Sebaceous Adenitis
Digg this article
The sebaceous glands are glands in the skin that are responsible for producing sebum, a fatty lubricating oil that prevents skin from becoming dried out and brittle. In dogs with the disease known as sebaceous adenitis, however, these glands suddenly become severely inflamed and shortly thereafter are destroyed for reasons that still are not well understood. After the gland is destroyed, no sebum can be produced, and the result is incredibly dry and brittle skin that is prone to cracking and scaling.Sebaceous adenitis is usually first observed in young adult dogs. Akitas, Samoyed, and Poodles seem to be affected the most. The disease can first be identified by the observation of dry scaly skin along the head, top and back, accompanied by severe hair loss. [...]