This is an inflammatory condition affecting the sebaceous glands of the skin.   

Clinical Findings

• Alopecia (hair loss) and scaling of the skin
• Bilaterally symmetrical, heavy adherent scale on the dorsum of the body including the head and the extremities (silver-white scale encases tufts of matted hair creating keratin casts
• Lesions are usually not malodorous or greasy
  
• Secondary bacterial infections are common, especially in the Akita breed
  
• Breeds affected include: Standard Poodle, Akita, Samoyed, Vizsla as well as other pure and mixed breeds

Causes

• Genetic predisposition - suspected to be an autosomal recessive mode of inheritance
• The exact cause is unknown, however theories include:
  - Sebaceous gland destruction is due to a developmental and inherited defect
  - Sebaceous gland destruction, associated with granulomatous inflammation, is due to an immune-mediated disease directed against a component of the sebaceous gland
  - The initiating problem is a keratinization defect that leads to obstruction of the sebaceous glands; the keratinization defect is the result of a defect or abnormality in lipid metabolism (resulting in the formation of toxic intermediate metabolites)

Diagnosis - clinical suspicion can be quite accurate as the lesions are characteristic but a skin biopsy is the only specific diagnostic test

Treatment

• This condition is not curable, only controllable
• Oral medications vary with the severity of the clinical signs and often include cyclosporine as the most effective therapeutic
• Topical therapy includes:
  Keratolytic shampoos
  Keratolytic rinses and sprays
  Emollient rinses, soaks, sprays and topical spot-on preparations
  
  

Contributed by: Karen Helton-Rhodes, DVM, Diplomate ACVD