Allergen‐specific immunotherapy prescription patterns in veterinary practice: a US population‐based cohort study

Background A recent pilot study of primary care veterinarians' attitudes regarding canine atopic dermatitis and initiation of allergen‐specific immunotherapy (ASIT) revealed several barriers to specialist referral (in the USA) and use of ASIT as a treatment modality. Hypothesis/Objectives The primary objective was to collect data on referral habits and ASIT practices among a much larger cohort of primary care veterinarians located around the world, and to explore barriers to referral and management of atopic diseases of dogs and cats with ASIT. Methods and materials An online survey, administered through the Veterinary Information Network (VIN, Davis, CA, USA), asked participants to self‐report their referral habits and immunotherapy recommendations, and rate barriers and motivating factors using Likert‐scale responses. Results Of 827 survey responses, 97.6% identified as primary care practitioners. A larger number of practitioners (84.5%) reported seeing atopic dogs often, compared with atopic cats (9.7%). Fewer of these veterinarians (56.6%) referred atopic cats for specialist care, compared to atopic dogs (73.5%). Timely communication, sharing long‐term management of the case, and provision of local continuing education were identified as factors associated with increased willingness to refer. A higher proportion of practitioners reported recommending ASIT for dogs (44.3%) than for cats (16.0%). Only 56.0% of respondents considered success rates of ASIT to be acceptable, while 27.9% were neutral on the topic. Conclusions and clinical relevance Dermatology specialists might build stronger relationships with referring veterinarians through timely case follow‐up and provision of continuing education regarding the long‐term benefits of ASIT and symptomatic management practices.

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 82%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A survey of primary care practitioners' referral habits and recommendations of allergen‐specific immunotherapy for canine and feline patients with atopic dermatitis

Flanagan

Schick²,

Lewis³

et al. 2020

“…There were 14 small-breed dogs (1-10 kg), three medium-sized dogs (10-25 kg) and three large-breed dogs (>25 kg) included in the study. 20 Small-breed dogs were most frequently presented (14). Miniature dachshunds were the most frequently presented breed (four).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Modified rush venom immunotherapy in dogs with Hymenoptera hypersensitivity

Moore

Burrows

Rosenkrantz³

et al. 2023

BackgroundHymenoptera envenomation occurs frequently in people and dogs and can trigger anaphylaxis. Venom immunotherapy (VIT) is the only preventive treatment for Hymenoptera hypersensitivity and is indicated for people with severe adverse reactions to insect stings. Rush VIT is an accelerated VIT protocol in people. This has not been reported in dogs.ObjectivesThe objective of the study was to evaluate the safety of modified rush VIT.AnimalsTwenty client‐owned dogs with Hymenoptera hypersensitivity based on a history of adverse reactions to Hymenoptera envenomation and a positive intradermal test to honey bee and/or paper wasp venom.Materials and MethodsDogs received incremental doses of venom via subcutaneous injection one day per week for three consecutive weeks until the maintenance dose was achieved. Vital signs were recorded every 30 min prior to venom administration. Adverse reactions were categorised as localised or grade I–IV systemic reactions.ResultsNineteen of 20 dogs (95%) completed rush VIT. One dog experienced a grade III systemic adverse reaction and was withdrawn from the study. No adverse reactions occurred in 10 of 20 dogs (50%). Localised and grade I–II systemic reactions occurred in nine of 20 dogs (45%), including nausea (n = 5), injection site pruritus (n = 3) and diarrhoea and lethargy (n = 1).Conclusions and Clinical RelevanceModified rush VIT in dogs was well‐tolerated and should be considered for dogs with Hymenoptera hypersensitivity. Larger studies are needed to evaluate the efficacy of VIT in dogs for preventing hypersensitivity reactions to insect stings.

“…The low readability of pet allergy information is especially concerning because chronic skin diseases require a high amount of at‐home management by the pet owner. In veterinary medicine, adherence can be an issue for various diseases including allergies 15 . Health literacy is positively associated with treatment adherence in human medicine 14 .…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Veterinary allergy information has lower health readability than human allergy information: a comparative analysis of allergy education materials for pets and people

Tater¹

2021

Self Cite

Background – Pet owners frequently consult online sources of veterinary health information. However, there are limited data on the readability of these resources and whether the readability is appropriate for pet owner education levels. Objectives – To evaluate the education level of the US pet‐owning population, and determine the readability of pet allergy information and compare the readability of online pet allergy information with online human allergy information. Conclusions – Allergy information on veterinary websites was less readable than allergy information on human health websites. Online veterinary information may be written at a reading level that is inappropriate for pet owners.