My dog has uveodermatologic syndrome. What medications help?

Hi and thank you for your post on Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Uveodermatolgic syndrome is very common in Akitas. In fact 80% of dogs that develop uveodermatoligic syndrome are Akitas. Very common signs of this autoimmune disease are inflammation of the eyes which may lead to blindness and loss of pigmentation of the skin especially around the nose, kips, and footpads. From looking at the picture you posted, she appears to exhibit the loss of pigmentation around her muzzle and her eyes have clouded which may indicate she has lost her vision. The medications your veterinarian has prescribed for Kitta are 100% appropriate for this autoimmune disease. The best advice I can give you is to stay on her current medications. There have been no other therapies for uveodermatoligic syndrome that have proven to be been successful other than the medications she is on currently. Best of luck and best wishes to you.

For lupus, the typical treatment involves suppressing the immune system with steroids or other immunosuppressant drugs in addition to vitamins, antibiotics and topical therapy. It would be best to discuss further options with the diagnosing veterinarian or seek a specialists advice with a veterinary dermatologist for further recommendations on treatment. I hope this helps! Please let me know if you have any other questions / concerns and I would be happy to help!

The mainstay of therapy for discoid lupus is immunosuppressive therapies such as prednisone or cyclosporine. Topical therapies are also sometimes added. Vitamin E can be useful too but other than that there are no special foods/diets that are indicated.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! That is an excellent question! The main reason is that the topical (to put in the eye) prednisolone does not have good systemic penetration so it has more of the anti-inflammatory effects of it without the immunosuppressive part of it. For this reason, we are not concerned about the infection getting worse. Good luck and have a great day!

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Poor Mollie! I wouldn’t do immunosuppressive doses of steroids without a biopsy. I would try a prescription hydrolzed diet like Royal Canin ultimino, put her on Bravecto, nexgard or simparica to cover for demodex and flea allergy dermatitis, omega 3 fish oil, allergy test her and try cytopoint. I think she has allergies. Most dogs with allergic skin disease need to be on multiple medications and special food. If that doesn’t work consider a boarded veterinary dermatologist. Then consider biopsy of the skin. I hope this helps and I wish Mollie the best!

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Prednisone is an anti-inflammatory at low doses. If your vet suspects allergies as the cause the pred will help. Also the pred may help with rubbing or scratching of the eyes. Allergies are hard to “cure” if the underlyin cause isn’t found. Good luck!

Hi there and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to address your concern. Blood can definitely be seen with cases of IBD. For IBD, immunosuppression is typically the treatment of choice in severe cases. Azathioprine is an immunosuppressant drug that is commonly used along with changing the diet to something such as Royal Canin Ultamino. I would discuss this with your veterinarian for starting something such as Azathioprine in place of steroids to see if this helps more. Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than willing to help you further. I would also recommend adding in a probiotic such as Purina Fortiflora, which can be purchased online or at your local pet store quite easily.