Correlations of fatty acid supplementation, aeroallergens, shampoo, and ear cleanser with multiple parameters in pruritic dogs.

Seventy-two pruritic dogs were fed one of four diets controlled for n-6:n-3 fatty acid ratios and total dietary intake of fatty acids. Multiple parameters were evaluated, including clinical and cytological findings, aeroallergen testing, microbial sampling techniques, and effects of an anti-fungal/antibacterial shampoo and ear cleanser. Significant correlations were observed between many clinical parameters, anatomical sampling sites, and microbial counts when data from the diet groups was combined. There were no statistically significant differences between individual diets for any of the clinical parameters. The importance of total clinical management in the control of pruritus was demonstrated.

Effect of n-3 fatty acid ratio and dose on clinical manifestations, plasma fatty acids and inflammatory mediators in dogs with pruritus.

The use of n-3 fatty acids is often recommended to manage pruritus. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of various doses of n-3 fatty acids at different n-6:n-3 ratios on plasma fatty acids, clinical response and inflammatory mediators in pruritic dogs. After baseline assessment, dogs were randomly assigned to receive diets varying in both total n-3 and n-6 fatty acid dose and n-6:n-3 ratio. The total clinical score decreased significantly in all four diet groups after 8 weeks with no difference between groups. Plasma fatty acid changes generally mirrored the fatty acid content of the test diets, although alterations appeared to depend on both the dose of n-3 fatty acids and the n-6:n-3 ratio. In this clinical trial, which controlled dietary intake of fatty acids, n-3 fatty acid supplementation did not appear to have an added benefit on clinical signs over thorough clinical management.