Color Dilution Alopecia

What is Color Dilution Alopecia?

Color-dilution alopecia is a rare skin disease found primarily in dogs with blue or fawn coats. In essence, the dog typically has abnormal melanin transfer and storage within the body causing a black or brown coat to look bluer or fawn colored. This disease can cause patchy hair growth or hair loss.

Symptoms

Symptoms of this disorder include the following:

• Patchy hair loss on the ears, head, and back
• Wrinkled skin
• Dermatitis
• Dry scaling
• Reoccurring bacterial skin inflammation

Causes

This disorder is hereditary or passed on from the parents. Some of the breeds (both small breeds and large breeds) more prone to this disorder include:

• Yorkshire Terrier
• Poodle
• Dachshund
• Miniature Schnauzer
• Italian Greyhound
• Chihuahua
• Doberman Pinscher
• Chow Chow
• Great Dane
• Newfoundland

Treatment and Prevention

Unfortunately, this disease does not respond well to any type of treatment and hair loss suffered from this condition will not grow back. There are shampoos and moisturizers available that may aide with dry skin, skin infections or skin allergies. The best prevention method is to simply not breed carriers of this disorder. For additional information regarding color-dilution alopecia, be sure to consult with your vet.

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Color Dilution Alopecia