Multiple-center study of reduced-concentration triamcinolone topical solution for the treatment of dogs with known or suspected allergic pruritus

Abstract

Objective—To determine the efficacy of triamcinolone acetonide topical solution (TTS) in dogs for use in reduction of clinical signs of pruritic inflammatory skin diseases of a known or suspected allergic basis and to evaluate adverse effects associated with TTS administration. Animals—103 pruritic adult dogs with known or suspected allergic skin disease. Procedure—Dogs were treated for 4 weeks with TTS or with vehicle solution (control dogs) in a multiplecenter study. Clinical signs were scored by owners and by examining veterinarians before and after treatment. Blood samples obtained before and after treatment were subjected to routine hematologic and serum biochemical analyses. Results—Treatment success, as defined by an improvement of at least 2 of 6 grades in overall clinical score, was evident in 35 of 52 (67%) TTStreated dogs (mean improvement, 1.98) and 12 of 51 (24%) control dogs (mean improvement, 0.29). For several criteria, TTS was significantly more effective than vehicle in reducing clinical signs. Minor alterations in hematologic determinations in TTS-treated dogs were limited to slightly lower total leukocyte, lymphocyte, and eosinophil counts after treatment. Minor adverse effects were reported by owners in 6 of 52 (12%) TTS-treated and 9 of 51 (18%) control dogs. Conclusions and Clinical Relevance—Triamcinolone used as a spray solution at a concentration approximately one-sixth the concentration of triamcinolone topical preparations currently available for veterinary use is effective for short-term alleviation of allergic pruritus in dogs. Adverse effects are few and mild and, thus, do not preclude prolonged treatment with the solution. (Am J Vet Res 2002;63:408–413)

Evidence‐based veterinary dermatology: a systematic review of the pharmacotherapy of canine atopic dermatitis

“…Seventeen studies, including twelve blinded RCTs, evaluated the efficacy of various interventions compared with their appropriate placebo 16,18–33 . Together, these trials had enrolled 517 dogs, 346 of them diagnosed with AD.…”

“…Modifications of this score have been used in some recent studies 16,33,35,36,49 and limited information of validation of this score has been provided 35 . Since the late 1990s, outcome measures of clinical trials generally have included changes in owner (and/or investigator)‐assessed pruritus scores and investigator (and/or owner)‐graded skin lesion scores 16,25–27,29,30,32–36,39,49 . Global evaluations of treatment efficacy by owners and investigators sometimes were added 16,27,29,36,39,49 .…”

An update on the treatment of canine atopic dermatitis

“…10 A low percentage of triamcinolone applied topically is another option to effectively and rapidly control pruritus in atopic dogs. 11 This treatment modality is safe and well tolerated in most cases.…”

Efficacy of a new topical cyclosporine A formulation in the treatment of atopic dermatitis in dogs

“…The pathogenesis of AD has not been fully elucidated and the treatment options available are limited. Although allergen-specific immunotherapy remains the treatment of first choice in some cases because it is the safest way to modulate the immune response (Olivry et al, 2010a), alternative treatments with immunosuppressive agents are also available and offer advantages, such as easy dosing protocols and faster response rates (Nuttall et al, 2009(Nuttall et al, , 2012Deboer et al, 2002). For this reason, immunosuppressant drugs such as glucocorticoids or calcineurin inhibitors are also now considered well-established treatments for AD.…”