{"id":56993,"date":"2019-10-01T22:00:09","date_gmt":"2019-10-01T22:00:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.zinpro.com\/performance-trace-minerals-help-manage-canine-atopic-dermatitis-in-dogs\/"},"modified":"2024-09-20T12:08:21","modified_gmt":"2024-09-20T17:08:21","slug":"performance-trace-minerals-help-manage-canine-atopic-dermatitis-in-dogs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.zinpro.com\/en_na\/resource-center\/blog\/performance-trace-minerals-help-manage-canine-atopic-dermatitis-in-dogs\/","title":{"rendered":"Performance Trace Minerals Help Manage Canine Atopic Dermatitis in Dogs"},"content":{"rendered":"

Allergies\ncome in many different forms and can impact us in unique ways. I\u2019m sure we can\nall agree no matter the type of allergy, it causes discomfort. Now just think\nabout your pet. Allergies are quite common in pets and can cause the same\ndiscomfort that affects their mood, energy and overall well-being.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Often\nan allergy is overlooked by the pet parent. One such condition is Canine Atopic Dermatitis (CAD). Canine Atopic\nDermatitis is a hypersensitivity or allergy of the\nskin that causes inflammation or irritation. In fact, it\u2019s the second most common\nallergenic skin disease, second only to fleas. It\u2019s quite common in dogs, but atopy\ncan also affect cats as feline atopic dermatitis. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Allergic\nreactions can be brought on by normally harmless substances\nlike grass, mold spores, house dust mites and other environmental allergens.\nBut it can also be caused by an internal allergy, such as food.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

CAD starts with an itchiness of\nthe skin prompting your dog to begin scratching. Just like humans, dogs have\nnormal staph and strep bacteria on the skin surface, but with excessive\nscratching the skin may break. When this happens, staph or strep bacteria may\nenter the broken skin and cause a bacterial infection. CAD can make life\nuncomfortable for your pet and, in its worst case, can affect their attitude\nand overall well-being. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Unfortunately, symptoms of CAD\nvary, making it hard to diagnose. Some dogs have intermittent itchiness, so\nit’s not really a problem, but it may progress to severe skin irritation causing\nconstant discomfort with chronic or almost constant itching, biting or\nscratching of the skin. If not controlled and treated, this may lead to\nsignificant skin damage, hair loss, loss of sleep, possible infection or other\ncomplications.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What Causes Dermatitis in Dogs?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Our family companions are\nsensitive to allergens just like we are as humans. Pets suffer from seasonal\nallergies and fleas \u2014 as well as have reactions to shampoos or detergent used\nto clean our pet\u2019s bedding. An outside dog may have allergies to sawdust, straw\nor hay used for bedding or even normal grasses and plants in the yard. Now take\nthat one step further, they may also have sensitivity to specific food-borne\nallergens or a medication.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Canine Atopic Dermatitis Treatment Options<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

There\nare two effective medications for CAD \u2014 glucocorticoids and cyclosporine. While\nboth products have shown efficacy in controlling the itchiness associated with\nCAD, they can negatively affect hair growth and in some cases, cause a dog to\nlose its hair.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Research\nhas proven that zinc \u2014 an essential trace mineral \u2014 is a constituent or\nactivator of at least 300 known enzymes, including those important for skin and\nwound healing, as well as cell replication. Rapidly dividing cells, such as\nthose of the epidermis or skin, are dependent on zinc to provide a strong skin\nor epithelial barrier against bacteria. This is important, as between six and 20% of the zinc stored in the body \u2014 human and animal \u2014 is\nin the outermost epithelial layers of the skin. Interestingly, the lining that\nprotects the gastrointestinal and respiratory tracts is also protected by an\nepithelial layer. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

To demonstrate the potential\nsuperpowers of Zinpro zinc, Zinpro Corporation partnered with McKeever\nDermatology Clinics based in Minneapolis, Minnesota, to prove that\nsupplementation of this special form of zinc in a dog\u2019s diet can help reduce\nthe severity of CAD.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The research project started with\n36 dogs diagnosed with CAD and on a controlled glucocorticoid or cyclosporine medication program and were under a veterinarian\u2019s care\nfor more than one year. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Each dog in the study was evaluated using the Canine Atopic Dermatitis Lesion Index (CADLI) scoring system. The veterinarians and pet parents were asked to score how itchy their pet was using a scale ranging from a normal dog with no itchiness (0) to a dog with almost constant itching (10).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Each dog received a supplement that contained a combination of ZINPRO\u00ae<\/sup><\/a> zinc methionine, biotin and essential fatty acids, or a placebo with biotin and essential fatty acids but no zinc in a random order. The biotin and essential fatty acids are key to maintaining skin structural integrity and functionality and are important to some immune cell functionality too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This was a double-blind research study, so the veterinarians didn’t know what the client was getting, and the pharmacist didn’t know what they were dispensing. Each dog received one of the two treatments for 12 weeks, and then switched to the opposite treatment for another 12 weeks. Note: each dog received both treatments, ZINPRO and Placebo in a random order.  Each dog was evaluated using the CADLI scoring system every four weeks of the study.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After\ndogs had received the ZINPRO zinc methionine treatment for eight weeks the\nfollowing results were found:<\/p>\n\n\n\n