Three cases of canine dermatomyositis-like disease
Romero, CamiloGarcia, GenesisSheinberg, GaliaCordero, AlbertoRodriguez, DanielHeredia, Rafael
Background: Dermatomyositis is an idiopathic, inflammatory/immunemediated disease of the skin, muscles and blood vessels of hereditary nature and unclear pathogenesis. This familial disease has been described in certain breeds, especially collies and Shetland sheep dogs and is of rare occurrence in mongrel dogs. To describe and discuss three clinical cases of dermatomyositis-like disease and provide a brief review of the literature.Cases: Three young mongrel dogs are included in this report. Case 1: Mandarino, a 4-year-old mongrel dog, having a history of skin lesions for at least a year. Showed an underweight patient, skin ulcers, crusts, alopecia, peri-ocular scarring causing severe lagophthalmia and a corneal ulcer. Muscle atrophy was most notable in the head and legs; the dog had difficulty and pain walking. Treatment was initialised with cephalexin 30 mg/kg BID, pentoxifylline 25 mg/kg BID, and prednisone 2.2 mg/kg SID. The patient was presented after two weeks for follow up; the anaemia and skin condition had improved, the weight had increased by 2 kg, dysphagia and locomotor abnormalities were not present. Case 2: Milagros, a mongrel female dog approximately two years of age, rescued from a shelter. Physical examination showed facial alopecia, erythema and scarring of the periocular skin, crusting and scaling in alopecic areas, pinnae tip necrosis and crusting, ear alopecia, tail tip necrosis and crusting. Also present were distal limb alopecia, crusting and ulcers in areas of trauma in the hock and carpal surfaces; some nails presented onychorhexis and onychoschizia. The patient has been treated for 12 months with a good clinical outcome, with pentoxifylline, azathioprine 2.2 mg/kg EOD alternating with prednisone 1 mg/kg EOD. Case 3: Chuchito, an 11-month-old male mongrel rescued dog had been previously hospitalised due to his skin condition.[...](AU)
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