Abstract
Veterinarians and pet owners have limited ability to assess pruritic behaviors in dogs. This pilot study assessed the capacity of the Vetrax® triaxial accelerometer to measure these behaviors in six dogs with pruritus likely due to environmental allergens. Dogs wore the activity monitor for two weeks while consuming their usual pet food (baseline), then for eight weeks while consuming a veterinary-exclusive pet food for dogs with suspected non-food-related skin conditions (Hill’s Prescription Diet® Derm DefenseTM Canine dry food). Veterinarians and owners completed questionnaires during baseline, phase 1 (days 1–28) and phase 2 (days 29–56) without knowledge of the activity data. Continuous 3-axis accelerometer data was processed using proprietary behavior recognition algorithms and analyzed using general linear mixed models with false discovery rate-adjusted p values. Veterinarian-assessed overall clinical signs of pruritus were significantly predicted by scratching (β 0.176, p = 0.008), head shaking (β 0.197, p < 0.001) and sleep quality (β −0.154, p < 0.001), while owner-assessed quality of life was significantly predicted by scratching (β −0.103, p = 0.013) and head shaking (β −0.146, p < 0.001). Among dogs exhibiting pruritus signs eating the veterinary-exclusive food, the Vetrax® sensor provided an objective assessment of clinically relevant pruritic behaviors that agreed with owner and veterinarian reports.
Highlights
Canine atopic dermatitis (AD) is a condition commonly seen in veterinary practices [1,2,3], and is defined as “a genetically predisposed inflammatory and pruritic allergic skin disease with characteristic clinical features associated with IgE antibodies most commonly directed against environmental allergens” [4]
We provide interim data from an ongoing clinical trial assessing the capacity of the Vetrax® activity monitor to quantify the frequency and duration of pruritus-related behaviors in dogs with pruritus likely due to environmental allergens, to monitor changes in these behaviors in response to a nutrition intervention and to compare them with veterinary and pet owner evaluations
Day –14, as it occurred 2 weeks prior to the Day 0 visit), pet owners provided written consent for their dog to participate in the study, investigators evaluated each dog for study eligibility and an activity monitor was dispensed
Summary
Canine atopic dermatitis (AD) is a condition commonly seen in veterinary practices [1,2,3], and is defined as “a genetically predisposed inflammatory and pruritic allergic skin disease with characteristic clinical features associated with IgE antibodies most commonly directed against environmental allergens” [4]. Diagnosis is based on clinical examination by a veterinarian; characteristic features are the presence of pruritus along with skin lesions around the mouth, ears and eyes and on the paws, abdomen and perineum [5,6]. Assessments of AD severity and decisions about management have traditionally been based on signs observed by veterinarians or reported by pet owners, pruritic signs [8]. This requires either close monitoring of the patient or examination of skin abrasions caused by scratching. Behaviors of healthy and pruritic dogs have been distinguished using activity monitors [9]
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