Abstract
Background: Acute otitis externa is a common multi-factorial disorder in the dog. Several topical preparations are available on the veterinary market, which are licensed for an either specified duration of treatment or for a discretionary period that is determined by the clinician. Objectives: To compare the efficacy of two topical products, both licensed for the treatment of otitis externa in the dog, but with different treatment durations. Animal Population: One hundred and sixty dogs were enrolled in this multicentre field study from which 157 dogs were analysed in the Per Protocol sample (73 Aurizon?treated animals and 84 Easotic?treated animals). Method: Dogs were randomly assigned to Aurizon?or Easotic?treatment groups. Aurizon?(Vétoquinol SA: marbofloxacin, clotrimazole, dexamethasone) was administered daily in the affected ear(s) for 7 or 14 days, and was compared with a daily administration of Easotic?(Virbac SAS: gentamicin, miconazole, hydrocortisone aceponate) for 5 days. General and localised clinical signs were scored on days 0 (D0), 3 (D3), 7 (D7), 14 (D14) and 21 (D21). Results: Clinical cure rates at the end of treatment were 56.3% and 48.8% (p=0.35) in the Aurizon?and Easotic?groups respectively and 81.2% versus 74.7% one week after completing the course of treatment (p = 0.34). Twenty-one days after initially presenting for the study, cure rates were 84.3% in the Aurizon?group and 73.8% in the Easotic?(p=0.12). A relationship between severity of clinical signs and treatment duration was observed. Conclusion and Clinical Significance: At the end of the trial period, cure rates showed a tendency to be higher in the Aurizon?treated animals. The flexible dosage and the veterinary monitoring permitted treatment duration to be adjusted based upon the severity of otitis externa thus increasing the likelihood of clinical cure.
Highlights
Acute otitis externa is a common pathology seen on a daily basis in small animal practice (8.7%, Masuda et al [1]) and is characterized by acute inflammation of the epithelium of the external auditory canal, often associated with an increase in cerumen production
The distribution of dogs across treatment groups at inclusion was comparable based upon demographics (Table 3) and clinical signs (Table 4), patients within the Aurizon® treatment group tended to present with a higher General Clinical Score (GCS) at the time of enrolment
Otitis externa was characterised as suppurative in 63 ears (29 within the Aurizon® group, 34 in the Easotic® group) and erythemato-ceruminous in 154 ears (74 ears in the Aurizon® group, 80 in the Easotic® group)
Summary
Acute otitis externa is a common pathology seen on a daily basis in small animal practice (8.7%, Masuda et al [1]) and is characterized by acute inflammation of the epithelium of the external auditory canal, often associated with an increase in cerumen production. Malassezia pachydermatis, Staphylococcus pseudintermedius and Pseudomonas aeruginosa are common microbiological isolates and play a role in perpetuating otitis externa [1,7,8,9,10]. Treatment of this condition consists of identifying and addressing both primary and predisposing factors; cleaning the ear canal; addressing secondary infection with topical therapy (with adjunctive systemic therapy where necessary); client education; follow up; preventive and maintenance therapy (where required) [3,11,12]. The flexible dosage and the veterinary monitoring permitted treatment duration to be adjusted based upon the severity of otitis externa increasing the likelihood of clinical cure
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