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Tag: immunotherapy

  • Immunotherapy in cats

    Immunotherapy in cats

    Although “off-licence”, immunotherapy is well worth considering in our pruritic feline friends.

    Feline head pruritus secondary to food allergy
    Feline head pruritus, a result of food allergy. Image by Caroldermoid. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons.

    Of course we need to rule out all other causes of pruritus first:

    • Ectoparasites: As well as all the usual suspects, don’t forget Demodex can occasionally cause ventral alopecia and pruritus (that’s the funny flat form, not the cigar shaped one).
    • Food allergies: Let’s face it, food allergy is tricky to pursue in cats – and if they have a partly outdoor lifestyle, hypoallergenic diets are of not of any use.

    Case study

    I recently saw a case that had typical excoriation lesions around the head and neck.

    The owner was able to keep the cat indoors on Purina HA Hypoallergenic for six weeks, and was happy to dose monthly with Stronghold. This, together with a good response to steroids, was highly suggestive of atopy.

    Serum IgE testing produced a range of high levels to pollens, house dust mite and moulds.

    Our friend has recently started on immunotherapy injections and is now starting to show signs of a good response. With the feline response to immunotherapy reported to be higher than that in dogs, this may be something well worth considering in cats.

  • Don’t forget allergen-specific immunotherapy in cats

    Tree pollen
    Not a flea or food allergy… what else could it be?

    Allergen-specific immunotherapy (ASIT) can be a useful tool in cats.

    I see a number of cats that, following parasite elimination and control – plus no response to dietary trial – remain pruritic. We use serological testing via our commercial laboratory and then order in the ASIT vial(s) according to the results.

    Although the efficacy of ASIT is by no means guaranteed, I find it generally works well in cats. In fact, I find the majority are controlled well, although it has to be said we see fewer cases than in dogs.

  • Immunotherapy in atopic dogs is a valuable tool

    Canine atopy
    “Canine Atopy” with dermatitis around the eye, caused by rubbing. Via Wikipedia Commons.

    My colleagues and I use immunotherapy on a fair number of dogs to treat atopic dermatitis. Research tells us it can be a valuable tool in some dogs, but at the same time up to a third of dogs respond poorly.

    We are lucky in our practice as anecdotally we find the majority of dogs do well, and we only get 10% to 15% that do not respond. This may be because:

    • We are really hot on parasite control in our practice – we have a large urban fox population and see cases of angiostrongylosis – so we advise Advocate on a regular, monthly basis. So it is unusual for us to see atopic dogs that flare due to concurrent parasite infestation.
    • We strongly advise owners to do and/or preserve with food trials – and some, okay, just one or two, do respond and relapse on challenge.
    • We also try to make sure we keep the perpetuating factors, for example, pyoderma and Malassezia dermatitis, to a minimum with medicated wipes and shampoos.
    • The older the dog when it starts immunotherapy the less likely it is to respond and we advise our owners accordingly.

    Good luck with those frustrating allergy cases – hopefully there are some tips here to help. And cats also do well on immunotherapy.