This page was last updated: July 26, 2009
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Welcome to the Havanese SA information page. This isn't MY webpage - it's OURS; all the Havanese owners that have a dog affected by SA; all the Havanese breeders that are trying to eliminate this gene from their breeding programs. We are all in this together for our dogs. I hope this will help answer some questions about SA in the Havanese breed. I would love to receive stories and photos to make this as helpful for the next person as possible. Please submit them to janizona@gmail.com
If you have a website, I encourage you to link to this page so more people can find help for their dogs. Those of us with SA dogs know how frustrating the misdiagnosis at the vets can be.
BREEDERS! PLEASE CONTACT ALL YOUR PUPPY OWNERS THAT HAVE DOGS OVER 7 YEARS OLD AND ASK THEM TO PARTICIPATE!!
We also need dogs of any age that show any of the symptoms listed below.
OWNERS! IF YOU HAVEN'T BEEN CONTACTED BY YOUR BREEDER, PLEASE ASK THEM WHY!
Sebaceous Adenitis is a devastating, immune mediated skin disease in dogs. There are several other breeds with SA and some of the symptoms are similar but each breed does seem to have some differences.
SA symptoms can be mild or severe, which is why is isn't detected as often as it could if we had a blood test. The most common misdiagnosis is probably allergies. Sometimes the dog will itch but most of the time they don't scratch as much as you'd expect with allergies.
The clinical signs of SA are variable, depending on the degree of inflammation of the sebaceous glands and the proportion of glands affected.
They would include but not be limited to one or more of the following:
Coat: some type of coat loss. The hair seems thinner and the owner may notice scaling, which resembles large dandruff flakes. The scaling has been described as silvery or gray and these scales adhere tightly to the skin and base of the hair shaft. The skin may become darkened and appear gray or black and may also thicken (hyperkeratosis) or appear greasy. In addition, the coat color and texture may change. There may be loss of undercoat, an uneven patchy coat loss, or a generalized coat loss. The ears may appear crusty, flaky or frayed. There can be mild scaling and hair loss all the way to prominent scaling and complete hair loss. In general the coat is dull, dry, and/or brittle and the dog may have an odor that is often described as “musty” or “rancid.”
Ears: yellow or dark brown/black ear wax that is very difficult to clean out of the ears. Regular ear cleaners don't work. Usually a little baby oil or olive oil and a cotton swab are the only ways to clean this debris out of the ears. In addition, flakes on the inside of the ear flaps, especially right near the edges. I actually had a dog with no other symptoms other than "dirty" ears, he actually had a beautiful coat and skin, but I recognized the ear symptom and had him tested and he is affected.
Eyes: weepy and irritated eyes with a musky odor - kind of like a dirty dish rag. The moisture can cover much of the face or remain just under the eyes and may develop a sticky or crusty consistency making the hair around the eyes difficult to groom. Because of the moisture, the skin underneath the moist hair can become sore or irritated. When the eyes are this severe, they usually itch, resulting in the dog rubbing his face on the carpet or back of furniture.
Skin: In severe cases there may be multiple, crusty skin lesions present.
There seems to be a cycle to the symptoms and the dog will improve for a while with coat regrowth and then it comes back again.
Please let me know if your dog has symptoms not listed here!
AKC Canine Health Foundation News Alert
Havanese Participation Needed for Study of Sebaceous Adenitis [Thursday, July 23, 2009]
Researchers at the University of Minnesota are seeking assistance collecting samples for AKC Canine Health Foundation Grant 1346-A: Genetic Basis of Sebaceous Adenitis in Dogs. The principal investigator for this project is Sandra Koch, DVM, MS, DACVD.
The aim of this project is to hopefully determine the mode of inheritance of sebaceous adenitis in Havanese dogs with the ultimate goal of providing preliminary data for future studies to identify the gene(s) associated with sebaceous adenitis in dogs.
We are looking for Havanese dogs of any age with suspected or diagnosed sebaceous adenitis and Havanese dogs that are 7 years of age or older without sebaceous adenitis. Owners interested in participating in the study will first submit the form (see link below)
and send to dejas1@msn.com. You will be contacted if you need to make a visit to your vet or if they need anything else from you. If you are chosen to be in the study, your vet will collect one 5 ml blood sample and/or two or three 6 mm skin biopsy samples.
The skin sample is taken using a local anesthetic, not a general. The procedures is not much worse than getting a microchip.
Dogs in full coat may participate. In those cases, the skin sample is taken from under a layer of coat and the area does not have to be shaved.
All individual results will be kept confidential.
The study covers the costs of the visit fee, blood sample and biopsy. In addition, the study clients will receive $12 for a blood sample and $40.00 for skin biopsy samples as compensation for their participation.
To participate or to learn more, please contact any of the following:
Mary Ellen at 763-213-1498 or dejas1@msn.com;
Dr. Sandra Koch at 612-625-6212 or nogu0005@umn.edu; or
Dr. Sheila Torres at 612-625-3715 or torre009@umn.edu.
Click here to support important research at the AKC Canine Health Foundation and please consider a recurring gift.
Contact:Erika Werne
Director of Education, Communications and Club Relations
AKC Canine Health Foundation
919-334-4010
888-682-9696
www.akcchf.org
The AKC Canine Health Foundation, founded in 1995 by the American Kennel Club, is the largest nonprofit worldwide to fund health research exclusively for canines. Our goal is to help dogs live longer, healthier lives. The AKC Canine Health Foundation is the leader in non-invasive genetic health research, stem cell research, and biotherapeutics benefiting both canines and humans. Through the generous financial support of the American Kennel Club and the Nestlé Purina PetCare Co., we’re proud to announce we have allocated more than $22 million in canine health research through more than 75 schools and research institutions worldwide.
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