Disease Description: This is a perplexing condition in which thesebaceous glands in theskin become inflamed for unknown reasons, and are eventuallydestroyed. These glandsnormally produce sebum, a fatty secretion that helps prevent drying ofthe skin. Clinical signs vary with the severity of thecondition, and betweendifferent breeds.

Inherit Mode: It appears that the disorder is inherited as an autosomal recessive trait in the standard poodle; however the wide variation in clinical signs suggests that inheritance is not straightforward, and breeding studies continue.

Disease Symptom: Sebaceous adenitis is usually first noticed inyoung adult dogs (1to 5 years of age). The condition can appear differently in differentbreeds, and there isalso marked variability depending on the clinical severity. One form of the disorder is seen in long-coatedbreeds - the Akita,samoyed, and (most-studied) the standard poodle. Typically affectedstandard poodles havedry scaly skin with patches of hair loss along the top of the head,back of the neck, andback. Silvery scales tightly adhere to tufts of remaining hair. Verymildly("sub-clinically") affected standard poodles have a normal hair-coat,butabnormalities typical of the condition are seen on microscopicexamination of skinbiopsies. More severely affected dogs will have areas of thickenedskin("hyperkeratosis"), extensive hair loss and often a musty or rancidodour.Secondary skin infections often occur as well. The second form of sebaceous adenitis occurs inshort-coated breedssuch as the vizsla. There is a moth-eaten appearance to the haircoatwith mild scaling,affecting primarily the trunk, head, and ears. Sebaceous adenitis is primarily a cosmeticdisorder - that is itaffects the appearance of the dog rather than his/her general health.The condition tendsto be most severe in the Akita, resulting in chronic secondarybacterial infections,weight loss, and fever.

Disease Cause: -

Disease Diagnose: Your veterinarian may suspect this disorder based onyour dog'sclinical signs. To differentiate this condition from other skindisorders, many of whichare also associated with increased scaling, a skin biopsy isnecessary. This is a simpleprocedure done with local anesthetic, in which your veterinarianremoves a small sample ofyour dog's skin for examination by a veterinary pathologist. Thebiopsy will show changesin the skin consistent with this condition.

Treat Method: This disorder requires long term management, whichcan befrustrating for both owners and veterinarians because the response totreatment is highlyvariable. There may be periods of spontaneous improvement or worseningof the condition,independent of treatment. Your veterinarian will likely try a combinationof approaches, todetermine with you what will be most effective for your dog. Mostimportant is the regularuse of anti-seborrheic shampoos to remove scales and dead hair,together with fatty aciddietary supplements. This may be all that is required in mildlyaffected dogs. Additionaltreatments include spraying the dog with a mixture of propylene glycoland water to helprestore lubricants to the skin and the use of oral essential fattyacids.

Breeder Advice: Although the genetics have not been determined,the condition doesappear to be inherited in those breeds studied. It is thus preferableto avoid breedingaffected dogs of any breed, their siblings, and their parents. The Institute for Genetic Disease Control inAnimals (GDC) operatesan open registry for sebaceous adenitis in the standard poodle.All dogsthat have been used or are intended to be used for breeding purposes,or any dog with adiagnosis of sebaceous adenitis, should be registered through anannual skin biopsy. Bearin mind that subclinically affected poodles (meaning that they have noclinical signs,even though a skin biopsy shows that they have a mild form of thedisorder) may produceclinically affected puppies. The GDC ( http://www.vetmed.ucdavis.edu/gdc/gdc.html) provides registration forms, instructions for veterinarians regardingbiopsies, anda list of participating pathologists. Registration requires evaluationof two 6-mm skinbiopsies by a participating dermatopathologist, who will send theresults to thesubmitting veterinarian and GDC for their computer files. In sub-clinically affected dogs (thosewith a normalhaircoat), histologic lesions consistent with sebaceous adenitis maynot be evident in aparticular biopsy sample. Thus a pathologist's report of "normal" doesnotguarantee that the dog is unaffected, but rather that the skinbiopsies examined showed noevidence of the disorder. By having the poodle biopsied andregistered annuallyhowever, the owner has done all that s/he can to ensure the animal issuitable forbreeding, and has contributed information to the registry to decreasethe incidence ofthis disease in the standard poodle.

Disease Description Source: Link