A vertical study on the prevalence and clinical symptoms of canine pruritic dermatoses in Switzerland

Very little is known about the prevalence of pruritic diseases in dogs in general and central Europe in particular. Therefore, the goal of this study was (i) to carry out a vertical prevalence study on pruritic diseases in dogs and (ii) to characterize the signalment, distribution of pruritus and secondary infections of atopic dogs in Switzerland. Seventeen veterinarians across Switzerland contributed to the study. All pruritic cases were collected in two cold and two warm months. A total of 743 cases were included. Canine atopic dermatitis was the most frequent diagnosis in this study (59,1 %), followed by otitis (26,1 %), pyoderma (22,6 %) and ectoparasites (7,1 %). French bulldog, West Highland White Terrier and American Staffordshire Terrier were overrepresented in the group with atopic dermatitis compared to the general study population. Middle aged (49,9 %), male (58,8 %) atopic dogs between 10 and 25 kg (42,6 %) were affected more frequent. The majority of dogs with atopic dermatitis (56 %) exhibited pruritus in the paws, followed by pinna/ear pruritus (48,1 %). In total 54,7 % of atopic dogs showed pyoderma, while 31,8 % had Malassezia dermatitis. Our study confirms the clinical impression of the vast majority of veterinary dermatologists, that atopic dermatitis is by far the most frequent cause of pruritus in dogs. An intriguing finding is the remarkably low prevalence of ectoparasitic conditions (7,1 %). Overall, this study highlights the significance of allergic skin diseases in the Swiss dog population.