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| Sebaceous Adenitis Sebaceous Adenitis is a hereditary autoimmune skin disease. SA causes an inflammation & eventually the destruction of the Sebaceous glands in the skin. There seems to be a genetic predisposition in some breeds such as the Akita, Poodle and the Samoyed, although over 60 breeds are known to be affected. Symptoms The main symptoms of SA are: ˇ Hair loss - usually on the head, tail & back but can also be generalised ˇ Dry coat/dandruff ˇ Skin - wrinkly silver/grey or black, sometimes thickened ˇ Scales - yellow, silver or black adhering to the base of the fur, or on the muzzle ˇ Crusts, lumps or sores on the rear ˇ Red or inflammation of the skin ˇ Recurrent ear infections, flaking skin inside the ears & out ˇ Loss of under-coat or changes in the texture or colour of the coat ˇ Musty odour ˇ Fever, lethargy & weight loss (Akita) ˇ Sensitive or discomfort when grooming the face or feet (poodles) The physical symptoms of SA vary widely in their severity from dog to dog. But most have some scaling and hair loss, which can range anywhere from very thin patches of hair to total baldness. There does seem to be some common symptoms among some breeds, for example: In the poodle changes in texture & hair colour have been noted & sensitive feet during combing seem common. Poodles also commonly have silvery scales, thickened skin & loss of Topknot (hair on top of the head) as well on the back and the back of the neck. Short haired breeds such as the Vizsula tend to have a more 'moth-eaten' look with mild scaling & but more hair loss especially on the head, ears & trunk. German shepherds unlike other breeds tend to have hair loss beginning at the rump and progressing up the back to the head. Some Akitas also experience other symptoms such as weight loss & fever. Many dogs affected by SA have other immune problems and are generally fragile. Diagnosis The only way to accurately diagnose SA is by doing a skin biopsy. A local anaesthetic is injected into the site to be skin punched (usually between the shoulders & at affected areas) then a 6mm punch is used to take the sample & the area closed with one or two stitches. The samples are then sent to a veterinary pathologist for examination. NOTE : Some vets perform this procedure under general anaesthetic which is considered by most be people to be unnecessary. Treatment Unfortunately there is no cure for SA but there are many treatments that are used to keep the disease under control, with varying degrees of success. As with the symptoms of SA every dog is different this is also the case with the response to the different treatments. The most common treatments are: ˇ Oil baths - this is the most success treatment (see the survey results & SA links for details) ˇ Retinoids - derivates of vitamin A (not very successful in many cases ) ˇ Vitamin A - generally preferred to Retinoids (less side effects & less expensive) ˇ Frequent Shampoos ˇ Fatty acid supplements ˇ Propylene glycol sprays ˇ Antibiotics (when staph infections occur as a result of SA) Research Although the exact genes responsible for SA have not been determined it is known to be a hereditary disease. It has been proven that a simple autosomal recessive is the mode of inheritance in the poodle by the Michigan state university. Other research is presently being conducted in the Akita by the university of Texas USA & research into SA affected akitas is also expected to begin soon at the university of Göttengen in Germany where they are hoping to find both the cause of SA & a much needed test to identify carriers of the disease. Breeding AS Sebaceous Adenitis is considered an Hereditary disease, a dog affected by SA should NEVER be breed indeed it is very irresponsible to even consider breeding from either an affected dog or any dog produced by the same parents. One of the major difficulties of the disease is that it is impossible to be sure which dogs are carriers and or are in fact affected by the disease because the physical symptoms can appear at 10 or 12 years of age (long after the breeding carrier has finished) When a dog has developed SA both the affected dog & siblings should be sterilised as well as both the parents. If the affected dog developed the disease after being breed ALL the offspring should be sterilised. For any of the offspring to develop the disease BOTH parents have to be carriers, one parent only being a carrier will result in half the litter being carriers, If in turn these dogs are breed to other carriers more & more of the breed will become carriers producing in turn more dogs affected by this disease. (see the transmission Table) It is very important to remember that there have been reported cases of sub-clinical SA in many breeds, these dogs look 100% normal & healthy and never develop the physical symptoms of SA however when these dogs have a biopsy there are positive under the microscope !! I think it is very possible that some dogs considered normal or 'just carriers' are in fact sub-clinical. In spite of SA being a very recent disease, It was only named in 1987 it has spread very quickly in some breeds with an estimated carrier rate of 50% of poodles & 15% of akitas in the USA. It is only with very conservative breeding from unaffected bloodlines that we can limit the spread of this terrible disease within each breed hopefully the researchers will be soon be able to provide more information on the disease & a reliable test for finding carriers. But ultimately the fate of affected breeds lies in the hands of their breeders. |