Immunotherapy is the gold standard for the safe, effective, long-term treatment of atopic dermatitis and should be considered as an important part of the multi-model approach to management of this complex and chronic disease.

Immunotherapy normalises the immune response to environmental airborne allergens and is the only therapy that has the potential to prevent progression of the disease. With a successful response rate of 70% of horses with atopic dermatitis, immunotherapy helps to manage equine allergies with symptoms of pruritic dermatitis, urticaria and allergic respiratory disease. It also reduces the need for additional medications and has no withholding period.

We will give you a checklist for determining if immunotherapy is right for your patient. If the patient passes the initial checklist, you then collect a blood sample and submit it for an allergy test, for example, the Heska Allercept test available through Awanui Veterinary. The test results and clinical history will be reviewed by Helen to formulate the immunotherapy prescription which is then sent to you, along with instructions. The patient’s care will remain with you, but we are here to help if you need advice.