ALOPECIA “X” EM CÃES DA RAÇA SPITZ ALEMÃO

Abstract

Alopecia “X” or hair follicle entrapment is a non-inflammatory and non-pruritic dermatopathy of still unknown etiopathogenesis, which mainly affects dogs of Nordic origin, with double coats, especially dogs of the German spitz breed. It is characterized by progressive hair loss, sparing only the head and limbs in their more advanced stages. Its pathogenesis is still unclear and it is currently believed to be caused by a hereditary component associated with changes in sensitivity to hormone receptors in hair follicles. Among the clinical signs, there is the interruption of the hair cycle in affected animals and, consequently, the presence of progressive, bilateral and symmetrical alopecia, non-inflammatory and with the presence of hyperpigmentation in the skin (melanoderma). A relevant aspect that cannot be left out is that these animals are healthy, not showing any systemic changes, with normal laboratory test results. Diagnosis is performed by excluding other diseases with similar clinical signs, such as endocrinopathies, functional gonadal neoplasms, sebaceous adenitis and follicular dysplasias. As a treatment, castration of these animals has been indicated first, which may or may not be associated with the administration of some drugs/hormones, in addition to the microneedling technique, which has obtained good results. As it is a disease about which there is not much published literature, this article aims to gather important information about this dermatopathy and clarify about the treatments currently used.