Journal watch22 April 2020
Author(s): R.S. Mueller, W. Rosenkrantz, E. Bensignor, J. Karaś‐Tęcza, T. Paterson and M.A. Shipstone
Published in: Veterinary Dermatology
Date: January 2020
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/vde.12806
Type of access: Requires membership/payment
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Our summary
Mueller, R.S. et al. (2020), Diagnosis and treatment of demodicosis in dogs and cats. Veterinary Dermatology, 31 (1), pp. 5-27.
The aim of these consensus guidelines, produced by the World Association for Veterinary Dermatology (WAVD), is to provide recommendations on the diagnosis, prevention and treatment of demodicosis in dogs and cats.
They are based on a review of available literature and the consensus opinion of an international panel of experts. The panel made recommendations regarding demodicosis in the following areas:
- Pathogenesis
- Demodex species in the dog and cat
- Clinical signs in dogs
- Clinical signs in cats
- Diagnosis
- Treatment
- Prognosis and future outlook
The final document contains 12 consensus statements including:
- Deep skin scrapings are the diagnostic method of choice but trichograms, tape strips and examinations of exudate may also be useful.
- Treatment for generalised demodicosis should be monitored clinically and microscopically every month until the second negative scraping, with miticidal therapy continuing for four weeks after the second set of negative scrapings to prevent recurrence.
- Published data shows that isoxazolines are a good treatment option for dogs with demodicosis.
Limitations include that there is no explicit statement detailing the literature searches performed and that there is only one specific recommendation for cats.
Take home
These guidelines provide a good overview of the diagnosis, prevention and treatment of demodicosis in dogs based on a review of the literature and expert opinion. There is only one statement specifically about cats, which highlights the lack of current published literature on demodicosis in cats and the need for more research in this area.
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