Spooner was an active 2-year-old Australian shepherd/poodle mix when owners Judith and Brad noticed problems with his claws in 2022. His veterinarian suspected he had symmetric lupoid onychodystrophy (SLO), a painful, immune-mediated disease that causes brittleness of the claws with abnormal growth and ultimately loss of the claw.

Spooner was unresponsive to treatment with Omega-3 fatty acids and Vitamin E, and his condition grew more painful over the course of a year. That is when Judith and Brad sought the care of the experts in the Dermatology Service at UC Davis’ William R. Pritchard Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital (VMTH), who initially concurred with the primary veterinarian’s diagnosis of SLO.

“Typically, SLO is diagnosed based on history and clinical signs, which was a likely diagnosis, given that only Spooner’s claws were affected for quite some time,” said Dr. Andrea Lam, an Associate Clinical Professor of Veterinary Dermatology at the VMTH. “A definitive diagnosis requires amputation of the digit, so we had to rely on the clinical presentation.”

Dr. Lam stated that Spooner’s issue was isolated to his claws only. He appeared to be otherwise healthy with no additional evidence of skin disease aside from some crusting on his elbow calluses.

He was placed on an anti-inflammatory for the SLO, as he continued to lose toenails, and an antimicrobial for his elbows. While Spooner responded better to the treatment, and there didn’t seem to be a reason to suspect anything other than SLO, the issue did persist.

In 2024, Judith and Brad noticed that Spooner’s paws began to show lesions and tenderness, and it became increasingly difficult for him to walk outside.  

“It got so bad, that at times Brad would have to carry him outside to go to the bathroom,” said Judith. “We knew this would not work long term, and certainly not in winter as we live in snow country. He would lay at the door unable to join in our daily walks or play time at the dog park.  For a dog that lives for fetch, that was heartbreaking.”

Spooner was now developing changes elsewhere on his skin. These included erosions and ulcers of the lips, nose, and hard palate, along with loss of pigment in some of these areas.

At that point, his veterinary team started considering another disease process. They performed skin biopsies and blood tests in October 2024, which revealed changes consistent with vasculitis (ischemic dermatopathy).

This skin condition occurs when inflammation damages the small blood vessels and reduces blood flow to the skin. Without adequate oxygen and nutrients, the skin becomes injured (ischemic injury), leading to sores, crusting, ulceration, or changes in pigmentation.

“After two years of trying to get to the bottom of his condition, we were so relieved we had a definitive diagnosis,” Judith said.

Once the diagnosis was determined, he was started on prednisone (steroid used to reduce inflammation and suppress the immune system) and cyclosporine, a powerful immunosuppressant. Cyclosporine can take up to one month to start taking effect, which is why prednisone was started at the same time to help get the disease under control as rapidly as possible. The goal over time is to taper to the lowest dose needed to keep the disease in remission.

“Spooner positively responded to the medication almost immediately,” Judith said. “What a relief, as winter was approaching.”

Spooner is now under the watchful eye of Dr. Maria Zayas, a dermatology resident, who is working closely with Judith and Brad to gradually decrease the cyclosporine from daily dosing to every other day. They report that the treatment plan continues to go well, and Spooner appears to be pain free, enjoying playing fetch several times per day.

Because the underlying trigger for this immune reaction is unknown, there is a strong possibility that Spooner will require lifelong management with medication. But what’s most important is that he is happy and healthy again, and Judith and Brad feel like they have their smart and active dog back. 

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