of omega-3 fatty acids, arachidonic acid can replace the same enzymes occupying the same place, and its anti-inflammatory mechanism is thus derived. So taking essential fatty acids at the same time can reduce the dose of steroids and antihistamines used to treat allergies. It was investigated that daily oral intake of fish oil containing eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA, 66mg/kg) also had the above effects.