# SLO (Symmetrical Lupoid Onychodystrophy)



## schpeckie (Jun 29, 2010)

Oh my goodness, so sorry about Beau! Sorry that I can't be of any assistance, but I am sure some great people on this site could possibly help you with your questions about this disease. Sending hugs and prayers!

Sylvia & the Girls :hug:


----------



## N2Mischief (Dec 3, 2012)

Something I have never heard of but I do know how horrible it is to see your dog in pain! I hope someone here has information for you. Hang in there! It sounds like you are on the right track to making him feel much better!


----------



## Tiny Poodles (Jun 20, 2013)

So sorry to hear this.
I am wondering if a veterinary dermatologist might cover this? I know that for allergies and skin conditions they can offer much more advanced treatments then a general Vet can, just not sure if the nails would come under what they treat or not. If you have one near you, perhaps you could call and ask them?


----------



## MollyMuiMa (Oct 13, 2012)

Oh poor dear Beau! Sure hope this terrible sounding disease can be put in remission for your poor Beau. My heart aches for the pain he must suffer.....unimaginable! You'll be added to my prayers............Bless ya for being a caring, loving owner!


----------



## PoodleRick (Mar 18, 2013)

Don't have any advise for you since I've never heard of this. I'm just sorry you and Beau are going though this. It's really awful seeing your buddy in pain. Lets us know how it's going. BTW Beau is a great name.

Rick


----------



## CT Girl (Nov 17, 2010)

Poor Beau, that sounds like torture. I wish I knew of something that would help. I do hope you continue to post so anyone else with a poodle who suffers from this may learn from your journey. I do think visiting a vet dermatologist is a great idea. I wonder if coconut oil would help cut down the inflammation? I probably would not try anything without clearing it with your vet first.


----------



## spindledreams (Aug 7, 2012)

I had to look that one up. This site talks about it here And this blog has more information on it as well as links to support groups for owners. 

Hope these help the op and her dog.


----------



## Beau (Dec 1, 2013)

*Thank you*

Your support and prayers are really heartwarming.
I will see if there is a veterinary dermatologist in my area. I trust my vet, she is young and eager, but as Tiny Poodles says, a specialized vet might have access to better treatments. I believe this condition would fall under the dermatology because it is a form of lupus.
I spend a lot of time researching this disease on the web and the information is sometimes conflicting. I have to restrain myself to follow the treatment protocol and not be tempted to use all kind of alternative therapy in the hope to improve his condition.
I will update this post as his treatment progress, hopefully in the right direction.
Beau is a real trouper, he does not complain and, at a glance, no one would guess he is sick... that is when he does not have is E collar!


----------



## Tiny Poodles (Jun 20, 2013)

Beau said:


> Your support and prayers are really heartwarming.
> I will see if there is a veterinary dermatologist in my area. I trust my vet, she is young and eager, but as Tiny Poodles says, a specialized vet might have access to better treatments. I believe this condition would fall under the dermatology because it is a form of lupus.
> I spend a lot of time researching this disease on the web and the information is sometimes conflicting. I have to restrain myself to follow the treatment protocol and not be tempted to use all kind of alternative therapy in the hope to improve his condition.
> I will update this post as his treatment progress, hopefully in the right direction.
> Beau is a real trouper, he does not complain and, at a glance, no one would guess he is sick... that is when he does not have is E collar!


Start with the dermatologist, but if it is autoimmune, that might fall under endocrinology as well - I wonder if there is such a thing as a vet endocrinologist?
Anyhow, at least with the dermatologist that I used, he followed advances in human medicine as closely as he did veterinary medicine and adapted many human treatments for dogs that the regular vet did not even know about. The treatments were not even tested on dogs, but it sounded like vet dermatologists share a lot of experiential data with each other, and based their safety decisions upon it. Maybe not ideal, but it certainly seemed worthwhile when the standard options that veterinary medicine could offer were not helping and theirs did!


Sent from Petguide.com Free App


----------



## Beau (Dec 1, 2013)

*Beau lost a claw...*

Last night I let Beau sleep without his E collar, he licked his paw a bit and one of his claw fell off. :ahhhhh: There is only the quick left but it is kind of dried up and doesn't seem to be too painfull. It did not bleed at all. He walks normally and doesn't want to lick more than usual. I have a Tramadol prescription just in case, but so far I did not give him any. 
Although, I limit his walks because he loves to dig in the crusty snow to find some critters nests. I live in the country and I normally take him out for unleashed walks in the pasture and trails in the woods. He pretty much lives unleashed. Fortunately, there is no salt to burn his sore paws.

I have a follow-up appointment to the vet in three weeks; I will discuss with her about the dermatology or endocrinology specialist.
In the meantime, I was considering switching to a hypoallergenic type of food. He is actually on Performatrin Ultra (grain free - turkey, salmon and duck - 37 percent protein). I always top off his portion with home cooked or sometimes fresh raw.
Any suggestions for hypoallergenic dry food?

Beau is a lean 75 pound, 28 inches at the wither. He is a large Standard Poodle, as we say in French, "Caniche Royal".
Unfortunately, it would not be possible for me to feed him exclusively home cooked or fresh raw. He is a large dog after all! But I choose from the best kibbles I can find.

I am sorry if the post is crossing over in another category but I prefer to continue this post than starting a new one.

Thanks.


----------



## Chagall's mom (Jan 9, 2010)

After reading your thread I took a spin around the internet myself to learn more about SLO. So sorry Beau and you are dealing it, your devotion and his sweet nature are really something. It seems the greyhound community is familiar with the condition, perhaps you might reach out to them for their thoughts? I read some think allergies and food sensitives may play a role in exacerbating SLO. But as you indicated you really have to sift through the info that's floating around out there. In that vein, I just read this, but don't know the validity of it. 

Canine SLO FAQ
By Andrea J Chee
With many thanks to the members of the SLO mailing list, for use of their questions and answers in this FAQ.
BARF and other raw diets

There is usually nothing wrong with a well-balanced raw diet being fed to healthy dogs.

In terms of SLO dogs, I wouldn't recommend it. Even with the best possible handling, raw meat will always contain some bacteria. In healthy dogs, this does no harm - indeed there is an argument that it helps encourage the development of good immunity by offering a challenge to the immune system (in the same way that it's not recommended to get too carried away with protecting kids from germs since it does their immune systems good in the long run to learn to cope with potential infectious agents). 

For the same reason, raw food does represent a higher risk in dogs with immune system disorders. Dogs with immunodeficiency problems may not be able to fight off bacterial infections that healthy dogs deal with easily, while those with autoimmune disorders such as SLO have the opposite problem and their immune systems may over-react to the challenge, leading to more immune system activity than you want. 

Challenging the immune system with the bacteria in a raw diet is really no different to challenging the immune system with vaccinations. Neither is recommended in dogs with autoimmune diseases - their immune systems are already too active.


----------



## Poodlebeguiled (May 27, 2013)

I am so sorry you're dealing with this. You've already gotten lots of good advice and I think with management, you may see some improvement/remissions. Something to suppress the immune system might be helpful like some kind of short term steroid. But of course, you can discuss this with your vet or specialist.

I wonder if you could find some booties to help his feet in the out of doors where there are irritants.

I never heard of this either but know there are all kinds of immune disorders and many of them are the immune system getting all riled up over harmless things or their own systems. I wonder if there's a specialist in immunity disorders. Endocrine refers to glands and hormones. This doesn't seem like that, right? Well, talk it over with your vet more and I am happy that he is in such good hands. Keep us posted.


----------



## Manxcat (May 6, 2013)

Sorry, I have only just caught up with this thread but wanted to just show support during this awful time you are having. My mini has an immune system disease - not SLO - so you have my sincere sympathy.

I do so hope you manage to get this sorted for Beau, and sending you and him big virtual hugs.


----------



## Tiny Poodles (Jun 20, 2013)

Poodlebeguiled said:


> I am so sorry you're dealing with this. You've already gotten lots of good advice and I think with management, you may see some improvement/remissions. Something to suppress the immune system might be helpful like some kind of short term steroid. But of course, you can discuss this with your vet or specialist.
> 
> I wonder if you could find some booties to help his feet in the out of doors where there are irritants.
> 
> I never heard of this either but know there are all kinds of immune disorders and many of them are the immune system getting all riled up over harmless things or their own systems. I wonder if there's a specialist in immunity disorders. Endocrine refers to glands and hormones. This doesn't seem like that, right? Well, talk it over with your vet more and I am happy that he is in such good hands. Keep us posted.


Many endocrine diseases are indeed autoimmune, and those who have one are at much higher risk to get another, so that is where I thought the connection might be. Probably would try a dermatologist first though.


Sent from Petguide.com Free App


----------



## Joy (Apr 25, 2013)

Just curious about the origin of something like this. The middle term "Lupoid" is that like lupus in humans? Did your vet say whether this was possibly inherited? There just seem to be so many more diseases in dogs than there used to be, or maybe they are just better at diagnosing them now. So sorry for Beau that he has to go through this.


----------



## cowpony (Dec 30, 2009)

Ouch. This sounds like a horrible disease to manage. Wishing you all the best.


----------



## Beau (Dec 1, 2013)

*Another claw...*

Beau lost another claw on his front left... He is now missing the 3rd on the front right and the 4th on the front left. 

Thank you all for your concerns and encouragements. 

You are right Joy, it is related to lupus, even though it is not really a skin condition it is still classified under dermatology. The reason it would also be under endocrinology, as TinyPoodles said, is that it is an auto-immune disease.

As for the steroid treatment, it is an option but not without side effects.
For now, he is just starting a cocktail of Doxycin (antibiotics) and Niacinamide (vitamin B3) plus Omega3 and vitamin E.
The Doxycin in this treatment is to reduce the immune response as would a steroid. This is why is it is not advised to feed him raw during the treatment, while his immune system is suppressed by the medications. I also have to avoid raw egg whites as it binds the vitamin B3. 

Apparently, the cause of this disease is unknown.

Best wishes for the holiday season.
LOVE, PEACE and HEALTH!

PS. I also tried boots but it seemed to cause more pain by putting pressure on the nails.


----------



## Tiny Poodles (Jun 20, 2013)

I'm so sorry that we can't be of more help. Hoping that you can find a Vet who can.
I agree with you to avoid the steroids unless you have absolutely no choice as often the side effects can be worse then the problem - lethal in fact.


Sent from Petguide.com Free App


----------



## Beau (Dec 1, 2013)

*Beau's update*

Beau had a follow-up appointment to the vet last week. Mostly to renew some prescriptions and make sure everything is alright. The vet mentioned that this condition is common for Standard Poodles. So I conclude that pretty much every breed of somewhat large dogs is predisposed according to the research I made on the internet.
He is still losing nails but there is no infections due to the antibiotics and occasional foot baths.
His attitude and level of energy are back to normal. This tells me that he is not in pain; it makes me less worried and it gets easier to accept the fact this condition is not curable, only manageable.
It might be a "new" disease but I think that it had been misdiagnosed often as nails trauma.


----------



## N2Mischief (Dec 3, 2012)

I'm glad he is feeling better! Just curious, when the nails fall off, does this cure that toe? In other words, if all his nails fell off would he be better? I am not making any suggestions! Just wondering, this is very interesting as I have never heard of it before and I would love to know more. Hoping he stays pain free!


----------



## Angl (Nov 9, 2012)

Beau said:


> Beau lost another claw on his front left... He is now missing the 3rd on the front right and the 4th on the front left.
> 
> Thank you all for your concerns and encouragements.
> 
> ...


Don't be afraid of steroids if they point you in that direction. Wonderful at times, just have to know when to cut back to a maintenance dose.  steroids are keeping me breathing 


Sent from Petguide.com Free App


----------



## Beau (Dec 1, 2013)

> Just curious, when the nails fall off, does this cure that toe?


Yes and no. 
By the time the nail falls off, the damage was done about 6 months before.
For a time the quick is exposed and this can be painful but a new nail grows back over the quick.
It seems to be the infection that cause the most pain... 

I just hope the new nails will be healthy and that he will not have a relapse too soon.


----------



## sundoesshine (9 mo ago)

I wonder if Beau is still with us and how he fared with this disease. I thank you for writing this post, as I'm wondering if my 1.5 yr doodle rescue may also have SLO. We got her at 7 months and she would split nails leaving the whole quick exposed on at least 1 side. The first one scared us so much that we brought her to the vet but he didn't seem concerned, said it was probably from trauma, she plays hard, he said many get nails get caught in decking which causes them to break.

Well over one year she's had probably 10 or more of these splits. Her nails appear thick and healthy otherwise but she's always hated having them trimmed. We brought her to a special nail trim day at a groomer who was horrible at it, and now she's even more traumatized. In the beginning we had them trimmed pretty good but it didn't seem to stop the breakage so I really don't think it is length. If anyone has any tricks on desensitization of dogs and their nails please tell!

I was researching nail issues because this just seems really like too much breakage, and discovered SLO. The only thing she doesn't seem to have is infection, once the nail is shed the quick hardens and she seems to heal okay and we all forget about that nail til the next one happens. I'll have to start keeping track of which ones break or if it's the same ones over and over. Even her dewclaws split which seems suspect because they don't get much use. I wonder if this issue just produces poor nail beds leading to them breaking, and the infections are just a by product of the licking and open quick etc,. From the traffic on this post, it doesn't seem like too many folks have this problem but if anyone has run across it, feel free to share any knowledge. Til then I'm off to hunt for a doggie dermatologist I guess!
Tina and Suki the Dog


----------



## cowpony (Dec 30, 2009)

I'm sorry to hear your girl is having such troubles. It sounds very unpleasant for both of you. I don't know if you will get a response about Beau; the original poster hasn't returned to the forum since 2014.


----------

