Abstract
BackgroundTreatment of symmetrical onychomadesis (symmetrical lupoid onychodystrophy) is a challenging task for dermatologists. The acute phase is characterized by sloughing of claw plates and loose claws have to be removed and secondary infections treated. The goal of long-term treatment is to allow claws to re-grow with normal quality and to achieve life-long lack of recurrence. The aim of this randomized treatment trial was to see if adding fish oil or cyclosporine to a diet rich in omega-3 could improve the treatment outcome of symmetrical onychomadesis in Gordon and English setters. All dogs were fed Eukanuba Veterinary Diets Dermatosis® exclusively during the six month treatment trial. The treatment outcome was measured as the change in number of healthy claws during treatment, as well as the long-term effect on hunting ability and recurrence of onychomadesis. The hypothesis was that cyclosporine provides a stronger and different immune modulating property than fish oil and therefore would give a better treatment outcome in dogs with symmetrical onychomadesis eating a diet rich in omega-3 fatty acids.ResultsSix Gordon setters and one English setter were treated with 5 mg/kg cyclosporine once daily for six months and seven Gordon setters were treated with 10 ml Dr Baddaky fish oil® once daily for six months. All dogs were evaluated every month and the numbers of healthy claws were recorded.There was a statistically significant improvement in the number of healthy claws after six months of treatment with a median increase of 13.5 claws for both groups. However, there was no statistically significant difference between the two treatment groups regarding the improvement in number of healthy claws, as assessed using the Wilcoxon rank-sum test (P = 0.15). Dogs in the cyclosporine group had a median increase of 10 healthy claws after six months of treatment while the median for the fish oil group was 14. Long-term cure was not achieved with either treatment.ConclusionCyclosporine and fish oil appeared to be equally effective in treating symmetrical onychomadesis when the dog is fed a diet high in omega-3.
Highlights
Treatment of symmetrical onychomadesis is a challenging task for dermatologists
Twelve Gordon and one English setter diagnosed with symmetrical onychomadesis were included in the treatment trial
This dog had normal claws for six months after finishing treatment with cyclosporine, before it relapsed with symmetrical onychomadesis on all claws
Summary
Treatment of symmetrical onychomadesis (symmetrical lupoid onychodystrophy) is a challenging task for dermatologists. The goal of long-term treatment is to allow claws to re-grow with normal quality and to achieve life-long lack of recurrence The aim of this randomized treatment trial was to see if adding fish oil or cyclosporine to a diet rich in omega-3 could improve the treatment outcome of symmetrical onychomadesis in Gordon and English setters. The hypothesis was that cyclosporine provides a stronger and different immune modulating property than fish oil and would give a better treatment outcome in dogs with symmetrical onychomadesis eating a diet rich in omega-3 fatty acids Dogs often damage their claws during hunting, but with symmetrical onychomadesis all claws slough off within three months and when the claws grow back, they are brittle and misshapen (onychodystrophy). The disease is thought to be quite rare in most breeds, but Ziener et al [1] described a high prevalence among Gordon and English setters in Norway
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