Initial characterization of stiff skin-like syndrome in West Highland white terriers

Multicentric B-cell lymphoma with presumed paraneoplastic generalized cutaneous sclerosis in a dog

BACKGROUND

Reports of dermal sclerosis in dogs include scleroderma or morphea of unknown cause, cicatricial alopecia and congenital/hereditary fibrosis.

CLINICAL SUMMARY

A 12-year-old, male castrated chihuahua-mix dog was evaluated for skin lesions of unknown duration. The dog had severe alopecia, skin thickening and marked peripheral lymphadenopathy. Lymph node cytological investigation, immunohistochemical investigation and clonality testing demonstrated an intermediate to large B-cell lymphoma. The thickened skin had severe collagen deposition, effacing adnexal structures. The dog's lymphoma was treated but the skin lesions remained unchanged. The dog was euthanized.

CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL IMPORTANCE

To the best of the authors' knowledge, this is the first report of multicentric B-cell lymphoma in a dog with concurrent diffuse cutaneous sclerosis, similar to a human paraneoplastic reaction.

Collagen-enriched serpiginous skin lesion in a cat resembling the linear form of localized scleroderma in humans

Localized scleroderma (LS) is a sclerotic skin disorder rarely reported in the veterinary literature. We herein report the first case of a linear LS-like skin lesion in a cat. A 1-year-old castrated male Himalayan cat was presented with a 1-month history of an alopecic, indurated, serpiginous, branched skin lesion on the dorsal cervical to scapular area. The cat had no history of trauma, although a topical spot-on endectocide had been applied near the lesion. Histopathological examination revealed a focal area of hyperplastic dermal collagen with the absence of pilosebaceous units. The cutaneous lesion remained unchanged during a 2-year follow-up period. Clinical and histopathological similarities of this skin lesion with those of the linear form of LS in humans were considered.