Autoimmune skin conditions including pemphigus foliaceus and lupus erythematosus cause chronic skin pain and lesions in dogs, requiring lifelong immunosuppressive management with welfare monitoring.
Dogs with autoimmune skin disease experience chronic pain and discomfort from active lesions. Footpad lesions in pemphigus cause severe lameness as the weight-bearing surfaces become crusted, cracked, and painful. Facial lesions cause head-shaking, face-rubbing, and reluctance to be touched around the head. Secondary bacterial and yeast infection of lesions adds infectious pain to the immune-mediated inflammation. Long-term immunosuppression for treatment causes its own welfare issues including increased infection susceptibility and steroid-associated adverse effects. Quality of life can be significantly impaired in severe or poorly controlled disease, requiring careful balancing of treatment efficacy against treatment side effects.