Quality of life of allergic dogs treated with allergen-specific immunotherapy : a retrospective study

Kotnik, Tina (author)

Background: The quality of life (QoL) of dogs with canine atopic dermatitis (CAD) treated with allergen-specific immunotherapy (ASIT) was studied to determine whether the QoL of dogs treated with ASIT (AG) improved compared with dogs not treated with ASIT (CG). Methods: The power of the study was calculated in advance assuming that the AG would assess QoL 20% better than the CG. The CG consisted of 21 dogs with CAD and the AG of 46 dogs with CAD. Validated QoL1 (pre-treatment) and QoL2 (post-treatment) questionnaires were emailed to owners. Results: AG dogs were significantly less disturbed during mealtimes (i.e., had better appetites and scratched less during mealtimes) and caused significantly less physical discomfort to their owners (due to unpleasant odor, the impression of a dirty apartment) than CG dogs. Owners of dogs treated with ASIT were able to significantly improve their daily activities (leisure, vacation, walks, work, hunting), significantly reduce their expenses (treatment costs, veterinary costs), feel significantly less emotional distress (less guilt, powerlessness, sadness, regret, fear, anger, disgust, rage, frustration), and experience less influence on relationships with family members and friends compared to owners of dogs not treated with ASIT. Conclusions: According to our results, the quality of life of dogs treated with ASIT and their owners seemed to improve significantly.

• Language: English
• Keywords: quality, ASIT, immunotherapy, dogs, canine, atopic, dermatitis, CAD
• Work type: Article
• Typology: 1.01 - Original Scientific Article
• Organization: VF - Veterinary Faculty
• Publication status: Published
• Publication version: Version of Record
• Year: 2023
• Number of pages: 11 str.
• Numbering: Vol. 10, no. 2, art. 10020072
• PID: 20.500.12556/RUL-143902
• UDC: 636.09:616.5
• ISSN on article: 2306-7381
• DOI: 10.3390/vetsci10020072
• COBISS.SI-ID: 138418691
• Publication date in RUL: 18.01.2023

Record is a part of a journal

• Title: Veterinary sciences
• Shortened title: Vet. sci.
• Publisher: MDPI
• ISSN: 2306-7381
• COBISS.SI-ID: 523429657

Licences

• License: CC BY 4.0, Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International
• Link: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
• Description: This is the standard Creative Commons license that gives others maximum freedom to do what they want with the work as long as they credit the author.
• Licensing start date: 18.01.2023

Projects

• Funder: ARRS - Slovenian Research Agency
• Project number: P4-0053
• Name: Endokrini, imunski in encimski odzivi pri zdravih in bolnih živalih