Osurnia Significantly Improves Quality Of Life For Dogs And Owners In Otitis Externa Cases, Compared With An At-home Treatment, Study Finds
7 years ago 
1576 views
The improvement in quality of life (QoL) in dogs with otitis externa1 (OE) and their owners is significantly greater with Osurnia than a traditional daily treatment, an independent clinical study has found[1].
Along with a greater and more rapid improvement in QoL, the study found that cytological parameters and owner-assessed pruritus also improved more quickly with Osurnia and owners were more satisfied with the treatment overall.
The randomised, multi-centre study of 50 dogs with OE assessed both the owner’s and the dog’s quality of life over a 28-day period.
Group A treated 25 dogs with Osurnia and the remaining 25 in Group B were treated at home by their owners with a daily ear drop solution and twice weekly ear cleaning.
The study measured aspects deemed to impact quality of life, such as behaviour and sleep and patterns in dogs, and emotional stress and physical challenge in owners. Similar QoL assessments have been made in human medicine, but it is only recently that veterinary studies have begun to assess the impact of having a diseased dog on the family members and their activities.
The Osurnia group saw significant improvements in quality of life at every stage of the study. On day seven, there was a 57% increase in the quality of life for dogs, compared with 9.8% for the at-home treatment, while owner quality of life increased by 33%, compared with 4% for the at-home treatment.
Overall, the Osurnia group also saw QoL levels improve to a level considered ‘normal’ for healthy dogs, which was wasn’t achieved by the daily treatment within the duration of the study.
Veterinary dermatologist Dr Chiara Noli, who led the study, was surprised by the scale of the results:
“I was stunned by just how big the difference between the two treatment groups was in the quality of life for both the dog and owner. It was also interesting that cytological improvement and a reduction in pruritus were also seen more quickly in the Osurnia group.”
Twenty-five dogs with otitis externa were treated with Osurnia® on days 0 and day 7 by the
vet, compared to a control group of 25 dogs who were given a daily treatment by their owner
at home for two weeks in addition to twice weekly cleaning.
Dr Noli added: “Compliance is an important issue here; applying treatment at home can lead to stress in owners and pets, degradation of their relationship and treatment failure, which ultimately leads to treatment failure and poorer quality of life for both owner and the dog. We have the ability as vets to help preserve this bond.”
QoL impairment is a particularly big issue for dogs with OE and their owners, often leading to stress, behavioural issues and an impact on the dog-owner relationship[2].
Dr Noli added: “Compliance is an important issue here. Applying treatment at home can lead to stress in owners and pets, degradation of their relationship and treatment failure, which ultimately leads to poorer quality of life for both owner and the dog. We have the ability as vets to help preserve this bond.”
Vets can find out more about the study and read the interview with Dr Noli on the Osurnia website here: www.osurnia.co.uk
[1] For the treatment of acute otitis externa and acute exacerbation of recurrent otitis externa associated with Staphylococcus pseudintermedius and Malassezia pachydermatis.
[2] Noli C et al, Vet Derm. 2017
[3] Jamet J-F, Marignac G, Petit JY et al. Prospective study of the effect of otitis externa before and after treatment on 20 owners’ assessment of their own and their dog’s quality of life. Vet Dermatol 2016; 27(Suppl. 1): 45 (abstract).
More from Elanco
- ACT Against Lungworm for National Dog Day on 26th August!
- New Elanco survey data for national pet month
- New research reveals over a third of dogs with Angiostrongylus vasorum could be symptomless
- Chance to win with Elanco
- Elanco completes parasiticide portfolio expansion with launch of new CredelioTM Plus, offering vets a parasite treatment for every lifestyle