PetCaseFinder

Peer-reviewed veterinary case report

Pigmented skin plaques in three dogs and cancer risk

By Stokking, Laura B et al.Ā·Published in Journal of the American Animal Hospital AssociationĀ·2004Ā·Department of Veterinary Clinical Medicine, United StatesĀ·View original on PubMed →

PetCaseFinder translated the abstract of this peer-reviewed paper into plain English so pet owners can read it. We do not publish original research — every detail traces back to the citation above. How we work →

Original publication title: Pigmented epidermal plaques in three dogs.

Species:
dog
Skin & coatDogs

Plain-English summary

Three dogs were found to have pigmented skin plaques, which were linked to a virus. A miniature schnauzer and an American Staffordshire terrier showed improvement after treating their other health issues and receiving a low-dose oral medication called interferon-alpha. However, a Pomeranian developed a type of skin cancer called squamous cell carcinoma from the plaques. This situation highlights the importance of monitoring these skin issues in dogs, as they can potentially turn into something more serious.

People also search for: dog skin plaques treatment Ā· Pomeranian skin cancer symptoms Ā· interferon-alpha for dogs

Abstract

Papillomavirus was identified in pigmented epidermal plaques (PEP) from three dogs: a miniature schnauzer with hyperadrenocorticism and hypoglobulinemia, an American Staffordshire terrier with hypoglobulinemia, and a Pomeranian with unconfirmed hypothyroidism. Squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) arose within several plaques in the Pomeranian. Clinical improvement coincided in the first two cases with treatment of the concurrent disease and the administration of low-dose oral interferon-alpha. This is the first report of PEP in an American Staffordshire terrier and a Pomeranian. The potential for malignant transformation of PEP to SCC emphasizes the need for recognition and clinical management of PEP.

Find similar cases for your pet

PetCaseFinder finds other peer-reviewed reports of pets with the same symptoms, plus a plain-English summary of what was tried across them.

Search related cases →

Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15347622/