Maria Federica della Valle

Canine obesity is a common disorder accompanied by a low-grade chronic inflammation and is considered a risk factor for liver and heart diseases. The present study aimed to investigate whether an olive oil-derivative enriched in N-acylethanolamines (Olaliamid®, OLA) may protect dogs against obesity-induced comorbidities. Twenty-seven dogs of mixed breed and size with a body condition score ≥ 7/9 were included in the trial, once provided they were otherwise healthy. Dogs were fed a commercial maintenance diet for two weeks before enrolment, and randomized in two groups, i.e., OLA (n = 14) and placebo (OLA vehicle; n = 13). Both treatments were administered orally by the owners in a liquid form at 0.7 ml/5kg body weight, once a day for three months. At baseline and three months later dogs underwent physical examination, blood draw, and echocardiography. At the same timepoints, owners were given a questionnaire about their dog’s general condition. OLA prevented the increase in leptin observed in the placebo group (P = 0.011), decreased IL-6 (P = 0.043) and derivatives-reactive oxygen metabolites (d-ROMs, P = 0.008), and increased biological antioxidant potential (BAP) compared to the placebo group (P = 0.032). Moreover, OLA protected the liver, with ALT levels being decreased in the OLA group compared to the placebo one (P = 0.005) and bilirubin levels being decreased in the OLA group (P = 0.030) but not in the placebo one. OLA showed a cardioprotective effect, with a significant decrease of IVSdN (P = 0.028), LVPWdN (P = 0.047), IVSd/LVIDd (P = 0.015) and LVPWd/LVIDd (P = 0.034) compared to the placebo group. According to dog owners, the difficulty rising from lying down significantly increased in the placebo group (P = 0.039) but not in the OLA one. Overall, OLA improved obesity-induced meta-inflammation and oxidative status and helped to ameliorate liver and heart health as well.

The present study aimed at evaluating the effect of a gentle shampoo and a mousse containing Adelmidrol, tapioca starch and a non-prescription antimicrobial complex on seborrhoea and other clinical signs secondary to canine atopic dermatitis (cAD). Forty-six dogs with cAD-associated seborrhoea and/or pruritus > 4 cm on the pruritus visual analogue scale (P-VAS) and/or bacterial/Malassezia overgrowth were enrolled. The mousse was applied twice daily, and dogs were evaluated at days (D)0, 7, 14 and optionally 28, by means of a skin seborrheic index (SSI), P-VAS, cAD lesion index (CADLI), and a semiquantitative cytological score. The mean SSI value improved during the first two weeks (4.1 ± 0.37 to 1.9 ± 0.30; p < 0.0001). The mean P-VAS score (cm) decreased from 6.6 ± 0.19 at D0 to 3.8 ± 0.31 at D14 (p < 0.0001). The mean CADLI score dropped from 13.7 ± 1.24 to 8.5 ± 1.14 at D14 (p < 0.001). The cytological score for bacteria and Malassezia decreased from 3.2 ± 0.10 and 3.2 ± 0.11, respectively, to 1.2 ± 0.19 and 1.2 ± 0.24 (p < 0.0001). All the investigated signs further improved at D28. Altogether, these observations suggest that the tested protocol might be useful in managing cAD-associated signs.

Pain assessment is of paramount importance for properly managing dogs with osteoarthritis (OA) pain. The aim of the present study was to develop and psychometrically validate the Italian version of the Helsinki Chronic Pain Index (I-HCPI). Owners of OA painful (n = 87) and healthy dogs (n = 40) were administered the I-HCPI once or twice after an eight-week meloxicam treatment. Sixty-nine owners of healthy and OA dogs also completed the Italian version of the Canine Brief Pain Inventory (I-CBPI). Pain on palpation on a 0–4 scale was assessed on all recruited dogs. Construct validity was tested both with hypothesis testing and principal component analysis, confirming the I-HCPI accurately measured chronic pain. Good convergent and criterion validity were shown through correlations with I-CBPI subscores and distribution among pain on palpation scores (p < 0.0001). The significant difference between the pre- and post-treatment I-HCPI scores (p < 0.0001) and Cohen’s effect size (2.27) indicated excellent responsiveness. The I-HCPI was shown to be reliable through communalities (range 0.47–0.90) and Cronbach α (≥0.95). Discriminative ability and cut-off point, as tested through Receiver Operating Characteristic analysis, showed excellent diagnostic accuracy with a threshold value of 11 (specificity 0.98 and sensitivity 0.94). The I-HCPI was confirmed to be a valid, sensitive, reliable, and accurate tool to discriminate between dogs with and without pain.

Background: Osteoarthritis (OA) pain is the number one cause of chronic pain in dogs. Multimodal treatment, including combining safe and effective nutritional interventions with non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), is currently considered one of the most appropriate choices for managing OA pain. Palmitoyl-glucosamine is a feed material belonging to the ALIAmide family, whose parent molecule is the prohomeostatic lipid amide N-palmitoyl-ethanolamine. Curcumin is a promising plant antioxidant. The present study aimed at investigating whether 18-week dietary integration with palmitoyl-glucosamine co-micronized with curcumin was able to maintain pain relief in dogs with OA-associated chronic pain receiving meloxicam (1.5 mg/ml oral suspension) on a tapering regimen (progressive 25% decrease of the original 0.1 mg/kg/day dose, on a biweekly basis) during the first 8 weeks of treatment. Pain was assessed both by the owners and veterinary surgeons, with the first using both subjective evaluation and validated metrology instruments—i.e., Helsinki Chronic Pain Index (HCPI) and Canine Brief Pain Inventory (CBPI)—while the second rating the severity of lameness and pain on palpation on two previously used 5-point scales. Results: A total of fifty-eight dogs with OA chronic pain entered the uncontrolled study. Pain on HCPI was considered severe at baseline (range 18–39). Based on owner’s assessment, 90% of dogs who responded to meloxicam at the full-dose regimen could reduce meloxicam up to 25% of the original dose without experiencing pain worsening. Moreover, 75% of dogs was assessed as having no pain increase ten weeks after meloxicam withdrawal. A statistically significant decrease of pain severity as scored by HCPI (P < 0.0001) was observed two and ten weeks after meloxicam withdrawal compared to study entry (17.0 ± 1.05 and 15.1 ± 1.02, respectively, vs 29.0 ± 0.74; mean ± SEM). After meloxicam withdrawal, no statistically significant change in the CBPI scores was recorded. Pain on palpation and lameness significantly changed to less severe distributions along the study period (P < 0.0001). Conclusion: The findings appear to suggest that dietary integration with palmitoyl-glucosamine co-micronized with curcumin was able to maintain meloxicam-induced pain relief in dogs with severe OA chronic pain.

The Canine Brief Pain Inventory (CBPI) is an owner-administered questionnaire, originally developed and validated in English, used to assess canine chronic pain in terms of severity and interference with daily life activities. The aim of the present study was to perform a preliminary validation of an Italian version of the CBPI. Translation was performed and the resulting questionnaire was administered to 45 native Italian speaking owners of dogs suffering from chronic pain due to radiographically confirmed osteoarthritis. Psychometric properties of the Italian CBPI including construct validity, convergent validity and reliability were evaluated. Construct validity was assessed by factor analysis and confirmed a two-factor model (i.e., pain severity and interference factors). The respective scores, that is, the pain severity score (PSS) and pain interference score (PIS), exhibited a substantial negative correlation with overall quality of life score. Pain severity and interference items showed a mean inter-item correlation of 0.90 and 0.80, respectively. For each question, communality ranged from 0.84 to 0.97, highlighting strong internal consistency and suggesting that PSS and PIS can be calculated by averaging the items contained within each factor. Cronbach's α was 0.97 and 0.96 for PSS and PIS, respectively. The present findings confirmed the main psychometric properties of the Italian version of the CBPI, providing clinicians and researchers with a useful metrology instrument to evaluate the severity of chronic pain and its interference with daily life activities in dogs with osteoarthritis owned by Italian speaking people. Further properties of the questionnaire need to be evaluated in future research and larger studies are warranted.

Background: Feline nonflea hypersensitivity dermatitis (NFHD) is a frequent cause of over‐grooming, scratching and skin lesions. Multimodal therapy often is necessary.Hypothesis/Objectives: To investigate the efficacy of ultramicronized palmitoylethanolamide (PEA‐um) in maintaining methylprednisolone‐induced remission in NFHD cats.Animals: Fifty‐seven NFHD cats with nonseasonal pruritus were enrolled originally, of which 25 completed all study requirements to be eligible for analysis.Methods and materials: Cats were randomly assigned to PEA‐um (15 mg/kg per os, once daily; n = 29) or placebo (n = 28) while receiving a 28 day tapering methylprednisolone course. Cats responding favourably to methylprednisolone were then administered only PEA‐um (n = 21) or placebo (n = 23) for another eight weeks, followed by a four week long treatment‐free period. Cats were maintained in the study until relapse or study end, whichever came first. Primary outcome was time to relapse. Secondary outcomes were pruritus Visual Analog Scale (pVAS), SCORing Feline Allergic Dermatitis scale (SCORFAD) and owner Global Assessment Score (GAS).Results: Mean relapse time was 40.5 days (±7.8 SE) in PEA‐um treated cats (n = 13) and 22.2 days (±3.7 SE) for placebo (n = 12; P = 0.04). On Day 28, the severity of pruritus was lower in the PEA‐um treated cats compared to placebo (P = 0.03). Mean worsening of pruritus at the final study day was lower in the PEA‐um group compared to placebo (P = 0.04), whereas SCORFAD was not different between groups. Mean owner GAS at the final study day was better in the PEA‐um than the placebo‐treated group (P = 0.05).Conclusion and clinical importance: Ultramicronized palmitoylethanolamide could represent an effective and safe option to delay relapse in NFHD cats.

The interest for the endovanilloid system and for transient receptor potential vanilloid 1 (TRPV1) is continuously increasing, due to their involvement in inflammation, nociception and pruritus. Even ifTRPV1 enrolment was highlighted in both physiological and pathological conditions, some aspects remain unclear, mostly in veterinary medicine. This study aimed to verify the expression and functionality ofTRPV1 in canine keratinocytes to investigate in vitro the role ofTRPV1 in these cells that are involved in different cutaneous pathologies. Keratinocytes primary cultures were isolated from bioptical samples and cultivated. Binding assay (using³[H]‐resiniferatoxin), displacement assay (in the presence of 1.2 nM³[H]‐resiniferatoxin) and functional assays (in the presence of 1 μCi/⁴⁵Ca²⁺) with vanilloid agonists and antagonists, specifically addressed toTRPV1 receptor, were performed. Binding assay demonstrated the presence of measurable concentrations ofTRPV1 (B_max = 1,240 ± 120 fmol/mg protein;K_d = 0.01 ± 0.004 nM). Displacement assay highlighted the highest affinity for resiniferatoxin (RTX) and 5‐iodo‐resiniferatoxin (5‐I‐RTX), among agonists and antagonists, respectively. The same compounds results as the most potent in the functional assays. This study demonstrated the identification and the characterization ofTRPV1 receptor in primary canine keratinocytes cultures. The results are promising for a clinical use, but further in vivo investigations are required.

Background: Ultramicronized palmitoylethanolamide (PEA‐um) has been reported to reduce pruritus and skin lesions in dogs with moderate atopic dermatitis and pruritus.Hypothesis/Objectives: A canine ex vivo skin model was used to investigate the ability of PEA‐um to counteract changes induced by compound 48/80, a well‐known secretagogue that causes mast cell degranulation.Animals: Normal skin was obtained from three donor dogs subjected to surgery for reasons unrelated to the study.Methods: Cultured skin biopsy samples in triplicate were treated with 10 and 100 μg/mL compound 48/80, without or with 30 μM PEA‐um. Mast cell (MC) degranulation, histamine release into the culture medium, local microvascular dilatation, epidermal thickness, keratinocyte proliferation and epidermal differentiation markers were evaluated.Results: Exposure of the skin organ culture to PEA‐um 24 h before and 72 h concomitantly to compound 48/80 resulted in a significant decrease of degranulating MCs. PEA‐um also reduced the histamine content in the culture medium by half, although the effect did not reach statistical significance. PEA‐um significantly counteracted vasodilation induced by 100 μg/mL compound 48/80. Finally, PEA‐um alone did not induce changes in epidermal thickness, differentiation markers, keratinocyte proliferation, MC density and/or degranulation.Conclusions and clinical importance: Collectively, these results support the protective action PEA‐um on the skin of dogs undergoing allergic changes.