BRISTOL, England, July 20 (UPI) -- Dogs with a common allergic skin disease, canine atopic dermatitis, will soon be taking part in a British clinical trial at Bristol University.
Peter Hill, senior lecturer at the university's veterinary dermatology school, said the trial is designed to settle arguments about the practice of homeopathy.
The trial will be conducted in collaboration with British homeopathic veterinary surgeon John Hoare and Robert Mathie, research development adviser at the British Homeopathic Association and Faculty of Homeopathy.
The trial will be conducted in two phases; the first will be an open clinical trial during which the main measure of assessment will be the level of itching. If that phase proves homeopathy appears to be beneficial in some dogs, a more thorough, controlled, randomized clinical trial will be conducted, during which both itching and the severity of dermatitis will be objectively measured.
Hill says it is hoped the trials will provide clear evidence for or against the use of homeopathy in dogs with the disease.
