A scale to assess the severity of pruritus in dogs was further validated. Comparison of the scale with one containing visible numerical markings demonstrated that owners were heavily influenced by the presence of numbers, resulting in a loss of the scale's ability to generate continuous data. The presence of a traditional visual analogue scale was therefore essential. The scale was tested on 713 owners who presented their dogs for veterinary attention. Pruritus scores in 408 dogs with skin disease covered the full range of possible values (0 to 10). In 305 dogs with no skin disease, 90 owners gave a score greater than zero. Comparison of the scores seen in pruritic dogs, and dogs with no evidence of skin disease, allowed a 'normal range' of 0-1.9 to be established. The scale was able to discriminate between conditions typically regarded as pruritic or non-pruritic. When the scale was assessed for its ability to detect changes in pruritus score following treatment, a median reduction of 4.4 points was observed. The scale was also used to determine what magnitude of response owners would expect following treatment of their pruritic dogs. Only 12% would have been satisfied with a 50% reduction, a figure that is typically quoted as a satisfactory response in clinical trials of anti-pruritic drugs. As a result, alternative methods of assessing clinical trials are proposed. This study has shown the scale to be a valuable tool for clinical assessment of patients, and for monitoring treatment responses in clinical trials.

No abstract

~Food allergy or dietary intolerance was diagnosed in 25 dogs. A screening diet of homecooked chicken and rice was used in all cases except in those dogs which were regularly fed chicken. If an improvement was noted, dogs were then challenged with their original diet and, if relapse occurred, they were suspected of having a diet-related dermatosis. After remission was achieved by again feeding the home-cooked screening diet the animals were provocatively challenged with dietary components. The offending component was a single constituent of the original in 1 3 of the animals. The age of onset of clinical signs ranged from three months to 10 years and the median age at onset of clinical signs was significantly different from the median age at the hospital. All animals responded to the screening diet within three weeks and none required a period of more than two weeks to respond to provocative challenge. The duration of time between challenge and the onset of clinical signs was significantly different between dogs with intolerance to cereal and those intolerant to dairy products.

The distribution of Staphylococcus intermedius and coagulase-negative staphylococci on the hair, skin surface, within the hair follicles and on the mucous membranes of a group of dogs is reported. Staphylococcus intermedius was recovered in higher numbers from the distal hair (mean 0.5 log,, colony forming units plus one [C.F.U. g-I]) rather than the proximal hair (mean 0.13 log,, C.F.U. g-I), P = 0.01. Staphylococcus intermedius was recovered in higher numbers from the hair follicle (mean 0.1 1 log,, C.F.U.gg') rather than the skin surface (mean 0.02 log,, C.F.U. g-I), P = 0.02. No such difference was found for coagulase-negative staphylococci. Differences were not found in the distribution of either Staphylococcus interrnedius or coagulase-negative staphylococci on the mucous membranes.

Twenty-one dogs with atopy were entered into a blinded, placebo-controlled study lasting eight weeks. They were randomly divided into three groups and were all given supplementary oils orally once daily. The dogs in groups A and B were given borage seed oil and fish oil in combination (Viacutan; Boehringer Ingelheim Vetmedica) to provide 176 mg/kg or 88 mg/kg borage seed oil respectively. The dogs in group C were given 204 mg/kg olive oil as a placebo. They were all re-examined after four and eight weeks and scored for pruritus, erythema, oedema, alopecia and self-excoriation. After eight weeks the scores for erythema and self-excoriation, and the total score for the dogs in group A, and the total score for the dogs in group B were significantly reduced (P < 0.05). The dogs in group C showed no significant improvement.