A treatment study of canine symmetrical onychomadesis (symmetrical lupoid onychodystrophy) comparing fish oil and cyclosporine supplementation in addition to a diet rich in omega-3 fatty acids

Abstract

BackgroundTreatment of symmetrical onychomadesis (symmetrical lupoid onychodystrophy) is a challenging task for dermatologists. The acute phase is characterized by sloughing of claw plates and loose claws have to be removed and secondary infections treated. The goal of long-term treatment is to allow claws to re-grow with normal quality and to achieve life-long lack of recurrence. The aim of this randomized treatment trial was to see if adding fish oil or cyclosporine to a diet rich in omega-3 could improve the treatment outcome of symmetrical onychomadesis in Gordon and English setters. All dogs were fed Eukanuba Veterinary Diets Dermatosis® exclusively during the six month treatment trial. The treatment outcome was measured as the change in number of healthy claws during treatment, as well as the long-term effect on hunting ability and recurrence of onychomadesis. The hypothesis was that cyclosporine provides a stronger and different immune modulating property than fish oil and therefore would give a better treatment outcome in dogs with symmetrical onychomadesis eating a diet rich in omega-3 fatty acids.ResultsSix Gordon setters and one English setter were treated with 5 mg/kg cyclosporine once daily for six months and seven Gordon setters were treated with 10 ml Dr Baddaky fish oil® once daily for six months. All dogs were evaluated every month and the numbers of healthy claws were recorded.There was a statistically significant improvement in the number of healthy claws after six months of treatment with a median increase of 13.5 claws for both groups. However, there was no statistically significant difference between the two treatment groups regarding the improvement in number of healthy claws, as assessed using the Wilcoxon rank-sum test (P = 0.15). Dogs in the cyclosporine group had a median increase of 10 healthy claws after six months of treatment while the median for the fish oil group was 14. Long-term cure was not achieved with either treatment.ConclusionCyclosporine and fish oil appeared to be equally effective in treating symmetrical onychomadesis when the dog is fed a diet high in omega-3.

DLA class II risk haplotypes for autoimmune diseases in the bearded collie offer insight to autoimmunity signatures across dog breeds

“…Symmetrical lupoid onychodystrophy (SLO) is another condition of autoimmune etiology that affects multiple dog breeds, such as the bearded collie, Gordon setter, English setter, giant schnauzer, Labrador retriever, Welsh corgi, boxer, and German shorthair pointer with variable prevalence (OMIA 001989–9615) [11, 21–25]. SLO is a clinical syndrome characterized by sloughing claws and secondary bacterial infection that was first described in 1992 [24, 26, 27].…”

“…SLO is a clinical syndrome characterized by sloughing claws and secondary bacterial infection that was first described in 1992 [24, 26, 27]. Since then, most research has focused on disease diagnosis and treatment [22, 25]. While little research exists on the cause of SLO, Wilbe et al [24] and Dahlgren et al [28] have reported an association with particular major histocompatibility complex (MHC; or Dog Leukocyte Antigen, DLA) class II alleles in bearded collies, giant schnauzers, and English and Gordon setters [24, 28].…”

Hypersensitivity in a dog accompanied by generalised onychodystrophy

“…The growth cycle of dog nails is long (they grow on average 1.9 mm per week), and therefore, 6 to 8 months of treatment is necessary to correct any abnormality (Warren, 2013b). Different studies have used 4-to 6-month-long follow-up periods (Auxilia et al, 2001;Ziener & Nødtvedt, 2014). The follow-up in our case (15 months) seems to have been long enough.…”

“…In another study, symptoms improved in 12 onychodystrophic dogs that were fed Eukanuba Veterinary Diets (EVD) Dermatosis® exclusively for 6 months. There was no evidence of better improvement whether cyclosporine or fish oil were added to the diet (Ziener & Nødtvedt, 2014). In that study, vitamin E as a component of fish oil was added to the diet together with omega-3 fatty acids (10 mg of vitamin E per dog daily) (Ziener & Nødtvedt, 2014).…”

“…There was no evidence of better improvement whether cyclosporine or fish oil were added to the diet (Ziener & Nødtvedt, 2014). In that study, vitamin E as a component of fish oil was added to the diet together with omega-3 fatty acids (10 mg of vitamin E per dog daily) (Ziener & Nødtvedt, 2014). This dosage of vitamin E was rather low, since oral doses suggested for dogs are 1.6-8.3 mg/kg daily (Ramsey, 2008).…”