Approach to the diagnostics of atopic dermatitis in dogs in conditions of clinical practice

The aim of this work was to elucidate the incidence of atopic dermatitis in dogs regarding their age, sex and individual breeds, verify the diagnostic criteria of the disease by Willemse and Prelaund and evaluate their sensitivity in the conditions of this country. In the group of 94 dogs, atopic dermatitis was diagnosed in the period from 1994 to 2005. The highest frequency among breeds was documented in Boxer (100%) and French Bulldog (84.6%), being significantly (p < 0.05) higher than in Shar-pei (41.7%) and Dalmatian (41.7%). The difference was even highly significant (p < 0.01) compared to Dachshund (2.7%), German Shepherd (6%), Cocker Spaniel (11.1%), and Poodle (3.3%). On the other hand, no significant differences were found between sexes. The commonly affected age group was 67 patients (71.2% cases) at the age between three and six years. The diagnosis was made using the clinical criteria by Willemse and Prelaund to verify the sensitivity of these criteria. It was found to be 72% by Willemse, 68% by Prelaund, and the difference was not statistically significant. In all 94 patients various stages of pruritus were detected. The most frequent clinical signs were facial or digital affecting 94.7% patients (89/91) and secondary pyoderma was found in 72.3% patients (68/94). Skin allergy test for specification of the diagnosis was performed in 73.4% cases (69/94).