Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Dog with widespread lupus skin disease treated successfully
By Banovic, Frane et al.·Published in Veterinary dermatology·2014·Department of Clinical Sciences, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Ciclosporin therapy for canine generalized discoid lupus erythematosus refractory to doxycycline and niacinamide.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A 6-year-old male crossbred dog was brought in for itchy, red, and darkened skin patches on his head, neck, and body that weren't improving with doxycycline and niacinamide. After thorough testing, the vet diagnosed him with generalized discoid lupus erythematosus, an autoimmune skin condition. Treatment started with oral dexamethasone and ciclosporin, and after a month, the dexamethasone was stopped and ketoconazole was added. Within four months, the dog's itching and redness improved significantly, and he has remained stable on ciclosporin and ketoconazole every three days for the past six months.
People also search for: dog skin problems treatment · ciclosporin for dog lupus · itchy dog skin remedies
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Generalized discoid lupus erythematosus (DLE) is an autoimmune skin disease variant rarely reported in dogs. The antimalarial immunomodulator hydroxychloroquine has been suggested as maintenance therapy for generalized DLE in one dog, but several recurrences were noted in the 1 year follow-up of that patient. HYPOTHESIS/OBJECTIVE: To describe the effective treatment of generalized DLE with ciclosporin in one dog. ANIMAL: A 6-year-old, castrated male crossbred dog was presented with pruritic, well-demarcated annular to polycyclic, hyperpigmented plaques with marginal erythema on the dorsal head, neck, trunk and medial extremities; these had been nonresponsive to treatment with doxycycline and niacinamide. METHODS: Investigation included complete blood count, serum chemistry profile, urinalysis, serum antinuclear antibody test, histopathological examination and direct immunofluorescence testing of skin biopsies. RESULTS: The presence of lymphocyte-rich interface dermatitis on histology, together with generalized chronic recurrent hyperpigmented plaques, was consistent with the diagnosis of a generalized variant of DLE. The absence of systemic signs and unremarkable laboratory tests excluded concurrent systemic lupus erythematosus. Treatment was initiated with oral dexamethasone and ciclosporin. After 1 month, dexamethasone was discontinued and oral ketoconazole was added to the therapeutic regimen. Four months later, pruritus and erythema resolved, with most skin lesions becoming impalpable. Over the last 6 months, the patient's DLE was maintained in remission with oral ciclosporin and ketoconazole in combination every 3 days. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL IMPORTANCE: The combination of ciclosporin and ketoconazole appeared effective to induce and maintain lesion remission in this dog with generalized DLE.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24916384/