New Supplementary Feed Improves Skin Health in Dogs with Atopic Dermatitis

A research team at the University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna (Vetmeduni Vienna) has shown that a specially developed supplementary feed can significantly improve the skin health of dogs suffering from canine atopic dermatitis (CAD). The chronic inflammatory skin disease affects an estimated 10 to 15 percent of all dogs and often leads to persistent itching, skin irritation, and a considerable reduction in quality of life.

In the study, published in Frontiers in Veterinary Science, all 38 dogs received, in addition to their normal diet, a daily portion of either a nutrient-rich “lymph food” or a hydrolyzed, hypoallergenic placebo supplementary feed. Both supplementary feeds contained micronutrients. However, in dogs with CAD, ongoing systemic inflammation can impair the body’s ability to absorb and utilize many of these nutrients. The active lymph food was designed to support nutrient uptake via the lymphatic system, supporting nutrient uptake even when inflammation interferes with normal absorption.

The results demonstrated clear advantages for the dogs receiving the active supplementary feed: they showed reduced itching and fewer skin lesions, required less medication, and displayed improved blood parameters, particularly in relation to iron status. Overall, three times as many dogs in the lymph food group achieved a defined treatment success compared to the placebo group. “Many of these dogs had struggled with severe itching for years,” says Carolina Frizzo-Ramos, first author of the study. “Seeing such clear improvements was encouraging for veterinarians and for the owners who witnessed their dogs becoming more comfortable and active again.” Study leader Franziska Roth-Walter (Department of Biological Sciences and Pathobiology, Vetmeduni) explains: “Chronic inflammation affects the availability of essential micronutrients in the body. By enabling nutrient uptake through the lymphatic system, we can correct this imbalance and significantly improve skin health.”

Similar mechanisms are known in human medicine, where various chronic skin conditions are often associated with micronutrient deficiencies because persistent inflammation interferes with nutrient utilization. The findings of this study therefore highlight fundamental biological processes that operate similarly in both humans and dogs.

The article „Lymph food to improve canine atopic dermatitis: a randomized, double-blinded, controlled trial in dogs with standard-care treatment“ byCarolina Frizzo-Ramos, Pavlos Doulidis, Iwan Burgener, Christa Horvath Ungerböck, Veronika Einspieler, Ulrike Weiser, Lucia Panakova and Franziska Roth-Walter was published in Frontiers in Veterinary Science.

 

Scientific article


Scientific contact:
Priv.-Doz. Dr. Franziska Roth-Walter
Department für Biologische Wissenschaften und Pathobiologie
Veterinärmedizinische Universität Wien (Vetmeduni)
franziska.roth-walter@vetmeduni.ac.at