Disease Description: Abnormal development of the outer layer of the skin. Common in West Highland white terriers and begins in puppyhood.

Inherit Mode: The mode of inheritance is unknown, but suspected to be autosomal recessive.

Disease Symptom: Signs of this condition are usually seen by 6 monthsof age.Initially the skin is greasy and scaly and your dog will become veryitchy as secondaryyeast infection develops. Over time the skin will become dark, scalyand thickened.

Disease Cause: -

Disease Diagnose: A skin biopsy is necessary to make the diagnosis.This is a simpleprocedure, done with local anesthetic, in which your veterinarianremoves a small sampleof your dog's skin for examination by a veterinary pathologist. Thebiopsy will showcharacteristic changes in the skin, together with Malassezia organisms.

Treat Method: This is a frustrating condition to treat.Antifungal andantiseborrhea shampoos may be helpful, but the most difficultchallenge in the managementof epidermal dysplasia is keeping the yeast infections under control.Use of an antifungaldrug (ketoconazole) for 30 to 45 days will usually resolve the yeastinfection; your dog'sitching will cease and his/her skin will be nearly normal. Howeveroften as soon astreatment stops, the yeast dermatitis returns. Some dogs with this condition have periods ofrelative normalcybetween flare-ups of the yeast infections, and these dogs can betreated intermittently,as necessary. In most cases unfortunately, affected dogs havevirtually constant Mallassezia dermatitis and the only effective solution is regular maintenance useof ketoconazoleevery second or third day. Many dogs in this category are euthanizeddue to the expense oftreatment, which will be lifelong.

Breeder Advice: Although the mode of inheritance has not beenestablished, dogs withthis serious disorder and their close relatives (parents and siblings)should not be usedfor breeding.

Disease Description Source: Link