Background
There are no liquid oral glucocorticoids labelled for management of pruritus and clinical lesions of feline hypersensitivity dermatitis (feline HD).
Hypothesis
First, to demonstrate that dexamethasone sodium phosphate (DexSP, DexajectSP, Henry Schein; Dublin, OH, USA; 4 mg/mL), an intravenous glucocorticoid, can be absorbed by healthy cats when administered orally. Second, to demonstrate the efficacy of orally administered DexSP for reducing pruritus and clinical lesions in patients with feline HD.
Animals
Seven healthy and 12 client‐owned cats with HD.
Methods and materials
Healthy cats were administered a single dose of 0.2 mg/kg DexSP p.o. and serum concentrations were measured using enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Feline HD patients were assessed with SCORing Feline Allergic Dermatitis (SCORFAD) and pruritus Visual Analog Scale (pVAS) at Visit 1 (V1) and after 20–31 days of receiving 0.2 mg/kg/day DexSP p.o. (V2). Complete blood cell counts, serum chemistry profile, and urinalysis were performed in 50% of feline HD patients at both visits.
Results
Healthy cats had detectable serum concentrations of DexSP following oral administration; concentrations ranged from 0.7 to 92.3 ng/mL. Feline HD patients showed significant decreases in SCORFAD and pVAS scores from V1 to V2.
Conclusions
DexSP was absorbed when administered orally to healthy cats and 0.2 mg/kg/day DexSP is an efficacious dose to rapidly improve the pruritus and clinical lesions associated with feline HD.
A 10-year-old, male neutered Husky-mix had clinical and histopathological findings consistent with mucocutaneous pemphigus vulgaris. After steroid induction, the patient remained in remission with two minor relapses with ciclosporin and vitamin E for 23 months. To the best of the authors' knowledge, this is the first report of long-term control of canine pemphigus vulgaris with ciclosporin and vitamin E.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.