Sebaceous Adenitis

[Laila]

Hi,

 

The love of our life, our almost 3-year old Doodle just got diagnosed with Sebaceous Adenitis. I suspected this condition following my own research, but decided to follow through with Vet's recommendations. However, with months of testing and treatment with no results, I decided to take things in my hand and make an appointment with the dermatologist directly.

 

Nonetheless, things were not that smooth: the Derm wanted us to go through a lot of ancillary tests, but I was pretty firm that the first thing I want her to do is punch biopsy and get those results before subjecting my Laila through other tests. Once again, I was glad for standing my ground. The biopsy results arrived today and Laila indeed has Sebaceous Adenitis. Out of the 4 punches, three showed no sign of sebaceous glands, and fourth one had some signs of glands.

 

As for Laila, she has lost a lot of hair, mostly on her back, bilaterally. She also has a lot of dark scabs all over her body. I don't think my dermatologist has anything more to offer than a prescription for Atopica (cyclosporine). She has absolutely no knowledge of other kind of research-based interventions that have had some success (oil bath etc.). Therefore, I know I am on my own in this journey with Laila. I have been doing a lot of reading, but wanted to seek input from others who might have any helpful suggestion for dealing with this condition. Please trust me, I have read everything that I could over the internet so I know what is out there. I am strictly looking for people's personal experience with this disorder.  The purpose of my posting is three fold:

(a) Please, please, please always do your own research about the condition of your pet, instead of thinking that your vet knows everything. I cannot tell you how upset I got when people would ask me to talk to Vet for every little problem. We have gone through 3 vets for the same problem with zero results. Trust yourself and don't hesitate to stand your ground if you don't think the vet is listening to you. If only we had been more proactive with our own research, we might have had some success in alleviating Laila's condition by starting the treatment 6 months ago, when the symptom first appeared.

 

(b) Don't blindly trust the treatment recommended by vets or specialists. Both, our vet and Dermatologist were interested in selling us their products. The Derm talked to us about Atopica as if that is the only treatment in the world. She assumed that I did not know that Atopica is the brand name for cyclosporine, which I could get for $100 cheaper with a prescription from Walmart or Target pharmacy.

 

(c) Lastly, and which is the primary reason I am writing here, I sincerely request others who are dealing with this condition to share what they have found helpful over the years.

 

Our Laila will no longer look like the fluff ball or Teddy bear that she was, but our love for her will be the same.

 

Sincerely,

Laila's mom

[Joanna, Zoe & Bender]

I am so sorry for what Laila and you are going through.  Your points a and b are VERY good points and thank you for writing that.  I don't have personal experience with this but I hope you are able to get the information/help you are looking for.  

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Hi, I am sorry to hear about Laila. I'm very familiar with S.A., as it is genetic and affects Standard Poodles, and I have been a poodle owner and lover for many years. I also know of two other doodles affected by Sebaceous Adenitis, although their owners are not members here. It's a tough disease to deal with. The good news is that Laila should be able to live a normal lifespan and have a good quality of life, especially with an owner like you caring for her.

As I'm sure you know from your research, Sebaceous Adenitis cannot be cured, only managed, so please don't beat yourself up about not being more proactive with your research 6 months earlier. It most likely would not have made a difference.My guy has two immune-mediated diseases- Inflammatory Bowel Disease and Atopic Dermatitis, both of which uncurable and must be treated with immunosuppressant drugs such as Cyclosporine, so I am familiar with that as well. I completely agree with you about trusting your instincts and doing your research. I'm sorry you've been unhappy with your dermatology specialist, JD's has been wonderful and his treatment successful, but my experiences with the internal medicine specialists we have used have so far been frustrating, so I sympathize with you on that as well. 

One thing you should know is that sometimes, the generic Cyclosporine does not work as well as Atopica. This has not been my experience, but that of several members in my IBD support group. That's somethign you don't see in the literature on the diseases and treatments.  Perhaps your dermatologist felt that the brand name would be more effective in Laila's case. Still, you should have been given the choice.

I'm also surprised that she was unaware of using oil baths and other topicals. Is there a possibility of finding another dermatologist in your area? Are you near any vet schools, those are usually a great option. 

I haven't heard of any doodles here on DK with S.A., but many if not most of the dogs here are very young. I expect that unfortunately, we will hear of more doodles with this disease as they get older.

One thing you might want to do is join a Yahoo support group for owners of dogs with SA where you can network with others who have had success with various treatment options. It has been invaluable for me. I even learned how to "compound" my own  capsules for one of JD's meds with an $18  machine from Amazon, instead of paying a pharmacy $200/month for a drug that costs pennies. I found this group for you:  http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/SA_Addisons/

I would also urge you to contact your breeder. This disease is genetic and would be coming from the poodle lines in Laila's pedigree. Although the breeders in the two other cases of doodles with SA were not responsive or willing to help the owners, one hopes that they at least will eliminate the dogs who are passing this on from their programs.

Again, I am so sorry that you and Laila are dealing with this, but I'm grateful that she is in such good hands. There are people who give up dogs with SA. Laila is one of the lucky ones. Hugs to you both.

[Allyson, Peri & Taquito]

Just wanted to offer my support - you are a wonderful doodle mom to take such good care of her. Laila is very, very lucky.  I hope you find a good support group as Karen mentioned above.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

You may already have found this, but the Versatility in Poodles website has a great article on doing oil bath treatments at home: http://www.vipoodle.org/PDF_Files/HomeSebaceous.pdf

[F, Calla & Luca]

I am sorry to hear about Laila. I agree that we should all be and own best physicians and the same by surrogate for our pets.

[Sue, Murphy and Bella ()*o*()]

Good luck with the treatment plan and I hope the oil baths and shampoo helps keep this under control for both of you. Doesn't sound very comfortable for her. Keep us posted please?

[Adrianne Matzkin]

I am truly sorry that Leila is going through this. I never heard of it and just did a search to see what it is and what to look for. I hope that you can this under control so she will feel better and thank you for posting this. You educated me on something new.

[Jill, Woody & Maxi]

I am so sorry for what Laila and you are going through..but I am very grateful that Laila has an amazing owner who is giving her the best possible care..thank you, and wishing you both the best

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

I had to look this up to see what it actually is. I am sorry that Laila has this, but I am sure that you will ensure that she has the best treatment to make her comfortable and live a long and happy life.  Good for you to trust your gut.

[Mandy & Sprocket]

Hi! I have been to numerous vets regarding my doodles horrible smell since he was a puppy. We have tried multiple foods trying to eliminate varying ingredients with some success (ears and anal glands are much better); however, now the smell is much worse (when wet), there are brown flecks throughout his fur, his fur is greasy looking (even after grooming), and my groomer/friend says his fur is much thinner. I'm at my wits end. My vet tested for yeast, with negative results, but she put him on antibiotics (I did not give him). My groomer/friend suggested I research SA. Just wondering if this sounds anything like what you experienced with your doodle.
Thanks!!
Mandy

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

Marcy, this is an old post.  You might want to post your comment in a new post to see if you get more responses.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I don;t think anyone else here on DK has any experience with SA. and when it comes to serious diseases, you really don;t want opinions and guesses from everyone and their littermate, lol. 

Mandy, I would consult a veterinary dermatologist. You need a reliable diagnosis. 

Here is some good information:

http://ic.upei.ca/cidd/disorder/sebaceous-adenitis

http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?A=2773