Veterinary Dermatology 2005, 16, 81 86

Long-term use of cyclosporine in the treatment of canine atopic

dermatitis

Blackwell Publishing, Ltd.

STACEY N. RADOWICZ and HELEN T. POWER

Dermatology for Animals, 106 E. Campbell Ave., Campbell, CA 95008, USA
(Received 7 January 2004; accepted 4 June 2004)

Abstract This retrospective study of 51 dogs with atopic dermatitis (AD) treated with cyclosporine (CsA) for
a minimum of 6 months assessed the frequency of dosing and the need for continual treatment to control clinical
signs. The study evaluated both medical records and information supplied by the owners in the form of written
questionnaires and telephone follow-up. Laboratory parameters, possible adverse effects and owner satisfaction
were assessed. The dose of CsA was 5 mg / kg orally per day and dogs received CsA for 630 months. At the conclusion of the study period, 28 dogs (55%) needed ongoing CsA to control clinical signs of AD: 8 (15%) received
CsA 23 days per week, 10 (20%) 4 5 days per week, and 10 (20%) daily. CsA was discontinued in 23 dogs (45%)
after 6 24 months due to either a limited response (22%) or after achieving a clinical response (24%). The results
suggest that some dogs with AD treated with CsA may not require daily or even ongoing treatment to control
clinical signs. Laboratory abnormalities were detected in 13 dogs (25%) during their CsA treatment. Two
dogs developed oral growths and three developed hirsuitism. Forty owners (78%) reported no adverse events in
their dogs during the treatment period. Thirty-six owners (71%) were satisfied with CsA as treatment for their
atopic dog.

IN TRO D U CT ION
Canine atopic dermatitis (AD) is a genetically predisposed inflammatory and pruritic allergic skin disease
with characteristic clinical features, and is associated
with immunoglobulin (Ig)E antibodies to environmental allergens.1 The exact incidence of canine AD is not
known, but has been reported to range from 3 to 15%.2
There are many treatment strategies to manage the
chronic pruritus and dermatitis associated with canine
AD: glucocorticoids, allergen-specific immunotherapy,
antihistamines, essential fatty acid therapy, and treatment
of secondary bacterial and/or Malassezia pachydermatis
infections with antimicrobials.4 Glucocorticoids remain
the standard with which other protocols are compared.5
Allergen-specific immunotherapy is an effective alternative management protocol.6 A recent evidence-based
systematic review reported poor efficacy of firstgeneration antihistamines or combinations of antihistamines for the treatment of canine AD.7 The management
of secondary staphylococcal and Malassezia infections
is also recognized as an important component of therapy for canine AD.8 Owing to the variable efficacy and
side effects of these established therapies there is
ongoing research to identify new therapies for canine
AD. Recent studies of CsA as a monotherapy for
canine AD demonstrate high efficacy and minimal
adverse effects.7,912

Correspondence: Stacey N. Radowicz, Mt. Diablo Veterinary

Dermatology, 3344 B Mt. Diablo Blvd., Lafayette, CA 94549, USA.
Tel. & Fax:; E-mail: sradowicz@hotmail.com
2005 European Society of Veterinary Dermatology

Cyclosporine (CsA), a polypeptide macrolide,

modulates the cell-mediated immune response by blocking the transcription of cytokine genes in activated
T lymphocytes.13 In the last two decades, the use of
CsA in the prevention of organ rejection in human
transplant medicine has been well established.14 The
potential efficacy of CsA for the treatment of canine
AD was first demonstrated by Fontaine & Olivry in a
study of 14 dogs treated with 5 mg/kg per day for
14 days.9 Subsequent randomized blinded multicentre
studies have established that 5 mg/kg per day is an
effective induction dose of CsA to control the clinical
signs of canine AD.1012 In addition, it has been shown
that the daily dosage or dosage interval of CsA can be
decreased after clinical response is achieved and control of clinical signs of canine AD maintained in some
dogs.12,15 The treatment duration in these studies was
14 days to 4 months.
There is limited published data on longer term CsA
treatment in dogs with AD and whether ongoing CsA
treatment is needed to control clinical signs of canine
AD. In some humans with AD treated with CsA, the
drug can be discontinued and clinical remission maintained.16 This retrospective study was based upon the
evaluation of medical records and information supplied by owners utilizing a written questionnaire and
telephone follow-up. Dogs with AD were treated with
CsA for a minimum of 6 months with a minimum additional 3-month follow-up. Specific factors evaluated
were the dosing frequency and need for continual CsA
treatment to control clinical signs of AD, results of
routine clinical pathology evaluation, clinical adverse
events, and owner satisfaction.
81

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SN Radowicz et al.

MATERIALS AND ME T HODS

Inclusion criteria
This was a retrospective study evaluating medical
records and owner questionnaire surveys of dogs treated
with CsA for canine AD from a private dermatology
referral practice in northern California, USA. Inclusion criteria included: a diagnosis of AD as defined by
Willemses criteria17 and exclusion of other causes of
chronic pruritic skin disease through dietary trials,
ectoparasite control, and antimicrobial therapy for
bacterial pyoderma and Malassezia dermatitis. In
addition, all dogs had either intradermal testing or
allergen-specific IgE serology performed prior to starting CsA treatment. All dogs included in this study had
non-seasonal pruritus with a mean duration 2.3 years
of pruritus prior to CsA treatment. For inclusion in
this study, all dogs had to have received CsA for a minimum of 6 months and have an additional 3 months of
follow-up. Records from 90 dogs that had been treated
with CsA in this practice between May 2000 and October 2002 were evaluated and adequate information for
inclusion was available for 51 dogs. The owners of these
51 dogs were asked by mail, or if necessary (if questionnaire not returned by mail) by telephone, to complete
a multiple choice and short-answer format questionnaire about CsA therapy and their dog. Forty-nine of
the 51 dogs were still under active care at this practice.
For 25 dogs, the initial 4 months of treatment were part
of an FDA-approved manufacturer-sponsored study
(Novartis Animal Health, Greensboro, NC, USA) and
dosage adjustment was determined by the study protocol.
For the other 26 dogs CsA was initiated after traditional
methods of managing canine AD had proved ineffective
(immunotherapy, elimination of secondary infections).
Twenty-seven of the 51 dogs in this study had utilized
immunotherapy with inadequate benefit prior to CsA
treatment. All dogs treated with CsA in this study
received 2130 days of antimicrobial (antibiotic and/
or azole antifungal) within the 13 months prior to
initiation of CsA treatment. Withdrawal times from
corticosteroid-containing oral or topical medications of
2 weeks, essential fatty acids of 1 week, and injectable
or repository corticosteroids of 8 weeks were followed.
No withdrawal time was established for antihistamines
but these were not utilized during the course of CsA
treatment. Topical flea control products such as imidacloprid (Advantage), selamectin (Revolution), or
fipronil (Frontline) were not withdrawn from study
subjects during CsA treatment.

Study population
Of the 51 dogs evaluated, 30 breeds were represented.
The golden retriever (7) and Labrador retriever (8)
comprised 29% of patients, identical to the percentage of Labrador and golden retrievers (29%) in the
patient population of the practice. There were 21
neutered males and 30 females (28 spayed) in this study.
Age at onset of CsA treatment ranged from 1.5 to
10 years.

Treatment protocol
The target dose for the Cyclosporine Neoral capsules
or the Neoral micro-emulsified solution 100 mg/mL
(Novartis) was 5 mg/kg per day. Clients were instructed
not to give CsA within 2 h of a meal. Of the 51 study dogs,
25 were initially part of a manufacturer-sponsored
study and the other 26 were independent of any manufacturer study. The dose of CsA was the same for all
dogs but the initial 4 months of therapy differed in protocol as detailed below.
Twenty-five of the study dogs began CsA therapy as
part of a manufacturer-sponsored study but continued
treatment beyond the conclusion of the sponsored study.
Dogs in the manufacturer-sponsored study (25) were
initially evaluated by one of the authors (HP) four times
at 4-week intervals and during this period the frequency
of CsA administration was determined by changes in
Canine Atopic Dermatitis Extent and Severity Score
(CADESI).12 The trial protocol was as follows: after
4 weeks of daily CsA treatment, dogs assessed by owners
as having decreased pruritus and having improvement
in their CADESI score by 50% or greater had their
dose frequency lowered from daily to every other day
(eod). If the dogs were not maintained with this new
dosing frequency, the dose frequency was increased
back to daily CsA at the next visit (4 weeks later). If the
decrease in pruritus was maintained with the eod
dosing regimen, and there was a greater than 75%
improvement in the initial CADESI score, the CsA
frequency was reduced to twice weekly. If this new regimen failed, the dose frequency was increased/returned
to the previous dosing schedule of eod. After completion of the trial, CsA was made available at no cost for
an additional 6 months. Further reductions in dosage
frequency were made based on evaluation by one of
the authors (HP) at 3 months post study and every
6 months thereafter, in conjunction with the owners
perception of control of signs of AD (specifically, lack
of pruritus). Reductions in dosage frequency were at
least 4 weeks apart and 1 day per week at a time.
The other 26 dogs were treated with CsA independent
of any sponsorship. The dogs were evaluated at day 30
or 60 after initiation of CsA treatment by HP or SR and
every 6 months thereafter. After each re-examination,
the frequency of CsA treatment was decreased by 1 day
per week if there was veterinarian and owner perception of beneficial response. This was defined as resolution of pruritus and erythema. Dosage was not changed
more frequently than once every 4 weeks. The frequency
of treatment was decreased until the minimum dose
frequency was achieved. If pruritus and/or erythema
recurred, the previous higher effective dosing frequency
was re-instituted. The dose of CsA remained 5 mg/kg
for all dogs for the duration of the study.

Laboratory evaluation
All dogs had routine laboratory evaluation (complete
blood count, serum chemistry profile, urinalysis, and
urine culture, if indicated based upon urinalysis) at the
start of and during treatment. For the 25 dogs in the

2005 European Society of Veterinary Dermatology, Veterinary Dermatology, 16, 81 86

Long-term cyclosporine in canine atopic dermatitis

manufacturer-sponsored study, laboratory evaluations
were every 30 days for the 4 months of treatment and
then at a minimum of every 6 months while receiving
CsA. In the other 26 dogs, laboratory evaluation was
repeated between day 30 and 60 of treatment and a
minimum of every 6 months thereafter. Urine cultures
were performed on all dogs with proteinuria or when
bacteria were seen in urine. If urinary tract infections
were confirmed by urine culture, antibiotic treatment
based upon the culture and susceptibility results was
initiated. Infections with Staphylococcus intermedius
and Escherichia coli were treated with 27 and 20 mg/kg
of oral cephalexin twice daily for 30 days, respectively,
and beta-haemolytic Streptococcus was treated with
5 mg/kg of oral enrofloxacin once daily for 20 days.
One dog was treated for a Pseudomonas aeruginosa
infection with 5 mg/kg of oral enrofloxacin once daily
for 20 days. Later, this dog had an E. coli infection and
was treated with 5 mg/kg of oral ciprofloxacin twice
daily. Urine cultures were repeated after antibiotic
therapy to confirm resolution of these infections.

Owner surveys
Owners were surveyed by written multiple choice/
short-answer format questionnaires. If the written
surveys were not returned, owners were surveyed by
telephone conversation. The purpose of the survey was to
evaluate the owners perception and acceptance of CsA
treatment including adverse events and satisfaction.
Pertinent survey questions were:
If you are no longer using cyclosporine to manage
your dogs allergies, why not? (Answers to select
included: my dog did not respond, my dog did
respond and eventually discontinued treatment.)
Did your dog have any problems when receiving
cyclosporine therapy? (short answer)
Would you use cyclosporine again? (Rated on a scale of
15 with 1 being absolutely not and 5 being definitely).
All survey replies were compared with information in
the dogs medical record.

RESU LTS
The 25 dogs in the manufacturer-sponsored study had
a 30-month study period. At this stage, 28 dogs (55%)

83

were still receiving CsA: 8 dogs (15%) at 23 days per

week, 10 (20%) 45 days per week, and 10 (20%) daily
(Table 1). In these dogs, clinical signs of canine AD
were well controlled (i.e. minimal or tolerable level of
pruritus) but if dosage frequencies were further reduced,
pruritus (or an unacceptable increase in its severity)
would reoccur. In 23 of the 51 dogs (45%), CsA was
discontinued after 624 months of treatment. In 12 of
these dogs (24% of the total 51), CsA was discontinued
after achieving remission of clinical signs of AD based
upon owner observation of no unacceptable pruritus
and absence of dermatological findings on examination
by the veterinarian (HP or SR). These dogs remained
without clinical signs of AD for 322 (mean 12) months
following discontinuation of CsA treatment. Nine did
not require any subsequent medication for signs of
canine AD. Three dogs developed secondary skin disease
associated with bacterial and Malassezia colonization
and were treated with antibiotics and azole antifungal
medication. In 11 dogs (22%), CsA was discontinued,
due to inadequate benefit (defined by owners report of
continual pruritus) in six dogs, and on grounds of cost
or adverse effects in five dogs.

Laboratory evaluation
One hundred and twenty-four complete blood cell
counts/serum chemistry profiles, 114 urinalysis, and
12 urine cultures were performed for the dogs during
the course of the study. The discrepancy between the
number of urinalyses and complete blood counts/serum
chemistry profiles was due to the inability to obtain a
urine sample in some instances.
Thirteen of the 51 dogs (25%) had one or more
abnormal finding(s) noted at some time during the
study, nine in their serum chemistry profile (Table 2)
and four in their urinalysis. However, there were no
consistent abnormalities or patterns of change in these.
Six dogs had liver enzyme abnormalities noted for
the first time during CsA therapy (Table 2). Adrenaldependent hyperadrenocorticism (Dog 4) and vacuolar
hepatopathy with splenic haemangiosarcoma (Dog 3)
were diagnosed in addition to AD. No underlying
disease was detected in the other four dogs.
Hypercholesterolaemia was diagnosed in four dogs.
Dogs 7 and 8 had normal serum liver enzyme values
and Dogs 3 and 5 had concurrent elevations of liver
enzymes. Dog 10 was repeatedly hyperglycaemic
during treatment with CsA. This dog also developed
a urinary tract infection. Hypoalbuminaemia was
detected in two dogs with elevated liver enzymes and

Table 1. Dogs continuing or discontinuing CsA treatment

CsA treatment

No of dogs

Percentage

Continuing treatment

28

55

Discontinuing treatment

23

45

Frequency of dose or reason

for discontinuing treatment

No of dogs

Percentage

Daily
4 5 days weekly
23 days weekly
Remission
Inadequate response
Cost/Adverse effects

10
10
8
12
6
5

20
20
15
24
12
10

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SN Radowicz et al.

Table 2. Serum chemistry abnormalities in nine dogs

Dog

Serum chemistry abnormalities

Mean elevation in value

1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9

AP
AP
AP, ALT, AST, GGT, CHOL
AP
AP, ALT, GGT, CHOL
ALT, AST, ALB
CHOL, ALB
CHOL
GLU

1491 IU / L
940 IU / L
1250, 545, 75, 35 IU/L, 523 mg /dL
447 IU / L
427, 90, 20 IU/L, 373 mg /dL
155, 92 IU/L (ALT, AST)
488 mg /dL (CHOL)
554 mg /dL
147 mg /dL

Mean decrease in value

2.2 g /dL (ALB)

2.2 g /dL (ALB)

AP, alkaline phosphatase; ALT, alanine transferase; AST, aspartate transferase; GGT, gamma glutamyl transpeptidase; CHOL, cholesterol;
ALB, albumin; GLU, glucose.

hypercholesterolaemia, respectively. None of these

laboratory abnormalities was associated with any clinical signs.
Transient glucosuria was detected in Dog 9. Bacteriuria was confirmed by culture in four dogs (8%) from
114 urinalysis evaluations. Organisms cultured were
S. intermedius (one dog), beta haemolytic Streptococcus
(one dog), E. coli (one dog) and P. aeruginosa followed
by E. coli in one dog. There were no clinical signs of
urinary tract disease such as pollakiuria or stranguria
in these dogs.

Adverse clinical events

Forty owners (78%) reported no adverse effects with
CsA treatment. Owners of 11 dogs (22%) reported one
or more adverse events. These were vomiting in four dogs
(transient in one dog), diarrhoea in five dogs (transient
in one dog), and inappetance/lethargy in four dogs. In
addition, one dog had three oral squamous papillomas
(confirmed by excisional biopsy) that developed at
30 days of treatment. Gingival hyperplasia developed
in another dog at 15 months of treatment; this partially
resolved following discontinuation of CsA. Generalized
hirsuitism was noted by owners and HP in three other
dogs: a Labrador retriever, Keeshond, and Irish setter.

Owner satisfaction
One of the questions in the questionnaire asked if owners
would consider using CsA again for the treatment
of their dogs skin disease. Thirty-six owners (71%)
responded in the affirmative (score of 45), nine owners
(17%) responded maybe (score of 3), and six owners
(12%) responded negatively (score of 12). Based upon
the responses to this question, the majority of owners
(71%) were satisfied with CsA treatment for their dog.
The six owners (12%) who had responded negatively
also reported no apparent benefit in control of their
dogs pruritus with CsA and discontinued for this reason. Five owners (10%) found the cost prohibitive and
therefore discontinued therapy.

D ISCU SSIO N
Previous studies of the use of CsA as a therapy for
canine AD have evaluated 14 day to 4 month treatment

protocols.912 In this study, 28 of the 51 dogs (55%)

required ongoing CsA after 630 months of treatment.
Of those requiring ongoing CsA, 36% required daily
treatment, 36% required treatment 4 or 5 days per week,
and 28% required treatment 2 or 3 days per week. These
results are similar to those reported by Steffan et al.
after 4 months of treatment in which 50% of the dogs
were treated every other day, 25% of the dogs received
CsA twice weekly and 25% of the dogs required daily
CsA.12 All dogs in this study had non-seasonal canine
AD, but longer evaluation of seasonal effects may still
be needed.
In this study, 12 dogs (24%) had a clinical response
that allowed serial dosage and frequency decreases,
and total cessation of treatment. These dogs were without clinical signs of AD for a mean of 12 months at the
conclusion of the study period. This is the first study to
document that some dogs do not require ongoing CsA
treatment to control clinical signs of AD. These findings are similar to those documented in humans with
AD treated with CsA. Sepp & Fritsch reported that
three atopic adults receiving 0.50.7 mg/kg of CsA for
22, 29 and 44 months were symptom free for a followup period of 13, 22 and 34 months after discontinuing
CsA.16
This study demonstrated a lack of consistent changes
in routine laboratory parameters for the majority of
dogs, similar to that seen in shorter studies. Thirteen
dogs had serum chemistry abnormalities during their
treatment with CsA but no clinical signs were associated
with these abnormalities. The absence of consistent
serum chemistry abnormalities supports the conclusions of other studies that the use of CsA in the
management of canine AD has an acceptable margin of
safety.
Four of the 51 study dogs (< 8%) had urinary tract
infections as evidenced by bacteriuria and confirmed
by urine culture. It is not clear if this is related to CsA
therapy or incidental as bacterial urinary tract infections have previously been estimated to affect up to
14% of all dogs at some time during their life.18 The
incidence of urinary tract infections in the study dogs
treated with CsA is less than the 39% incidence previously reported for dogs treated with corticosteroids for
chronic skin diseases.19 There is some evidence that
dogs with AD may have a higher incidence of bacterial

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Long-term cyclosporine in canine atopic dermatitis

urinary tract infections. Approximately 46% of 196 dogs
enrolled in the USA and Canada for the manufacturersponsored study of the efficacy of CsA for canine AD, had
proteinuria and bacteriuria at the time of enrolment.20
Previous corticosteroid treatment may be a predisposing factor. Further study of the actual incidence of urinary tract infections in atopic dogs is needed. The true
incidence of urinary tract infections in this study group
of 51 dogs could have been more clearly documented if
routine urine cultures had been performed at specific
intervals in all dogs during CsA treatment.
Similar to previous reports, some dogs in this study
had transient or intermittent vomiting/diarrhoea and
lack of appetite/energy.912 Gingival hyperplasia and
papillomatous growths have been reported in dogs
treated with CsA.21 In this study, one dog developed
gingival hyperplasia while treated with CsA. Another
dog developed three oral papillomatous growths that
were confirmed to be viral in origin. Three dogs in this
study developed marked hirsuitism (excessive hair
growth). This is an adverse effect observed in some
humans treated with CsA but has not been previously
described in dogs. 22 A recent report described a
psoriasiformlichenoid-like dermatosis, proposed to
be an atypical staphylococcal infection in three dogs
treated with CsA for canine AD.23 This dermatosis was
not seen in any dogs in this study.
In veterinary dermatology, a successful treatment
protocol is partially influenced by owner compliance.
Owners are more apt to comply with a treatment if they
are satisfied with the results. The majority of the owners in this study were satisfied with CsA as treatment
for their atopic dog and 71% surveyed would use CsA
again to treat their atopic dog. The 11 discontinuations
of therapy were stated to be due to lack of perceived
benefit (six) and high cost (five). The last group may
also have been influenced by clinical outcome.
The limitations of this study include the retrospective and subjective nature of the study as well as the
small size of the study population. The retrospective
study questionnaire and owner surveys relied upon the
owners subjective opinion of their dogs treatment.
Future prospective controlled studies involving more
dogs from multiple centres are needed to further explore
the findings of this limited study.
In conclusion, the results of this study are in agreement with other studies that CsA effectively controls
the clinical signs of canine AD in some dogs.7,912 CsA
treatment was discontinued in some dogs due either to
a limited response or cost. Some owners did not wish
to restart therapy when there was recurrence of clinical
signs of AD. This study supports previous studies
which show that the frequency of CsA treatment may
be reduced in some dogs once clinical remission is
achieved.12,15 Furthermore, this study suggests that
some dogs with canine AD treated with CsA may not
require ongoing treatment and may remain in remission following discontinuation of the drug. This needs
to be compared with the number of dogs not requiring
long-term treatment after response to other therapies.

85

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Rsum Cette tude rtrospective sest intresse valuer la dose et la posologie ncessaire de Cyclosporine
(CsA) pour grer les signes cliniques de dermatite atopique (AD) chez 51 chiens, traits pendant un minimum
de 6 mois. Ltude a valu les dossiers mdicaux et lapprciation des propritaires, obtenue par questionnaire
et suivi tlphonique. Des donnes de laboratoire, les effets secondaires potentiels et la satisfaction des propritaires ont galement t nots. La dose de CsA tait 5mg kg1 per os par jour et les chiens ont t traits pendant 6 30 mois. A la fin de la priode dobservation, 28 chiens (55%) recevaient toujours de la CsA pour controler
les signes de AD; 8 (15%) 23 jours par semaine, 10 (20%) 45 jours par semaine et 10 (20%) tous les jours. La
CsA a t arrte chez 23 chiens (45%) aprs 624 mois, soit cause dune absence defficacit (22%) ou dune
gurison clinique (24%). Ces rsultats suggrent que certains chiens AD traits avec la CsA nont plus besoin
dadministration quotidienne, voire de traitement, pour controler leurs signes cliniques. Des anomalies biochimiques ont t notes chez 13 chiens (25%). Deux chiens ont prsent une prolifration gingivale et trois un
hirsutisme. Quarante propritaires (78%) nont pas rapport deffet secondaire. 36 propritaires (71%) taient
satisfait du traitement la CsA pour leur chien atopique.
Resumen Este estudio retrospectivo de 51 perros con una dermatitis atpica (DA) tratada con Ciclosporina
(CsA) durante un mnimo de 6 meses examin la frecuencia de dosificacin y la necesidad de un tratamiento continuado para controlar los sntomas clnicos. El estudio evalu las historias clnicas y la informacin suministrada
por los dueos en cuestionarios escritos y comunicacin telefnica. Se determinaron los parmetros laboratoriales, los posibles efectos nocivos y la satisfaccin del dueo. La dosis de CsA era 5mg kg1 por OS por da y los
perros recibieron CsA durante 6 30 meses. En la conclusin del perodo del estudio, 28 perros (el 55%) necesitaron CsA para controlar los sntomas clnicos de DA; 8 (el 15%) 23 das por semana, 10 (el 20%) 45 das por
semana, y 10 (el 20%) diarios. Se continu con la CsA en 23 perros (el 45%) despus de 624 meses debido a una
respuesta limitada (el 22%) o despus de alcanzar una respuesta clnica (el 24%). Los resultados sugieren que algunos perros con DA tratados con CsA puedan no requerir el tratamiento diario o continuado para controlar los
sntomas clnicos. Las alteraciones laboratoriales fueron detectadas en trece perros (el 25%) durante su tratamiento con CsA. Dos perros desarrollaron crecimientos orales y tres desarrollaron hirsuitismo. Cuarenta dueos
(el 78%) declararon no observar reacciones adversas durante el perodo del tratamiento de su perro. Treinta y
seis dueos (el 71%) estaban satisfechos con la CsA como tratamiento para su perro atpico.

Zusammenfassung Diese retrospektive Studie ber 51 Hunde mit atopischer Dermatitis (AD), die mit
Cyclosporin (CsA) fr mindestens 6 Monate behandelt wurden, bewertet Dosierungsfrequenz und Notwendigkeit kontinuierlicher Behandlung zur Kontrolle klinischer Symptome. Die Studie wertete sowohl Krankenberichte als auch Informationen aus, die von den Besitzern schriftlich per Fragebogen oder per Telefon-followup erhoben wurden. Laborwerte, mgliche Nebenwirkungen und Zufriedenheit der Besitzer wurden ausgewertet.
Die Dosis von CsA war 5 mg/kg per os 1x tglich und die Hunde erhielten CsA fr 630 Monate. Bei Beendigung
der Studie bentigten 28 Hunde (55%) andauernde Behandlung mit Cyclosporin, um die klinischen Symptome
der AD zu kontrollieren; 8 (15%) 23 Tage die Woche, 10 (20%) 45 Tage die Woche und 10 (20%) tglich. Bei
23 Hunden (45%) wurde CsA nach 6 24 Monaten aufgrund begrenzten Erfolges (22%) oder nach Erzielung
klinischer Wirksamkeit (24%) abgesetzt. Diese Ergebnisse lassen vermuten, dass einige Hunde mit AD, die mit
CsA behandelt wurden, vielleicht keine tgliche oder permanente Behandlung bentigen, um die klinischen
Symptome zu kontrollieren. Abweichende Laborwerte wurden bei dreizehn Hunden (25%) whrend ihrer CsABehandlung gefunden. Zwei Hunde entwickelten orale Umfangsvermehrungen und drei Hirsutismus. Vierzig
Besitzer (78%) berichteten keine Nebenwirkungen whrend der Behandlungsperiode ihrer Hunde. Sechsunddreissig Besitzer (71%) waren mit CsA zur Behandlung ihrer atopischen Hunde zufrieden.

2005 European Society of Veterinary Dermatology, Veterinary Dermatology, 16, 81 86