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Atopic Itch in Dogs: Pharmacology and Modeling

  • Chapter
Pharmacology of Itch

Part of the book series: Handbook of Experimental Pharmacology ((HEP,volume 226))

Abstract

Itch is the most common clinical problem seen in dogs with skin diseases. Although an etiological classification of canine pruritus does not yet exist, most causes would likely fall into the IFSI class I (dermatological) itch. One of the most common causes of canine itch is that associated with atopic dermatitis, and there is randomized controlled trial grade evidence of the efficacy of several antipruritic interventions. At this time, the mainstay of treatment of canine atopic itch relies principally on the use of topical and/or oral glucocorticoids and oral cyclosporine. Type 1 receptor antihistamines are notorious in their inconsistency in reducing pruritus in atopic dogs. A new Janus kinase (JAK)-1 inhibitor has recently been approved for treatment of allergic itch in dogs, and its onset of efficacy is remarkably fast. Modeling itch in dogs can be achieved by allergen sensitization (fleas, house dust mites), and challenges that elicit pruritic manifestation can be used for mechanistic studies as well as for testing of novel anti-itch modalities.

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Abbreviations

AD:

Atopic dermatitis

JAK:

Janus kinase

NFAT:

Nuclear factor of activated T cells

NT:

Not tested

PAR:

Proteinase-activated receptor

RCT:

Randomized controlled trial

VAS:

Visual analog scale

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Clinical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, NC State University, Raleigh, NC, USA

    Thierry Olivry

  2. Center for Comparative Medicine and Translational Research, NC State University, Raleigh, NC, USA

    Thierry Olivry

  3. Department of Molecular Biosciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, NC State University, Raleigh, NC, USA

    Wolfgang Bäumer

Authors
  1. Thierry Olivry
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  2. Wolfgang Bäumer
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Correspondence to Thierry Olivry .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Pharmacology Center for Substance Abuse Research, Temple University School of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA

    Alan Cowan

  2. Department of Dermatology, Temple University School of Medicine, Philadephia, Pennsylvania, USA

    Gil Yosipovitch

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Olivry, T., Bäumer, W. (2015). Atopic Itch in Dogs: Pharmacology and Modeling. In: Cowan, A., Yosipovitch, G. (eds) Pharmacology of Itch. Handbook of Experimental Pharmacology, vol 226. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-44605-8_19

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