Caning symmetrical lupoid onychodystrophy: a retrospective study with particular reference to management

The records of six dogs in which a diagnosis of symmetrical lupoid onychody strophy (SLO) had been made were examined retrospectively. The age at onset ranged from six months to eight years, All the dogs had been presented wit h onycholysis, onychomadesis, onychalgia and onychodystrophy. The diagnosis of SLO was confirmed in ail cases by histological examination. Histologica l features were similar in all cases and included hydropic degeneration of the basal cell layer, pigmentary incontinence and a cell-rich interface der matitis. Response (defined as good, partial or failure) to various therapie s was compared. Treatments (as initial therapy or following previous treatm ent failure) included essential fatty acids (EFA) (three cases), a combinat ion of tetracycline and nicotinamide (four cases) and azathioprine and/or p rednisolone (one case each), EFA therapy resulted in one good response, one partial and one failure, tetracycline and nicotinamide in two good respons es, one partial and one failure, and azathioprine and/or prednisolone in on e good and one partial response. Although all treatments were successful in some cases, none was universally effective.