233 DISC

Veterinary Dermatology 2001, 12, 101109

Zinc-responsive dermatosis in dogs: 41 cases and

literature review
STEPHEN D. WHITE,* PATRICK BOURDEAU,{ ROD A. W. ROSYCHUK,{
BETH COHEN,# TERRI BONENBERGER,** KATHRYN V. FIESELER,{{
PETER IHRKE,*PHILLIP L. CHAPMAN, {{ PATRICIA SCHULTHEISS,##
GILA ZUR,*** ANDREA CANNON{{{ and CATHERINE OUTERBRIDGE**
*Department of Medicine and Epidemiology, **Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital, School of Veterinary
Medicine, University of California, Davis, California 95616, USA, {Departement Pathologie Generale
Infectieuse et Parasitaire, Ecole Nationale Veterinaire de Nantes BP 44307, Nantes Cedex 03, France,
{Department of Clinical Sciences, ##Department of Pathology, {{Veterinary Teaching Hospital, School of
Veterinary Medicine, #Department of Biology, {{Department of Statistics, Colorado State University, Fort
Collins, Colorado 80523, USA, ***Koret Veterinary Teaching Hospital, School of Veterinary Medicine, The
Hebrew University of Jerusalem, PO Box 12 Rehovot 70600, Israel and {{{Animal Dermatology and Allergy,
Loomis, California 95650, USA
(Received 22 November 1999; accepted 4 May 2000)

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Abstract Forty-one cases of zinc-responsive dermatosis in the dog are described. The Siberian husky was the
predominant breed aected. Periocular crusts were the most common clinical sign and parakeratosis was
noted in the skin biopsy specimens of all dogs. Treatment with oral zinc ameliorated the clinical signs in most
dogs, but cases necessitating other treatments such as parenteral zinc or retinoids are reported. The authors
recommend a starting dose of 23 mg kg71 elemental zinc per day in the treatment of this disorder.
Keywords: crusting skin, dogs, parakeratosis, Siberian husky, skin, zinc.

Ref start

INTRODUCTION

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Zinc-responsive dermatosis is a well-documented

disease in dogs;13 a dingo (Canis dingo) with the
disease also has been reported.4 Two manifestations
of zinc-responsive dermatosis have been described.
The rst (Syndrome I) occurs in all ages of dogs,
usually fed balanced diets. These dogs require zinc
supplementation, typically for life.1,3 There appears
to be a predisposition for northern-breed dogs
(Siberian husky, Alaskan Malamute, Samoyed),1,3,5,6
although other breeds have also been reported.79
The second manifestation (Syndrome II) occurs in
young dogs fed diets which are low in absolute zinc
concentrations, have high phytate (plant protein) or
calcium levels (which chelate with the zinc in the food
and prevent its absorption), and/or are fed cereal or
soy based diets.1,2,10,11 Feeding appropriately balanced diets to these dogs resolves the dermatosis and
zinc supplementation is usually only a transient
requirement. This report describes zinc-responsive
dermatosis in dogs from three regions of the United
States, France and Israel.

The record systems of the Veterinary Medical

Teaching Hospital-University of California at
Davis, California, USA (UCD), the Veterinary
Teaching Hospital-Colorado State University, Fort
Collins, Colorado, USA (CSU), the Ecole Nationale
Veterinaire de Nantes, Nantes, France and the
Ecole Nationale Veterinaire d'Alfort, Paris, France
(ENV), and the Koret Veterinary Teaching Hospital,
School of Veterinary Medicine, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Rehovot, Israel (KVTH) were
searched for dogs diagnosed as having zinc-responsive dermatosis. In addition, the records of four dogs
examined by one of the authors (SDW) in New
England (NE) were examined. Three of these dogs
were examined at the Angell Memorial Animal
Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA and one at
the Foster Hospital for Small Animals at Tufts
University School of Veterinary Medicine, North
Grafton, Massachusetts, USA. Only dogs that had
had skin biopsies performed, had been administered
zinc replacement therapy and had clinical follow-up,
either by examination or via telephone, were included
in the study. Age at presentation, age at onset,
breed, sex, diet, clinical signs, alkaline phosphatase
values, biopsy results, treatment, response to treatment and length of time treated at nal evaluation
were noted.

Correspondence: Dr S.D. White, Department of Medicine and

Epidemiology, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of
California, Davis, California 95616, USA.
# 2001 Blackwell Science Ltd

101

233 DISC
102

S. D. White et al.

Response to zinc supplementation was graded as

excellent (total resolution of lesions), good (greater
than 50% but less than 100% resolution of lesions),
or poor (less than 50% resolution or no change). The
length of time treated when evaluated was determined
as either 4 weeks, 48 weeks or greater than eight weeks.
Statistics
Zinc dosages received by four groups of dogs, the
good and excellent responders receiving either zinc
methionine or zinc sulphate, were compared using
two-factor analysis of variance (ANOVA) on the
logarithms (base e) of the doses. The logarithms were
used because distributions of the doses were substantially skewed, with some groups having variances
signicantly larger than others. However, in the log
scale, the data appeared to satisfy the assumptions
required for the ANOVA. The factors were type of
supplement (zinc methionine, zinc sulphate) and
degree of response (good, excellent). Group comparisons of interest were the main eects of the two
factors and their interaction.
RESULTS
Forty-one dogs met the requirements of inclusion in
the study. These included 17 dogs from CSU, 11 dogs
from ENV, eight dogs from UCD, the four NE dogs
and one dog from KVTH. Comparison of signalment
parameters among the dogs from various geographical regions is shown in Table 1. The age at onset of
disease ranged from 2 months to 11 years (median = 3 years). The age at examination ranged from 5

months to 11 years (median = 4 years). Dog breeds

represented were 31 Siberian huskies, two White
German Shepherd dogs, one Samoyed, one atcoated retriever, one Boston terrier and ve mixedbreed dogs. There were 19 males (ve neutered) and
22 females (13 spayed) dogs. As far as could be
determined, all dogs were being fed a nutritionally
complete diet according to National Research Council guidelines, or, in the case of the dogs seen at ENV
or KVTH, according to similar national guidelines.
The most common clinical lesions were crusts,
found in 35 of the dogs, followed by alopecia in 17 dogs
and erythema in 13 dogs. Sixteen dogs were pruritic and
in two, the pruritus was primarily directed at encrusted
pinnae. Thirty-two dogs had lesions in the periocular
region, 25 dogs in the perioral region, 13 on the foot-or
carpal-pads, 13 dogs on the pinnae, nine on the nasal
planum, nine in the perigenital region, eight on the
muzzle, seven on the distal limbs, ve in the perianal
region and ve on the elbow. (Figs 15). These signs
were not symmetrical in seven dogs with perioccular
lesions, six dogs with footpad lesions and three dogs
with perioral lesions. Concurrent diseases included
pemphigus foliaceus (Fig. 6), discoid lupus erythematosus and atopy in two dogs each.
Alkaline phosphatase values were only available
for eight of the dogs. One dog from CSU had a low
value of 13 IU L71 (normal 35280).

Table 1. Dogs with zinc-responsive dermatosis

CSU
Number of dogs
17
Number of Siberian huskies 12
age of onset
4
age at examination
5
males/females
9/8
ZM
13
ZS
10
ZG
1
Excellent
6
Good
11
Poor
4

ENV

UCD

NE

KVTH

11
11
3
3.7
6/5
7
4
2
7
5
1

8
4
2.2
4
3/5
2
5
1
3
6
0

4
2
2
3
0/4
3
2
0
3
2
0

1
1
0.75
0.9
1/0
0
1
0
0
1
0

Institutions where dogs were examined: CSU = Colorado State

University; ENV = Ecole Nationale Veterinaire (Nantes & Alfort);
UCD = University of California at Davis; NE = New England
(Angell Memorial Animal Hospital & Tufts University School of
Veterinary Medicine).
Ages are expressed in median years.
ZM = number of dogs administered zinc methionine.
ZS = number of dogs administered zinc sulphate.
ZG = number of dogs administered zinc gluconate.
Excellent, Good, Poor = response to zinc supplements.
Note: because some dogs received more than one type of
supplement, the total number of dogs receiving zinc supplements
and the total number of dogs responding may be more than the
total number of dogs examined at an institution.
# 2001 Blackwell Science Ltd, Veterinary Dermatology, 12, 101109

Figure 1. Two-year-old spayed female Siberian husky with zinc

responsive dermatosis. Note perioccular crust.

Figure 2. Same dog as Figure 1. Note perioral crust and erythema.

233 DISC
Zinc-responsive dermatosis

Figure 3. One-year-old female white German shepherd dog with

zinc responsive dermatosis. Note crust and erythema of hock region.

Skin biopsy ndings from the dogs are summarized

as follows. Parakeratosis (parakeratotic hyperkeratosis) was the most common histological nding,
found in all 41 dogs (Fig. 7). Orthokeratotic
hyperkeratosis was found in 15 dogs. Follicular
parakeratosis was noted in 21 dogs and follicular
orthokeratotic hyperkeratosis was noted in ve dogs.
Twenty-seven dogs showed acanthosis. Thirty-seven
dogs had perivascular, diuse and/or perifollicular
inammatory inltrates although the degree of
inammation and the cell type varied considerably.
A mononuclear perivascular pattern or a diuse
lymphocytic-plasmacytic inltrate were the most
common pattern, found in nine and seven dogs,
respectively.
Treatments included zinc-methionine, zinc sulphate, or zinc gluconate. Zinc methionine (Nutrived
Chewable ZINPRO tablets, Vedco, Inc., St. Joseph,
Missouri USA; Pala-Z, Allerderm-Virbac, Ft. Worth,
Texas, USA; Zincaderm, Virbac Animaux de Compagnie, Carros, France) was given to 25 dogs at
dosages ranging from 1.2 to 6.8 mg kg71 per day.
(Note: All dosages in this study refer to amounts of
elemental zinc.) The records of four dogs did not note
the body weight; the mean of the dosages for the
other 21 dogs was 3.1 mg kg71. Zinc sulphate
(various manufacturers) was given to 21 dogs at

103

Figure 4. One-year-old male Boston terrier with zinc responsive

dermatosis. Note crusts on dorsal muzzle.

Figure 5. Eight-year-old male white German shepherd dog with

zinc responsive dermatosis. Note crusts on pinna.

dosages ranging from 1.25 to 11.36 mg kg71; the

records of three dogs did not note the body weight;
the mean of the dosages of the other 18 dogs was 4.5
mg kg71. Zinc gluconate (various manufacturers)
was given to 4 dogs; only two dogs had their body
weight noted in the record, and their dosages were 1.7
and 2.8 mg kg71 body weight.
Five dogs originally given zinc sulphate, and one
dog originally given zinc gluconate, had their treatment changed to zinc methionine when the response
to the rst drug was deemed insucient. In contrast,
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233 DISC
104

S. D. White et al.

Figure 6. Two-year-old male Siberian husky with zinc responsive

dermatosis and pemphigus foliaceus. Note crusts on dorsal
perioccular region, dorsal muzzle and nasal planum, and
depigmentation of nasal planum.

two dogs originally given zinc methionine had their

treatment changed to zinc sulphate. The new zinc
product approximated the elemental zinc dose of the
initial supplement. One dog in France had its
treatment changed from zinc methionine to a
parenteral zinc solution (Prolontex, Hoechst RousselVet, Romainville, France), 600 mg of elemental
zinc given intramuscularly once monthly (the weight
of the dog was not recorded).
Additional drugs administered included various
antibiotics in 11 dogs, corticosteroids in nine dogs,
niacinamide and tetracycline in two dogs and
etretinate in two dogs. The corticosteroids in eight
dogs were administered for various reasons (allergies,
arthritis, pemphigus foliaceus) after maximal eect
from the zinc supplementation was noted. In one dog
the prednisone was both initiated and discontinued
before zinc supplementation began (see below). The
niacinamide and tetracycline, used to treat discoid
lupus, were also administered after maximal eect
from the zinc supplementation was noted. The
etretinate was used subsequent to zinc treatment
(see below).
Of the 25 dogs given zinc methionine, 11 dogs had
excellent responses (mean dose: 2.6 mg kg71) (Figs 8
and 9), 12 dogs had good responses (mean dose: 4.4
mg kg71) and two dogs had a poor response (dosage
available on one: 1.2 mg kg71). Of the 21 dogs given
# 2001 Blackwell Science Ltd, Veterinary Dermatology, 12, 101109

Figure 7. Photomicrograph of epidermis from dog of Figure 5,

showing typical parakeratosis associated with zinc responsive
dermatosis. (H & E 400')

zinc sulphate, six had an excellent response (mean

dose: 3 mg kg71), 13 dogs had a good response (mean
dose: 5.1 mg kg71) and two dogs had poor responses
(both dogs received a dose of 4 mg kg71). Three of
the dogs given zinc gluconate had excellent responses
(this included both dogs whose dose per kg was
recorded) and one had a poor response. Four dogs
that were each given zinc methionine or zinc sulphate,
and one dog given zinc gluconate, improved when
their initial dosage was doubled, although the precise
degree of improvement could not be ascertained from
the medical record.
The two dogs with a poor response to zinc sulphate
had a good response to zinc methionine. Two of the
three dogs with a good response to zinc sulphate had
an excellent response to zinc methionine, while the
third dog had a good response. Of the two dogs that
had a poor response to zinc methionine, one had an
excellent response and one had a good response to
zinc sulphate. The one dog that had a poor response
to zinc gluconate had a good response to zinc
methionine.
Statistical analysis
The mean dose of the two groups of dogs graded as
good responders (receiving either zinc methionine or

233 DISC
Zinc-responsive dermatosis

Figure 8. Ten-year-old male neutered Siberian husky with zinc

responsive dermatosis. Note unilateral perioccular crusts.

zinc sulphate) was 4.75 mg kg71 and the mean dose

of the two groups graded as excellent responders
(receiving either zinc methionine or zinc sulphate)
was 2.8 mg kg71. The eect of the type of supplement
(comparison of groups of good and excellent
responders receiving zinc methionine to the same
groups receiving zinc sulphate) was not signicant
(P = 0.868). The eect of the degree of response
was signicant, with dogs rated as excellent responders having signicantly lower dose values, on
average, than dogs rated as good responders
(P = 0.020). There was no evidence that the size of
this dose dierence between the excellent and good
responders depended on which supplement they
received (P = 0.696).
Seven dogs had their nal evaluation after 4 weeks
of treatment, eight dogs at between 4 and 8 weeks of
treatment, and 33 dogs had their nal evaluation
after 8 weeks of treatment (most of these dogs had
had multiple re-evaluations). Eight of the dogs were
evaluated after greater than one year of treatment. Of
the ve dogs with poor responses, two of them had
their nal evaluation after 4 weeks of treatment.
Most owners noted a response within the rst 6 weeks
of treatment. Dogs that had been on two dierent
zinc products were evaluated more than once, unless

105

Figure 9. Same dog as Figure 8, one year after initiation of zinc

methionine treatment. Resolution of lesions was termed an
excellent response.

an adverse eect forced discontinuation of the

treatment. Vomiting was the only adverse reaction
noted to zinc administration and it occurred in two
dogs administered zinc sulphate.
Several individual dogs had interesting response
histories. The dog in France that had a poor response
to zinc methionine had an excellent response to the
parenteral zinc product; after 6 months the injections
were discontinued and the lesions did not recur. (A
comparable parenteral formulation of zinc is not
available in the USA). One Siberian husky was noted
to have a good response while on zinc methionine
alone, but an excellent response when this was given
with etretinate (1 mg kg71 daily) (Tegison, HomanRoche, New Jersey, USA; no longer available). The
Boston terrier responded dramatically to zinc methionine for 6 months. The lesions then recurred and were
not responsive to further treatment with zinc
methionine. Treatment was changed to etretinate (1
mg kg71 daily). The lesions resolved within 2 months
and the clinical signs remained in remission with
etretinate treatment for 7 years without relapse. The
at-coated retriever was maintained on zinc sulphate
for 2 years; the owner then started administration of
an essential fatty acid supplement, discontinued the
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233 DISC
106

S. D. White et al.

zinc and the dog has remained free of lesions for 1.5
years. One owner of a Siberian husky noted initially
that the dog had received prednisone (dose unknown)
and all lesions had resolved, but recurred after
discontinuing the drug. The dog was then given zinc
sulphate and had a good response.
The lesions in one intact female Siberian husky
worsened in association with oestrus, necessitating an
increase in its usual 5 mg kg71 daily zinc sulphate
dose to 7.5 mg kg71. After an ovariohysterectomy, the
dog's daily zinc requirement decreased to 2.5 mg kg71.
Another intact female Siberian husky's disease was
well controlled with zinc sulphate at 2.5 mg kg71
given daily for 7 years, until the age of 10, at which
time the dog was ovariohysterectomized. Following
surgery, the owner was able to discontinue the zinc
treatment; previous to the ovariohysterectomy the
owner had been unable to discontinue the zinc
supplementation. The dog remained free of lesions
until its death 3.5 years later. Excluding these two
dogs, three out of six intact female dogs (50%) and
six out of 13 spayed female dogs (46%) had an
excellent response; the remaining female dogs in both
groups had good responses.
DISCUSSION
The age of onset of the dogs in this study varied, but
the mean of 3.4 years is consistent with the young
adult dog typical for Syndrome I.1 The dogs were
examined at seven dierent institutions and therefore
exact breed incidence relative to each hospital's breed
population is not known. Nevertheless, Siberian
huskies comprised 76% of all the dogs in this study,
also consistent with the reported predisposition of
Syndrome I for northern-breed dogs.1,3,5,6 Numbers
of male and female dogs were similar, as was noted in
a previous study.2
Clinical signs were in agreement with previous
reports.1,3,5,12,13 While pruritus is reported as unusual
or absent by some authors1,2 it was seen in 40% of
the dogs in this study, which is in agreement with a
previous report of 10/17 cases demonstrating pruritus.3 The same report also noted the asymmetry of
the lesions in some dogs, as was found in this study.
The fact that the muzzle and the footpads were
aected may relate to the high levels of zinc found in
the epithelium of these areas in normal dogs.14
Pyoderma has been noted previously as a concurrent
problem.1,7,8
Zinc plays an important role in regulating various
aspects of cellular metabolism, principally through its
incorporation into enzymes.15,16 Alkaline phosphatase is a zinc-dependent enzyme, and has been noted
to be low in cattle17 and pigs18 with zinc deciency.
When specically mentioned in association with cases
of zinc responsive dermatosis of dogs reported in the
literature, values are usually normal,2,10 although one
dog having a low value has been reported (39 IU
# 2001 Blackwell Science Ltd, Veterinary Dermatology, 12, 101109

L71; normal 88218).6 This value would have been

considered normal among the laboratories of the
institutions of this report; the variance in normal
value ranges is important to consider in any future
investigation.
The histopatholical ndings in our cases, especially
the parakeratosis, were consistent with most previous
reports.1,3,711,13 However, some authors do not feel
that skin biopsies are helpful, with the classic
parakeratosis being noted in only 64% of the cases
in a series of dogs fed high cereal or soy diets.2,19
When zinc-decient diets are fed to dogs on an
experimental basis, some authors report the presence
of parakeratosis20 while others do not.21 However,
skin lesions in children with the zinc-responsive
dermatosis termed acrodermatitis enteropathica
may appear orthokeratotic on light microscopy but
in fact show nucleate parakeratotic cells on electron
microscopy.15 The mechanism by which zinc deciency causes parakeratosis is probably due to the
insucient function of zinc-related lytic enzymes and/
or an increase in epidermal cell turnover time (and
thus a lack of time for hydrolysis of the nuclei).22,23
The response of the dogs in this report to zinc
supplementation conrmed the diagnosis of zincresponsive dermatosis. Other diagnostic tests are
controversial. While some authors have found serum
and hair zinc levels to be unhelpful, others have
described consistently low zinc levels in plasma,
serum, or hair.24 However, there is overlap with
these levels and those of healthy dogs, giving such
tests only corroborative diagnostic value. The results
of oral zinc tolerance tests vary greatly in normal
dogs and thus are not helpful.25
Zinc, when fed to dogs as a chelate with an amino
acid (such as methionine), has been shown to be more
bioavailable than zinc oxide or zinc sulphate.26,27
Zinc as a chelate with an amino acid, or as a
polysaccharide complex with zinc sulphate, has also
been shown to overcome the negative (binding) eect
of calcium.27 As we found no signicant dierence in
the type of supplement relative to the response, either
zinc sulphate or zinc methionine may be recommended in the treatment of this disease. The mean
values of the dosages in dogs with both excellent and
good responses were higher than the initial 1 mg kg71
dosage recommended previously.3 The reason for the
signicantly lower doses of the excellent responders
vs. the good responders is not known, but may
represent the variability of zinc absorption in
individual dogs25 and, by extension, the need to
individually tailor the dose to the dog. Alternatively,
the higher dose may reect a tendency to increase the
dosage in good responders in order to achieve an
excellent response, as doubling the initial dose was
noted to result in improvement in nine of the dogs in
this report. While the small number of dogs receiving
zinc gluconate precluded statistical analysis, the 75%
excellent response rate suggests that this formulation
would also be an acceptable treatment.

233 DISC
Zinc-responsive dermatosis
As most of the owners noted a response within the
rst 6 weeks of treatment, it is possible that the two
dogs with poor responses which were evaluated after
only 4 weeks of treatment may have eventually shown
a good or excellent response. The benecial eect of a
parenteral zinc preparation in one of the poor
responders in this report has been noted previously,
albeit given via an intravenous route.28
The owner of the at-coated retriever reported an
ability to discontinue zinc supplementation following
the initiation of essential fatty acid supplementation.
An interplay between essential fatty acids (EFA) and
zinc has been noted previously. Fat (triglyceride)
absorption has been shown to be lower in dogs with
zinc-responsive dermatosis than in healthy dogs.29
Essential fatty acid supplementation has been shown
to inhibit the eect of dietary zinc deciency in
rats.3032 Essential fatty acids also ameliorate the
eect of zinc deciency in pigs.33 Somewhat along the
same lines, the disease in the Boston terrier initially
responded to administration of zinc, but then became
resistant. The response subsequently seen to the
administration of the retinoid, etretinate, as well as
this drug's benecial eect in conjunction with zinc in
one Siberian husky, is reminiscent of its eects in
other keratinization disorders in dogs.34,35 While the
disease in both the at-coated retriever and the
Boston terrier was zinc-responsive, the ability to
successfully change to other treatments indicates that
in some dogs the typical clinical presentation and
histological nding of parakeratosis may be more
generally interpreted as a disturbance in the keratinization process, not necessarily of a zinc-related
metabolic defect per se.
The reason for the response to prednisone in one
Siberian husky, noted by the owner, is unclear.
However, dogs which respond poorly to zinc administration alone but improve when a glucocorticoid is
added to the regimen have been reported.36 This
response has been theorized as an eect on intestinal
zinc absorption and/or an anti-inammatory eect
on the skin lesions.36
The two female dogs that were able to sustain a
decrease or cessation of their zinc dosage following
ovariohysterectomy may have done so because of
competition between oestrogen and zinc for serum
protein, as has been hypothesized to occur in
pregnant women.37 Alternatively, the demand for
zinc, particularly by ovarian tissues, may increase
during oestrus, as has been shown in ewes,38 and can
be conjectured in dogs from a report of two bitches
that had been in anoestrus until supplementation
with zinc, at which time normal cycling commenced.19 While the percentages of female dogs in
this study with good or excellent responses were
similar regardless of reproductive status, it does seem
prudent to recommend performing an ovariohysterectomy in a female dog with zinc-responsive dermatosis if the disease is dicult to control, and/or if
there are no contraindications to the surgery.

107

Zinc-responsive dermatosis may be experimentally

induced by feeding a zinc-poor ration as has been
described in various laboratory animal species.20
23,3032,39,40
Zinc-responsive dermatosis may also
occur naturally in relation to insucient zinc in the
diet, as has been described in dogs with Syndrome
II,1,2,10,11 dogs fed a generic dog food41 and in
pigs.18,33,42 Zinc-responsive dermatosis has also been
described in goats, sheep and llamas, but the
pathogenesis of the deciency has not been determined.43,44 Finally, zinc-responsive dermatosis may
also occur in people15,45 and animals on balanced
diets, and has been best described in dogs with
Syndrome I1,3,59,28 and cattle with lethal trait A
46.17,46 A defect in the absorption of zinc has been
shown in these diseases.17,28,46 In particular, studies
showed diminished intestinal absorption of zinc in
Siberian huskies with zinc-responsive dermatosis
compared to healthy Siberian huskies.28 A disease
which shares some clinical and histological features,
lethal acrodermatitis in bull terriers, has been
hypothesized to be due to an inherent defect of zinc
utilization or uptake at the cellular level, hence the
lack of response to either oral or parenteral zinc in
that condition,47,48 and a report of normal zinc
absorption in these dogs.28
In conclusion, the cases in this study show a global
incidence of zinc-responsive dermatosis that most
closely ts that of the previously described Syndrome
I. The predominance of the Siberian husky supports a
genetic predisposition in this breed. In other breeds,
zinc-responsive dermatosis may be indicative of a
keratinization disorder that may not be limited to
zinc as the sole treatment. Finally, our recommendation would be to begin treatment with 23 mg kg71
elemental zinc in the treatment of this disorder and
to ovariohysterectomize aected female dogs with
zinc-responsive dermatosis if the disease is dicult
to control.

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233 DISC
Zinc-responsive dermatosis
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Resume Cet article decrit 41 cas de dermatose repondant a l'administration de zinc chez le chien.Les Siberian
huskies etaient la race la plus souvent atteinte. Le symptome le plus frequent etait la presence de croutes
perioculaires. Une parakeratose etait notee sur les biopsies cutanees dans tous les cas. La plupart des chiens
ont ete ameliores par l'administration orale de zinc, mais certains animaux ont necessite l'utilisation d'autres
therapeutiques, zinc par voie parenterale ou retino des. Les auteurs recommandent d'utiliser une dose de 23
mg kg71 de zinc par jour initialement pour traiter cette maladie. [White, S. D., Bourdeau, P., Rosychuk, R. A.
W., Cohen, B., Bonenberger, T., Fiesseler, K. V., Ihrke, P., Chapman, P. L., Schultheiss, P., Zur, G., Cannon,
A., Outerbridge, C. Zinc-responsive dermatosis in dogs: 41 cases and literature review. (Dermatose repondant
a l'administration de zinc chez le chien: 41 cas et revue de la litterature.) Veterinary Dermatology 2001; 12:
101109.]
Resumen Se describen cuarenta y un casos de dermatosis con respuesta al zinc en el perro. El Husky
Siberiano fue la raza predominante entre las afectadas. Los s ntomas cl nicos mas frecuentes en todos los
perros fueron las costras perioculares y la paraqueratosis en biopsias cutaneas. El tratamiento oral con zinc
mejoro los s ntomas cl nicos en la mayor a de perros, pero se describen casos que requirieron otros
tratamientos como los retinoides. Los autores recomiendan empezar con una dosis de 23 mg kg1 de zinc
elemental por d a en el tratamiento de esta afeccion. [White, S. D., Bourdeau, P., Rosychuk, R. A. W., Cohen,
B., Bonenberger, T., Fiesseler, K. V., Ihrke, P., Chapman, P. L., Schultheiss, P., Zur, G., Cannon, A.,
Outerbridge, C. Zinc-responsive dermatosis in dogs: 41 cases and literature review. (Dermatosis con respuesta
al Zinc en perros: 41 casos y revision bibliograca.) Veterinary Dermatology 2001; 12: 101109.]
Zusammenfassung Einundvierzig Falle von auf Zink ansprechende Dermatitis beim Hund werden
beschrieben. Der Sibirische Huskie war die am haugsten betroene Rasse. Periokulare Krustenbildung
wurde klinisch am haugsten gesehen und Parakeratose war in den Biopsieproben aller Hunde festzustellen.
Behandlung mit Zink oral besserte die klinische Symptomatik bei den meisten Hunden, aber manche Falle
mussten mit Zink parenteral oder Retinoiden behandelt werden. Die Autoren empfehlen eine Anfangsdosis
von 23 mg kg1 elementarem Zink taglich zur Behandlung dieser Erkrankung. [White, S. D., Bourdeau, P.,
Rosychuk, R. A. W., Cohen, B., Bonenberger, T., Fiesseler, K. V., Ihrke, P., Chapman, P. L., Schultheiss, P.,
Zur, G., Cannon, A., Outerbridge, C. Zinc-responsive dermatosis in dogs: 41 cases and literature review. (Auf
Zink ansprechende Dermatitis beim Hund: 41 Falle und Literaturubersicht.) Veterinary Dermatology 2001; 12:
101109.]

# 2001 Blackwell Science Ltd, Veterinary Dermatology, 12, 101109