Disease Ontology ID: DDTO:0000428

Disease Description: A skin disease with excess scaling of the skin and often an excess of sebum (oil-like substance) and odor.

Inherit Mode: Primary seborrhea is probably inherited as an autosomal recessive trait in the West Highland white terrier, and this may also be true in other breeds. This means there can be affected puppies in a litter where both parents have normal skin but carry the gene for seborrhea. Autosomal dominant inheritance with variable expressivity may be the mode of inheritance in some breeds.

Disease Symptom: Early evidence of the disorder such as mildflaking and dullness ofthe coat may appear as young as 10 weeks of age. Because these signsare subtle, theyoften go unnoticed. However, usually by a year to 18 months, the signshave becomepronounced. Affected dogs commonly have a dull coat with excessivescaling, a greasy feeland smell to the skin (especially in areas of body folds), smelly waxyears which may beinfected, thickening of the foot pads, and dry brittle claws. Somebreeds (West Highlandwhite terrier, cocker spaniel, springer spaniel, Basset hound,Shar-pei) are more prone tothe greasy form of seborrhea (seborrhea oleosa) with chronic earinfections and greasyskin, while others (Doberman pinscher, Irish setter) are more likelyto develop the dryerform (seborrhea sicca) Dogs with seborrhea are prone to secondaryinfections, eitherbacterial or yeast, and frequently develop skin lesions and associateditching. Thiscondition is called seborrheic dermatitis. Scratching leads toworsening of the lesionsand spread of the infection.

Disease Cause: -

Disease Diagnose: The signs associated with primary (inherited) andsecondary(response to another condition) seborrhea are the same. Yourveterinarian will take intoconsideration your dog's clinical signs and age (primary seborrhea isseen in young dogs),and submit a skin biopsy to a veterinary pathologist who will look forchanges in the skintypical of primary seborrhea, to rule-out other conditions that causesimilar clinicalsigns. (This is a simple procedure, done with local anaesethetic, inwhich yourveterinarian removes a small sample of your dog's skin.) When there is severe seborrheic dermatitis, thesecondary infectionsmust be cleared up before a diagnosis of primary seborrhea can bemade.

Treat Method: Primary seborrhea requires life-long management.There is no cure,and the ease of control varies between dogs. Dry scaly seborrhea canusually be controlledmore easily than the greasy form. You and your veterinarian will needto work together todetermine what is best for your dog. You will quickly become an experton recognizingchanges in your dog's skin and ears, and knowing when veterinary careis required. Antiseborrheic shampoos and moisturizers are themost importantcomponents of treatment. Initial bathing of 2 or 3 times per week isgenerally required,with frequency gradually reduced to a maintenance level as thecondition is controlled. Ifyour dog has a secondary bacterial or yeast infection (as is common),this must be treatedwith appropriate medication at the same time that antiseborrheictherapy is started. Effective bathing requires that the medicatedshampoo remain incontact with the skin for 10 to 15 minutes after lathering, followedby very thoroughrinsing which removes debris (scales, grease) and shampoo, and alsomoisturizes your dog'sskin. An after-bath rinse will also help to retain moisture.Occasional misting of thecoat with the dilute rinse can often reduce the frequency of bathingrequired. Carefulmonitoring is required, since over-bathing can worsen seborrhea. There are a large number of antiseborrheicproducts available. Yourveterinarian will likely suggest a milder product to start, and changeto a stronger oneif necessary. Stronger products are usually required to control dogswith greasy skin,with possible switch to a milder product for maintenance. Long hairmakes effectiveshampooing more difficult so it is best to keep the coat short. Ear infections are common in seborrheic dogs.The best way to keepon top of these is to check your dog's ears regularly. Yourveterinarian will show you howto flush your dog's ears with a product designed to reduce waxbuild-up. Use this whenyour dog's ears have a waxy odour. Signs of an infection include aneed to clean theears more frequently, itchiness (as shown by head shaking, pawing atthe ears, rubbing thehead along the carpet) and/or an unpleasant odour. This requiresprompt treatment, usuallyfor 2 to 3 weeks. It is important to watch carefully for any otherconditions in yourdog, as the signs of seborrhea will worsen dramatically if s/hedevelops nutritionalinadequacies, external parasites (fleas for example) or some otherillnesses. A suddenworsening of seborrhea (a need for more frequent bathing or anincrease in odour) can alsoindicate a secondary skin infection to which these dogs are prone.Such infections shouldbe brought under control quickly with the appropriate medication, asthey can quicklybecome severe and widespread. In some dogs it is almost impossible to controlthe seborrhea andrecurring yeast or bacterial infections, despite the most diligentefforts of theirowners. Various drugs have been tried in these dogs with varyingresults. If effective,they are needed life-long and all have side effects, so they are usedonly where othermeasures fail.

Breeder Advice: Dogs with primary seborrhea and their closerelatives (parents andsiblings) should not be used for breeding.

Disease Description Source: Link