Vitiligo - Page 1

Vitiligo  http://www.provet.co.uk/Petfacts/healthtips/vitiligo.htm

As many breeders as I have worked with,helped whelp pups, raised German Shepherds I have never seen one with this.
But, a lady I know wrote me today telling me that her female has it. Have any of you experienced this in your lines, or with a pup? If so is there a way to help treat it? Most that read says there is not too much for treatment. I had never even hard this term till today. Anyone ever seen it in the Laacher-haus lines?
Jerry

I've seen this with a few mix breeds, and a couple purebreds.  not lines in particular though.
I have also been told nutrition can play a part in this.

It is a condition also seen in humans, Michael Jackson being perhaps the most obvious example. In humans there are treatments, but most have probably not been tried in canines. I do not believe it is very common and since it is pigmentation and melanocytes that are involved, genetics is the most likely explanation. Nutrition, while always important, is not known to play any role at all. Keeping people out of the sun is one important part of treatment and I think this probably is also good advice for an affected canine. Fortunately, there are many other health issues that would really affect the quality of life, but this one is not so serious.

People with melanoma who respond well to immunotherapy and experience tumor regression also sometimes develope vitiligo. In mouse models, this is seen regularly, and the cause can be either antibodies or T cells (white blood cells that kill other cells) that recognize proteins expressed in both tumor cells and normal melanocytes.