According to information provided by Texas A&M University, “DM is a devastating inherited inflammatory disease of the skin and/or muscle which most commonly afflicts Collies, Shetland Sheepdogs and their crosses. The skin lesions consist of hair loss with or without skin redness, scaling and crusting of the face, ears, legs and tail tip. One or more of these areas of the body may be affected. In addition, some dogs may have muscular involvement. Sometimes this muscle involvement is so pronounced that it results in muscle atrophy. Other cases may suffer from megaesophagus (enlarged food tube in the body) with the end result of aspiration pneumonia. In milder cases the dogs may appear to be sloppy eaters, or have a strange high stepping gait.... Most commonly dogs develop the skin lesions within the first few years of life but dogs as old as 8 years old have been reported to develop this problem. It is thought that certain triggering factors such as stress may cause a dog to express the DM. These triggering factors are thought to include such circumstances as a bad viral infection (i.e., parvo) and hormonal fluctuations (heat cycles). In some cases no triggering factor has been identified. Since this is a genetic problem, affected dogs should be spayed or neutered. This will also help the dogs respond better to treatment.
“DM is not an itchy problem unless a secondary infection is present. So if your pet is itchy and it does not look like a secondary infection is present (bacteria or yeast) then your pet’s problem is probably not DM. The only exception would be if you had a dog with DM and an underlying allergy. This can occur but is not common.”
Treatment options include steroids, which were commonly used in the past but have serious side effects. Alternatives include pentoxifylline, which has few side effects when the brand-name Trental® is used. Other medications include both immosuppresants like azathioprine (Imuran®) and immunostimulants such as Immunoregulin®, though both come with side effects. Antioxidants such as oral and topical Vitamin E have also reportedly been effective. Treatment may be needed for months or even throughout the life of the dog.
