How do you treat vitiligo in dogs?

How do you treat vitiligo in dogs?

Currently, there are no available treatments for vitiligo that will re-pigment your pet’s affected skin and fur. However, because vitiligo causes no discomfort, your dog or cat will be just fine living the rest of his or her life with this condition.

Does vitiligo go away in dogs?

There is no known treatment for vitiligo and if stress isn’t the problem, your dog will continue being his happy self. Vitiligo is the loss of pigment from the skin or hair of your dog causing patches of fading or white color. Vitiligo may be unattractive to you, but is considered a harmless condition.

What age does vitiligo start in dogs?

It can develop at any age, but 70–80% of cases arise before the age of 30 with an onset before the age of 12 years being common (up to 37% of patients in one study) [17]. In the dog, rottweiler and doberman pinscher dogs (in the USA) as well as collies are thought to be predisposed to vitiligo [11, 21].

Is vitiligo common in dogs?

Tri-County Animal Hospital noted that vitiligo is common in dog breeds such as “Belgian Tervuren, German shepherd dogs, Doberman pinschers, rottweilers, German shorthaired pointer, Old English sheepdog, and dachshunds.” Siamese cats may be predisposed as well.

How do you prevent vitiligo in dogs?

How to Prevent Vitiligo in Dogs. Dogs that have vitiligo should not be bred to decrease the likelihood of it passing on to offspring in case it is hereditary. Otherwise, since no one knows the exact cause of the condition, there is no real way to prevent it from occurring.

Why do dogs get vitiligo?

Most organisms (including humans) have melanin; it’s the pigment that gives skin, fur, eyes, and other body parts their color. When melanin-producing cells are attacked, the pigment color goes away, hence the white patches on dogs with vitiligo.

Why do dogs lose pigment?

Hormonal disorders (imbalances of thyroid, adrenal or sex hormones) can alter pigmentation as can bacterial and fungal infections and even cancers (neoplasias). Immune-mediated diseases also occur in dogs where the dog’s own antibodies attack different parts of the skin resulting in depigmentation.

What food causes vitiligo?

Here are some of the top problem foods that some people with vitiligo cite:

• alcohol.
• blueberries.
• citrus.
• coffee.
• curds.
• fish.
• fruit juice.
• gooseberries.

What does it mean if your dog has vitiligo?

Vitiligo is the loss of pigment from the skin or hair of your dog causing patches of fading or white color. Vitiligo may be unattractive to you, but is considered a harmless condition.

Can a 4 year old spayed dog have vitiligo?

A case study from the journal Veterinary Dermatology shows a 4-year-old spayed female mix breed had shown to have Addison’s disease which then developed vitiligo [5]. This shows that other immunodeficient symptoms may appear. Although vitiligo is in itself not life-threatening, it is possible related conditions might be.

Can a golden retriever have vitiligo on the nose?

Only the nose will be affected, not other parts of the body as with vitiligo. Another, somewhat more common, condition can be found in breeds such as the Siberian Husky, the Golden Retriever or the Labrador Retriever. This is where we see a lack of general nasal pigmentation.

What happens to your skin when you have vitiligo?

As the melanocytes die off, the skin in the affected area turns white or pink. The fur covering the affected skin also turns white. Vitiligo commonly affects the face first, particularly the nose. Other areas of the face that might lose pigment include the lips and the area around the eyes.