You have a lot on your plate. We will direct your attention to some of the most important findings in Veterinary Dermatology.

Vet Derm Clinical Update: Postgrooming furunculosis and subsequent sepsis
A 3-year old spayed female Great Dane presented for a 24-hour history of lethargy and anorexia. The patient was diagnosed with a urinary tract infection based on urinalysis, CBC and chemistry profile.

The dog's condition progressed and it was subsequently transferred to a specialty hospital. On presentation, there was severe crusting and furuncles with numerous neutrophils and extracellular clumps of coccoid bacteria. No lesions were present on mucous membranes, pinnae or foot pads. A diagnosis of postgrooming furunculosis was made after it was noted that the owners had bathed the dog two days prior to initial onset of symptoms. Unfortunately, the dog developed DIC and sepsis leading to euthanasia due to multi-organ failure despite aggressive antibiotic and supportive care.

Prior cases of reported postgrooming furunculosis had an excellent response to antibiotics. This is the first reported case of postgrooming furunculosis that developed sepsis.


Pipe-Martin HN, et al. Sepsis and multi-organ dysfunction with postgrooming furunculosis n a dog. Veterinary Dermatology. Early View Online, MAR 28 (2016). 
RESPIT takes advantage of allergen cross-reactivity
 
 
There are thousands of plant species that are potentially allergenic -- far too many to include in an allergy test or include in a standardized mixture like RESPIT. However, these plants generally fall into about 30 important allergen groups.

Within these groups, there is a great deal of cross-reactivity.  By selecting representatives from the predominant allergen groups in a geographic region, RESPIT provides broad coverage.

Some examples of allergen cross-reactivity:
  • Strong cross-reactivity between the Festucoidea subfamily (e.g. meadow fescue, timothy, rye, Kentucky blue, orchard, and red top grasses)
  • Cross-reactivity between juniper, cedar, and cypress in the Cupressaceae family
  • Cross-reactivity between Betulaceae (birch, alder, and hazel) and Fagaceae (beech, oak, and chestnut) families
  • Cross-reactivity between most species of Ambrosia (short, giant, false, and Western ragweed)
Some of the more interesting examples of cross-reactivity are between pollens and foods in humans due to shared allergens. Oral allergy syndrome examples:
  • Ragweed allergy is associated with a sensitivity to melons, banana, and cucumber.
  • Birch allergy is associated with a sensitivity to apples, kiwi, and celery.
Might there be similar examples in dogs or cats? If so, they would be hard to detect if the sign of oral sensitivity is mouth itchiness, as is often the case in humans.

RESPIT presentation at WCVD Bordeaux

In June, Jon Plant, DVM, DACVD will be presenting "Effectiveness of regionally-specific immunotherapy (RESPIT) for the management of atopic dermatitis in 103 dogs."

RESPIT's effectiveness for the management of canine atopic dermatitis was found to be similar to that reported for allergy test-based immunotherapy in similar retrospective studies. Few adverse reactions were reported by pet owners. 

RESPIT | 800-971-6610 | [email protected]| www.vetrespit.com