Dog Hyperkeratosis
While hyperkeratosis can occur in dogs of any breed or age, it seems to be more common in griffon breeds, cocker spaniels, boxers, Boston terriers, beagles, Labrador retrievers, and basset hounds than in other breeds.
In elderly dogs, hyperkeratosis can also develop as an age change. Although the illness is not curable, cases that are not worsened by secondary bacterial infections or other problems can typically be treated with topical drugs and have a favorable prognosis.
Hyperkeratosis: What Is It?
The skin cells that create keratin, known as keratinocytes, can overproduce themselves and fail to shed correctly in a disease called hyperkeratosis, which causes the skin tissue to thicken and grow excessively.
The most prevalent symptom of this ailment is dog paw hyperkeratosis, which also affects the pigmented, hairless part of a dog's snout. Elbows are one example of a pressure point where the condition can manifest.
A fibrous protein known as keratin plays a crucial role in the epidermis of both animals and people. The skin's outermost layer of tissue, the epidermis, is what makes up the skin. It acts as a shield between the body and the outside environment, ensuring that bacteria and harmful elements like ultraviolet radiation are kept outside and moisture is kept inside.
Keratin is produced by keratinocytes in the epidermis and serves to fortify, shield, and shield cells from harm. To ensure that there is always adequate keratin in the skin, layers of keratinocytes within the epidermis go through a constant process of growth, maturation, and death. 1 These cells slough off with other skin-forming cells when they expire.
Nails, horns, hooves, hair, beaks, and claws are all made of keratin, but when something goes wrong with the keratinocytes' life cycle, it can cause problems for the animal.
Dog Hyperkeratosis Signs and Symptoms
In places like the top of the nose, paw pads, and elbows, hyperkeratosis has a distinctive appearance of thick, feathered, or frond-like skin overgrowth.
This causes these areas to develop rough, thickened, and dry skin that may crack, fissure, or erode and become more vulnerable to bacterial and fungal infections as a result.
Symptoms
frond-like, rough, thickened skin growth
Erosion, fissures, or cracks
difficulty walking and discomfort
Bleeding
Frond-like, rough, thickened skin growth
Dogs with hyperkeratosis will typically have a characteristic overgrowth of skin in places like the paw pads, nose, and elbow calluses as their most noticeable symptom.
The top of the nose and the outside edges of the paw pads are frequent locations for this overgrowth. The aberrant skin is thicker, tougher, and drier than normal skin, and it looks to have a frond-like or feathery shape.
Erosions, fissures, or cracks
Because it is thicker and drier than normal skin, hyperkeratotic skin may be more vulnerable to external damage, which could cause cracking, fissuring, and erosion.
The skin's natural barrier of defense is weakened as a result, making it less efficient at warding off diseases like germs. Bacterial secondary infections could develop.
Due to the abnormal, out-of-balance skin growth caused by hyperkeratosis, yeast and bacteria that ordinarily would only be present in trace amounts on the skin without posing a threat may also start to overproliferate, resulting in a secondary yeast infection.
Walking Painful and Difficult
Dogs may experience pain and discomfort if the abnormal, proliferating tissue is extensive, especially if it is on the canine paws. Movement may be hampered by this.
When the region is handled or pressure is applied, the dog may experience discomfort due to the pressure of the overgrown, dry skin. For instance, a dog may experience pain when attempting to lie down if they have significant hyperkeratosis that has cracked on pressure points on their elbows.
Bleeding
Blood loss is likely to happen as a result of skin fissures and cracks, which hurts and opens up new entry points for opportunistic bacterial infections.
Hyperkeratosis causes
Trauma, viral infections, and immune-mediated diseases can also produce hyperkeratosis, while hereditary disorders and idiopathic conditions are the most common causes of it. The etiology is typically idiopathic in otherwise healthy dogs.
Some canine breeds are predisposed to particular inherited hyperkeratotic diseases. Given that this condition frequently affects older dogs, age-related changes are another contributing factor.
Dog paw and nose hyperkeratosis, also known as nano digital hyperkeratosis, is a genetic or age-related condition. Any breed of dog can develop it, but cocker spaniels, basset hounds, beagles, boxers, and bulldogs are the most susceptible. Older canines are the most frequently diagnosed ones.
Inheritable in Labrador retrievers, nasal parakeratosis exclusively affects the nose. The onset of this condition in Labrador retrievers is between 6 and 12 months of age, and it may come and go over time, unlike nasodigital hyperkeratosis.
The keratinocytes may overproduce keratin in response to repeated damage to a skin region. This is seen in pressure point hyperkeratosis instances. For instance, hyperkeratosis may appear in the affected areas if a dog frequently lays down on a hard floor without enough bedding and gets pressure sores on the elbows.
Leishmaniasis, a protozoal infection spread by biting flies, and canine distemper virus are examples of systemic diseases that can result in hyperkeratosis. Hyperkeratosis can also be brought on by immune-mediated conditions including pemphigus foliaceous and systemic lupus erythematosus.
Another potential factor is zinc-responsive dermatosis. This disease is accompanied by two syndromes. Some Alaskan dog breeds, such as huskies and malamutes, who are unable to adequately absorb zinc from their meals, acquire syndrome.
When huge and quickly growing dog breeds like Great Danes receive excessive amounts of dietary supplements containing minerals that bind zinc, syndrome 2 is observed. Finally, this condition can also affect dogs whose diets are deficient in zinc.
Hyperkeratosis in Dogs: Diagnosis
It is necessary to do so first if an underlying cause, such as an autoimmune disorder or zinc-responsive dermatosis, is suspected. In addition to performing a thorough physical examination, your veterinarian will enquire about the environment, diet, and medical history of your dog.
Blood tests may be used in diagnostics as both a broad baseline test and for specific tests. Additionally, skin impressions or scrapings to check for the presence of yeast and bacteria, as well as skin biopsies, may be collected.
Treatment
Any secondary bacterial or yeast infections in healthy dogs with hereditary or idiopathic hyperkeratosis must be addressed. Although there is no treatment for hyperkeratosis, it can be managed to keep your dog pain-free and comfortable.
Treatment options include removing extra tissue and softening the dry, hard tissue using ointments or balms.
If a systemic illness is found to be the source of hyperkeratosis, that illness would be treated, and the course of treatment would depend on the particular illness. Changing one's diet and taking supplements can be necessary if zinc-responsive dermatosis is discovered.
Other illnesses, including leishmaniasis and the canine distemper virus, have a dismal prognosis; depending on the illness and how sick the pet is, treatment options might range from hospitalization to, in some circumstances, humane euthanasia.
Immune system-suppressing medications are used to treat immune-mediated diseases, along with antibiotics and antifungals as necessary to treat secondary infections. Immunosuppressive medications are typically administered systemically, but topical medications can occasionally be effective.
Hyperkeratosis in Dogs: Prognosis
The prognosis is good for dogs with hereditary and idiopathic hyperkeratosis of the nose and foot pads. Although there is no cure for the condition, it can be managed to make dogs more comfortable and with fewer symptoms.
The prognosis for dogs with underlying illnesses can be good, as in the case of zinc-responsive dermatosis if the deficiency is reversed, or poor, as in the case of infections like leishmaniasis and distemper.
Dogs with systemic disorders almost certainly need continued care and lifelong medication. For the entirety of their lives, dogs with zinc-responsive dermatosis syndrome 1 require zinc supplements.
Methods for Avoiding Hyperkeratosis
There is no known method of prevention in specific dogs because the majority of cases of hyperkeratosis are genetic or the cause is unknown.
By making sure that your dog consumes a fully balanced food that contains the right levels of zinc, zinc-responsive dermatosis can be avoided. Watch out for any signs of redness, scaling, scabbing, and hair loss on the skin if your dog is an Alaskan breed or a fast-growing, large breed dogs like a Labrador retriever, Great Dane, German shepherd, or Doberman pinscher.
Describe your diet and dietary supplements to your veterinarian.
Immune-mediated illnesses cannot be stopped from occurring. However, immunization is a simple way to avoid the canine distemper virus. All dogs should receive the first round of vaccinations against distemper and other infectious canine diseases, followed by yearly booster shots.
Although it has been reported in various states, leishmaniasis is rare in the US. In some nations, leishmaniasis vaccines are accessible, and applying insecticides and insect repellent to avoid fly bites is a crucial preventive measure.
