Comparison of pulse administration versus once daily administration of itraconazole for the treatment of Malassezia pachydermatis dermatitis and otitis in dogs

Objective—To compare clinical efficacy of pulse administration with itraconazole versus once daily administration for the treatment of cutaneous and otic M pachydermatis infection in dogs. Design—Randomized controlled trial. Animals—20 dogs. Procedure—Dogs were treated with itraconazole orally (n = 10/group), using a pulse administration regimen (5 mg/kg [2.3 mg/lb], PO, q 24 h for 2 consecutive days per week for 3 weeks) or once daily administration (5 mg/kg, PO, q 24 h for 21 days). No other treatment was permitted. On days 0 and 21, clinical severity of cutaneous and otic disease was assessed, and samples were collected for cytologic examination and yeast culture. Cytology (sum of the mean number of yeast organisms per oil immersion field for affected sites) and culture (mean of the score for extent of yeast growth for samples from affected sites) scores were calculated. Results—For dogs in both treatment groups, clinical severity of cutaneous and otic disease was significantly decreased by day 21, but...