Granulomatous Sebaceous Adenitis in a Corgi Mix Dog

Felix presented for a 2 year history of progressive hairloss and dry skin. Oatmeal shampoos and itch-reducing medications such as Apoquel® and Cytopoint® were not helpful.

Christie Yamazaki DVM, DACVD

Dermatology For Animals, Oakland, CA

SUBJECTIVE

Felix is a 4 yr old MC Corgi Mixed Breed dog who presented to the dermatologist for a 2 yr history of hair loss and dry skin that has gotten progressively worse.  His skin did not seem to improve with allergy-relief medications such as Apoquel® and Cytopoint®, nor did weekly bathing with an oatmeal and aloe shampoo.  He was adopted as a puppy and had no history of skin or ear disease prior to age 2.

 

OBJECTIVE

Weight: 14.8 kg (32.6 lb)

Temp: 100.8 F (rectal)

Pulse: 120 bpm

Resp: Pant

 

Dermatologic physical examination: BARH, BCS 5/9. Felix was somewhat nervous but amenable to physical exam. The trunk had generalized dry fine white scale with follicular (keratosebaceous) casting.  The flanks had a mild bilateral hypotrichosis.  The pinnae were similarly affected. The vertical ear canals were dry and had excessive scale with scant brown cerumen bilaterally.

 

Differential diagnoses included sebaceous adenitis, demodicosis, pyoderma/bacterial folliculitis, vitamin-A responsive dermatosis, ichthyosis, zinc-responsive dermatosis, endocrinopathy (hypothyroidism, hyperadrenocorticismm), and pemphigus foliaceus. 

 

DIAGNOSTICS

Otic cytology revealed a mild Malassezia (yeast) otitis externa, though skin cytology from the trunk failed to highlight any infectious organisms.  A deep skin scrape revealed no mites or ova, though abundant follicular casts were observed.  As Felix was slightly nervous, he was administered mild reversible sedation via dexmedetomidine (Dexdomitor™) IV. Four sites were selected  and locally blocked with a lidocaine-saline solution, and submitted for dermatohistopathology.

 

ASSESSMENT

The biopsy results revealed granulomas around the hair follicles where sebaceous glands normally would exist, and as seen in end-stage disease, sebaceous glands were even absent entirely in some sections. These findings were consistent with sebaceous adenitis.

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