Efficacy of Half Dose House Dust Mites-Specific Immunotherapy on Canine Atopic Dermatitis

Efficacy of Half Dose House Dust Mites-Specific Immunotherapy on Canine Atopic Dermatitis

The aim of this study was to prove that the hypothesis of half dose (HD) allergen-specific immunotherapy (ASIT) in the treatment of canine atopic dermatitis (CAD) would result in a similar success rate compared to the standard dose (SD) ASIT. Clinical signs were evaluated using a third version of the Canine Atopic Dermatitis Extent and Severity Index (CADESI-03) prior to ASIT (day 0), at the end of induction (day 43), and at three month afterwards (day 90). Of the 18 atopic dogs, 12 dogs (SD group: 6; HD group: 6) had a good - excellent response to the house dust mites-specific immunotherapy. The efficacies of ASIT were 66.6% in both groups. The grades of reduction rate CADESI-03 were not different between two groups. Therefore, half dose protocol of house dust mites-specific immunotherapy is an effective and efficient method to treat CAD.