Clinical efficacy of Nolvasan surgical scrub (NSS) containing 2% chlorhexidine acetate in topical management of canine superficial pyoderma was evaluated. The study was designed as a randomized, double-blind, 10% ethyl lactate shampoo-controlled trial. Ten dogs with symmetric lesions of superficial pyoderma were allocated to either NSS or control product at different sites twice a week. These dogs were subjected by both owners and investigators, and skin lesions including pruritus, erythema, crusted papule, and scale were also scored in four grades. In both owners' and investigators' observation, NSS significantly improved skin lesions compared with the control (p<0.02). In score differences of each lesion, NSS significantly improved erythema (p<0.02) and crusted papule (p<0.05) compared to the control, but not pruritus and scale. No adverse reaction was observed in this study. Based on these results, it is indicated that NSS is an effective and safe topical therapy in dogs with superficial pyoderma.

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A 3-year-old, female Bernese Mountain dog presented with multiple nodules, and ulcers on the dorsal trunk and medial thighs, corneal edema, and scleritis. Initially, this dog was treated with antibiotics and prednisolone, but they were ineffective. Histopathologic examination revealed bottom-heavy infiltration of histiocytes without any malignant features. Based on these findings, the dog was diagnosed as having systemic histiocytosis. Previous medications plus griseofulvin as an immunomodulatory drug were administrated, after which dermatological and ophthalmologic symptoms were improved obviously. This dog had been managed for 5 years with sporadic previous treatments and occasional intensive care, and finally died of respiratory failure at 8 years of age. Autopsy was not allowed. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first case report of systemic histiocytosis in Japan.

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A 4-year-old male Labrador Retriever presented with chronic alopecia and dry desquamation without pruritus on the periocular region, the bridge of the nose, the pinnae, the neck, the waist and the limbs. The symptoms did not respond to treatment with antibiotics. The patient had previously lived in Spain until aged one and a half, at which point it was imported to Japan. Blood examination and serum chemistry analyses showed hyperglobulinemia and PCR assay using DNA from skin lesions and popliteal lymph node revealed positive infection by Leishmania infantum with amplification of kinetoplast DNA from L. infantum. In addition, serum antibodies proved positive by rapid immunoassay. Based on these findings, the first canine case of L. infantum infection in Japan was diagnosed.

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Canine superficial necrolytic dermatitis (SND) might be caused by nutritional deficiency mostly due to hepatopathy. However the associated hepatic lesions are varied among cases. Therefore, characterization of the concurrent hepatic lesions might be helpful to clarify the pathogenesis of canine SND. In this paper we described cutaneos and hepatic lesions in three cases of canine SND. The first case is an adult female Pomeranian dog. Grossly the liver showed characteristic diffuse nodular appearance. Microscopy revealed multifocal hydropic/glycogen degeneration of hepatocytes accompanying parenchymal collapse and regeneration of hepatocytes resulting in nodular accentuation of the liver. No significant fibrosis was observed. The diagnosis "vacuolar or glycogen hepatopathy" was preferable for the lesion. The second case is an 11-year-old, spayed female Maltese dog. The liver grossly showed nodular appearance as seen in the first case and was histopathologically diagnosed as vacuolar/fatty and hydropic/glycogen hepatopathy with moderate fibrosis and severe hemosiderosis. The third case is a 16-year-old castrated male mongrel dog. The hepatic lesion was diagnosed as hepatocellular carcinoma. All three cases had characteristic SND gross skin lesions such as erosion, scaling and crusting, and their histological findings of the skin biopsies were also consistent with those of SND. The paw pads were most intensely affected in all cases. Hypoalbuminemia and elevation with value of alkaline phosphatase were evidenced in all three cases. Hypoaminoacidemia was seen in the first and second cases. No elevation of glucagon value was observed in our cases. The hepatic lesions of the first and second cases might be of same hepatic disorder. The third case might be the first canine SND case associated with hepatoceller carcinoma.

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