Nutritional-related dermatopathies

In this episode of The Vet Blast Podcast, host Adam Christman, DVM, MBA, sits down with Robert Ward, BVM&S, MSc, MRCVS, DACVD, to explore nutritional dermatoses. Although advances in pet nutrition have made true deficiencies less common than they once were, the rise of homemade and raw food diets has brought them back into the conversation.

From zinc-responsive dermatosis to hepatocutaneous syndrome and the nuanced role of fatty acids in skin barrier function, Ward breaks down the conditions that every practitioner should keep on their radar.

Below is a partial transcript, edited lightly for clarity.

Adam Christman, DVM, MBA: I like that we're chatting about this because sometimes it's hard to make the correlation [between] dermatology [and] nutrition. It's like you kind of get wrapped up in other things, like Malassezia, bacteria, [and] autoimmune [conditions], but this is certainly a differential that we should definitely have on that list.

Robert Ward, BVM&S, MSc, MRCVS, DACVD: Unfortunately, for dermatologists. But nutrition is so interlinked with dermatology. And one thing that we haven't really talked about at all—because it's not really a nutritional dermatosis, it [falls] under the allergy umbrella—[is that] food allergies are a huge part of dermatology. So certainly, working up these patients for a food allergy when you've got a nonseasonally itchy pet is very important. And in doing that, you have to make sure that if you are doing home-cooked diets, then you're not missing a nutrition deficiency that could lead to more problems down the line.

So definitely, dermatologists usually have a nutritionist that they can contact for these sorts of issues. And unfortunately, a lot of dermatology is: You are what you eat.