Pemphigus foliaceus in a young dog without a defined breed: case report

Abstract

Autoimmune skin diseases are those in which proper antibodies are directed against some component of the skin. The antibodies of pemphigus complex are directed against proteins responsible for the cellular epidermis adhesion, forming pustules. Pemphigus complex is classified as pemphigus erythematosus, panepidermal, foliaceous, paraneoplastic, vulgar and vegetative, of which pemphigus foliaceus has been more frequently observed in the clinical routine and the main alteration observed is presence of vesicles, pustules and crusts bilaterally found in dorsal, abdominal ventral, axilla and limbs. The diagnosis of this disease is based on historic, anamnesis and complementary exams, such as skin cytology and histopathologic. The treatment is lenghty and basically consists in suppressing patient's immune response. The main drug used is Prednisolone and prognosis is reserved, due to the inevitable complications of prolonged use of corticosteroids. The aim of this article was to report a case of Pemphigus Foliaceus in dog, male, undefined breed treated at the Veterinary Hospital of UNIME - Lauro de Freitas, Bahia. The patient's rapid response to treatment with corticosteroids was shown to be effective for the remission of clinical signs.