Ginger lives down the
street with my neighbors, Dave, Debbie, and a black cat. I have enjoyed
watching Ginger run and play on our beach. Bud and Ginger are friends. Ginger
is quite active; she runs and jumps for her toy. I was saddened to hear that
Ginger has Lupus. I had never heard about it. The vets are treating her, and
her owners are taking steps to help her. It must be hard for her to not get out
too much on sunny days. I invited her to come over for a play date with Bud.
Here is more information on Lupus:
What is
Canine Lupus?
Canine Lupis
is an autoimmune disease in which the body literally attacks itself. The
disease takes two forms, Systemic Lupus Erythmatosus and Discoid Lupus. Lupus
can cause widespread systemic disease of the skin, heart, lungs, kidneys,
joints, and nervous system, as well as blood. Symptoms of lupus are greatly
varied and may be acute (sudden onset and short duration) or chronic (of long
duration and recurring) and are usually cyclic (recurring in a specific pattern
or cycle).
Canine Lupus
and Auto-Immune Disease
Canine
Lupus: In Latin, "Lupus" means wolf, and the disease Lupus is aptly
named; Lupus, in both humans and canines, is the disease in which the body
literally attacks itself. The disease takes two forms, Systemic Lupus
Erythmatosus and Discoid Lupus.Discoid Lupus
Discoid
Lupus is an immune-mediated skin disease that is probably related to SLE, but
instead of affecting the whole body, as SLE does, it primarily affects the nose
and face. There is no known cause of this problem, but it does seem more common
in dogs of the German Shepherd, Collie, Brittany Spaniel, Shetland Sheepdog,
Siberian Husky, and German Shorthaired Pointer breeds.
Discoid
Lupus is also called Cutaneous Lupus Erythematosus (CLE).
Symptoms of
Discoid Lupus
The disease
normally starts as a loss of pigment around the nose. There may be scabby sores
or just scaling of the nasal tissue. The surface of the nose may change from
its typical "cobbletoned" appearance to a smooth surface. As this
disease progresses it can cause deep sores on the borders of the nose, where it
meets normal skin. Eventually, the sores start to progress up the bridge of the
nose.
(Note: Nasal
scarring is common with both SLE and CLE. Exposure to ultraviolet light is a
factor (especially in CLE), so the condition is seen more often and is more
severe in the summer and in sunny parts of the world.)
Ultraviolet
light seems to make the sores worse, so the disease may appear to be seasonal.
It is more common in areas in which exposure to ultraviolet light is increased,
such as high altitudes. If the depigmentation leads to sunburn, squamous cell
carcinoma becomes more likely than in other dogs. Topical sunscreens can be
very beneficial, although it is hard to get dogs to leave them on. Keeping the
dog indoors during peak sunlight hours is probably the most effective way to
prevent excessive exposure to UV light.
CLE is
diagnosed through examination of biopsy samples, and by histopathologic and
immunopathologic evaluation.
Exposure to
ultraviolet radiation worsens the skin lesions in both conditions, so sunscreen
is advisable and dogs should be sheltered from peak sunlight (approximately
10:00 am to 3:00 pm).
One should
note that for many breeds and many disorders, the studies to determine the mode
of inheritance or the frequency in the breed have not been carried out, or are
inconclusive. Listed here are breeds for which there is a consensus among those
investigating in this field and among veterinary practitioners that the
condition is significant in this breed.
This, too,
is important: Although the mode of inheritance is not known for either discoid
or SLE, these conditions run in families. Affected animals should not be bred,
and it is prudent to avoid breeding their close relatives as well.
Treatment
Options – Discoid Lupus Erythematosus
Discoid
lupus erythematosus cannot be cured but is more manageable than the systemic
form of the disease. The goals of treating DLE are to control and resolve the
facial skin lesions, particularly on the hairless areas of the top of the
muzzle. Treatment protocols may include oral or topical antibiotics, topical
lotions or ointments, oral vitamin E, oral fatty acid supplements and oral or
topical corticosteroids. Affected dogs should be kept out of the sun as much as
possible, because the symptoms of DLE worsen with exposure to ultraviolet
light. Owners can apply waterproof, high SPF sunscreen to their dog’s face and
ears to slow the progression of the disease. Dogs with DLE should be checked by
a veterinarian regularly to assess their progress and to monitor the success of
treatment. These dogs should not be used for breeding.
So How Do I
Treat it?
Once you
have determined that your dog has discoid lupus, there are a few different
methods of treatment. I had to start my dog out on a prescription steroid cream
twice a day, because we did not get a correct diagnosis early on. It is
expensive, but well worth the money. Once is major ulcers started healing, we
were able to switch over to an over the counter diaper ointment cream. It took
awhile to find one that did not have zinc in it, since zinc is toxic to dogs.
Ingredients change often, so always read the labels, even with a familiar
product.
Vitamins Are
For The Dogs
I also
immediately started him on a regimen of fish oil and vitamin E on
recommendation from my vet. Originally I had the liquid oil, but it was too
messy, so I switched to two 1200 mg caplets of fish oil and one 400 IU of
Vitamen E a day. I smothered them in peanut butter to ease his suspicious mind.
But he soon found he liked the taste of the fish oil, and he eats all three
like candy now. The vitamins are supposed to boost his immune system and help
fight the lupus from within.
Suncreen is
for the Dogs
Also, for
any dog with lupus, sun protection is a must. The sun causes an allergic
reaction in canines with the disease, and even an unprotected twenty minutes
can cause a minor flare up. In the summer I try to keep him indoors between
10:00 and 4:00 p.m. He has gotten into a rhythm and does not seem to mind the
activity later in the evening. I am a little more lenient in the winter. But
whenever he goes outside and it is sunny, he gets a good spray of
sunscreenabout fifteen minutes ahead of time.
When looking
for sunscreen, you have to remember once again to look for one that does not
contain zinc, or zinc oxide. I have tried all different kinds of sunscreen with
him, including dog sunscreen, and have only found one that he does not
immediately lick off. It was a happy day when we found Aveeno’s Continuous
Protections Sunblock Spray for humans. It is lightweight enough that an
immediate distraction makes him forget all about licking his snout. I use an
SPF of 70 in the summer, but a 50 SPF works well enough for the winter.
Moisturize
Those Rough Spots
And finally,
the last magical ingredient that has made our life so much easier is a product
that is found in the cooking aisle of all places. Coconut oil has a natural
antiseptic quality and moisturizes all at once, working double duty on a scuffy
nose. A little bit goes a long ways, and you can just rub it on gently over
soars and rough skin alike, once or twice a day. Even though my dog is not to
fond of having his sensitive snout rubbed, he likes the taste and lets me rub
his lips in it, which also have recently begun to get a little chapped. I have
abandoned the diaper ointment in favor of the coconut oil, because the results
are so similar, and I prefer the cheaper and natural alternative.
So even though my dog has never completely healed from his
lupus, with this daily regimen, we have managed to keep his flairs to a
minimum, and he gets three extra treats a day. Not so bad from a dog’s point of
view!
