Is this common and is it something they grow out of or is it a lifelong concern?

Cheers

Can't speak for the breed.  But I have a Bearded Collie with the deficiency, and she has been on it for years.  I don't have any reason to take her off it.

Yes it is something found in the breed, and especially those on some complete feeds where this is lacking.

Sometimes they grow out of it, sometimes it comes and goes, sometimes you can control it by changing diet, oddly it can come on very late in life.  Sometimes you can cure with tablets, sometimes creams cometimes liver.

For every sibe that has it, there is probalbly a different cure :-)

Hi Freewayz,

> Is this common

The SHHF ranked it 12th in it's last Health study...

> is it something they grow out of or is it a lifelong concern

As I understand it, this would depend on which type of ZD, there is:
Type I - Malabsorbtion (as with recessive gene trait)
Type II - Inadequate diet (not actually the most common!)

I'm putting a link to the SHHF which has a very simple article (with supported research) defining the two (although I note it needs updating :)) they refer to it as 'Syndrome I' and 'Syndrome II'.
Siberian Husky Health Foundation

Hope this helps as a starting point for clarifying your query.

Thanks...

it is just a person I know is showing their Husky and it has been diagnosed with ZD and the vet advised spaying her. The person was speaking to another breeder and says she will grow out of it and not to spay her (this person is wanting a pup from her).

So I was just curious if it could be cured. I would think she is well fed but don't know what foods would be considered inadequate enough to cause her to become deficient.

Cheers

It is not simply 'a food' it is the digestion of the dog with that food if you follow.  A long time ago before the days of so many dog foods there was a brand, popular with sleddog owners which often caused it, but nowadays there are lots of reasons.

I have never heard of spaying curing it :-)

We had a young bitch prone to it, once we fed raw she was much better, however it still seemed to be yoghurt that brought it back out, but not as bad.  I am not recommending raw as the answer - just mentioning our 'worst' case of it

Just out of interest. what are the syptoms of Zinc deficiany??

it is just a person I know is showing their Husky and it has been diagnosed with ZD and the vet advised spaying her.

Perhaps the vet meant that spaying her would mean she wouldn't be bred from as she has a problem?

ZRD is probably not inherited

Affects vary it is often a scaling or scabbing around the nose, eyes, mouth, genitals, feet.

I read recently that there is a school of thought that a snow nose often seen in Northern breeds could be part of ZRD

> ZRD is probably not inherited

Just to clarify here;
Zinc deficiency is the condition.
'ZRD' (zinc reactive/responsive dermatitis) is symptomatic of the condition(ie: how the condition manifests itself or putting it more simply, the signs and symptoms of the condition)

So as I commented earlier it depends on wether the dog's condition is diagnosed as Syndrome 1 or Syndrome 2 as to wether the condition is hereditary (of which Syndrome 2 is hereditary!) regardless of which syndrome all dogs will display the symptoms to a greater or lesser degree which = 'ZRD'

(There are other conditions (V.rare) that can be misdiagnosed as Zinc deficiency hence Edinburg pioneering in the past couple of years, new diagnosis methods overtaking the traditional skin biopsy.)

> I read recently that there is a school of thought that a snow nose often seen in Northern breeds could be part of ZRD

Sarah, might you have mis-read Catherine Lewis' post on our Breed club (SHCGB) websites FAQ's ;-) the only time I have heard of Snow-nose and ZRD mentioned in the same breath would be (as in Catherine's post) to warn that pigment loss 'may' be symptomatic of ZRD and not to be written of as just 'Snow-nose' ;-)

HTH?

(of which Syndrome 2 is hereditary!)

Isn't it Syndrome 1 which they are claiming as hereditary?   At no point in this Country have we ever considered it a hereditary problem and therefore advised against breeding from affected dogs.  The USA does have different stances on things ie PRA in Siberians (not seen here and completely off topic ;-))  In fact mostly ZRD goes undiagnosed by Vets as the diagnosis is like looking for a needle in a haystack ie you have to test for the exact 'problem', ZRD is really just a collective description

> I read recently that there is a school of thought that a snow nose often seen in Northern breeds could be part of ZRD

Sarah, might you have mis-read Catherine Lewis' post on our Breed club (SHCGB) websites FAQ's  the only time I have heard of Snow-nose and ZRD mentioned in the same breath would be (as in Catherine's post) to warn that pigment loss 'may' be symptomatic of ZRD and not to be written of as just 'Snow-nose'

No, it was something I read in the last couple of days, have trawled round but can't find it again - the source seemed credible without actually researching further at the time, just thought it was interesting