CLINICAL APPROACH TO DISCOLORATION IN BODY HAIR IN A ROTTWEILER DOG*

Micanfin (Biocan-M®, Bioveta) is a new veterinary drug used successfully in the treatment and prophylaxis of dermatomycosis in dogs and cats. In this study, leukotrichia was determined after administration of Micanfin and the objective was to determine the diagnosis and treatment protocol of the case. The case was a male Rottweiler dog, aged four, weighing 35 kg, presented with alopecia at a special veterinary clinic. A routine clinical examination, skin scraping, and antibiogram-mycologic examination of the body fluids were performed. A hematological examination and the levels of some serum parameters were determined. At the end of mycologic examinations, while there was no reproduction, it was found that the serum zinc level was very low. It was detected after other laboratory examinations that the case was hypothyroidism. All the body hair, except for a small area locally returned to the original colour, decreased activity reported by the the animal owner disappeared at the end of the zinc applications and the treatment performed for the hypothyroidism (Biocan-M®). In conclusion, it was determined that the Micanfin vaccine application had not caused any side effects such as leukotrichia and the case was hypothyroidism.

Excessive urbanization and environmental pollution have generalized also mycotic diseases such as bacterial and viral diseases.The number of dogs with skin problems increase more and more and dermatomycosis has an important role in these skin problems Š12¹.
The achievements in diagnosis, treatment and prophylaxis of viral, bacterial and parasitic infections, with the improvement of medicine, are not as high as in mycotic infections Š12, 10¹.Many drugs have been used both locally and orally in the treatment of dermatomycosis.However, since pet owers cannot reserve time for the treatment of their pet and cannot use creams and solutions because of a contamination risk, either the desired result cannot be obtained or treatment lasts a very long time Š12, 17, 10¹.Griseofulvin, ketocanozole, fluconazole, itraconazole and terbinafin of the antifungals used orally in veterinary medicine, are effective drugs.However, all of the above drugs have adverse effects, such as hepatotoxicity, nefrotoxicity, bioavailability difference and hormone unbalance Š10, 5, 6, 1a, 11, 8¹.
The use of both immunoprophylactic and immunotherapeutic drugs has recently spread in veterinary medicine Š16, 2, 7, 18, 17, 5¹.Fenner and Karle Š2¹ have used Insol Dermatophyton, an inactivated vaccination, in the treatment of dermatophytosis and they have determined an improvement at a rate of 95 % four weeks after te second injection, and they reported that these diseases can be treated effectively.It was suggested that Micanfin vaccination must be administered to healthy animal once a year by I.M., twice with 15 day intervals for diseased animals Š2, 5¹.Although it was reported that pain had occurred on the site of injection in some cases, no signs of pain were reported in the scientific studies Š18¹.
The case was a male Rottweiler dog, aged four, weighing 35 kg.The patient was presented at a special veterinary surgeon clinic because of widespread alopecia, inappetance, exercise intolerance.It was determined that the patient had a good general condition but he had an abscess on his neck.Moreover, the animal owner reported rare alopecic areas thicker on the back and forelegs.
Skin scrapings were done from those areas and fungal spores were detected at the end of misroscopic examinations.Dermatomycosis was diagnosed without any cultural examination and micanfin was administered 3 times with two week interval, and the abscess was treated.Widespread leukotrichia oc-

Clinical and Laboratory Examinations / Klini~ka i laboratorijska istra`ivanja
curred on the body hair two weeks later after the third injection (Figure 1).It was thought the leukotrichia was caused by the injections and the patient was presented to the Internal Medicine Department, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Istanbul University.At the end of the clinical examination, small pustules on the neck of the dog were observed.Firstly, a bacteriological culture and antibiogram were done from this region, moreover both anticoaggulated and without anticoaggulation blood and hair samples were taken.Hematological parameters were determined by automatic blood count equipment (Medonic CA 750) (Table 1), serum AST, ALT, ALP, total protein, albumin, urea, creatinine, glucose and cholesterol levels were measured by Express Plus Ciba Corning autoanalyzer, the zinc level was determined by Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometry (Table 2).
There was any multiplication at the end of the micological culture examinations, the serum zinc level was low and other parameters were normal.Thyroid functions were evaluated because of discoloration in the hair and hypothyroidy was diagnosed at the end of the evaluation of the laboratory parameters (T 3 , T 4 , TSH, fT 4 ) (Table 3).Moreover, ECG was taken in the order to evaluate changes in the heart rhytm due to hypothyroidy and no pathological change was observed.

Diagnosis / Dijagnoza
Treatment / Tretman the hairs returned to the original colour except for a small local region (Figure 2), decreased activity disappeared completely.The patient is still being followed.
Hypothyroidism is one of the endocrinal diseases seen widely in dogs.The rate of basal metabolism is slow and many systems are affected and clinical disorders are caused in many tissues and organs, such as, firstly the skin, cardiovascular, neuro-muscular, reproductive, gastrointestinal, urinary systems and the eye Š12, 14, 13, 13, 1¹.
Primary hypothyroidism (K<-4) was detected in this case in the calculation to diagnose using serum cholesterol and serum fT 4 Š1, 15¹.Clinical signs such as indolence, reluctant defecation, exercise intolerance, hormonal alpoecia were observed according to researchers Š14, 1, 3¹.Except for these signs, no cardiac, opthalmic, orthopedic or neurological disorders were observed.Gookin et al., Š3¹ have stated that these disorders would be normal in dogs with hypothyroidism.
Positive results have been reported by administering synthetic thyroxine in the treatment of hypothyroidism.Sodium levothyroxine in a dose of 0.02 mg/kg (22 mcg/kg) b.i.d. was recommended from the L-thyroxine group of medicines Š12, 14, 1¹.
In conclusion, it was determined that Micanfin vaccine application used as an immunoprophylactic and immunotherapeutic measure did not cause a counter indication such as leukotrichia and the case was hypothyroidism.

Figure 2 .
Figure 2. The appearence of the all hair of the patient at the end of five months Slika 2. Izgled dla~nog prekriva~a pacijenta na kraju petog meseca