Traction alopecia with vasculitis in an Old English sheepdog

A seven-year-old entire male Old English sheepdog was presented with a well circumscribed, completely alopecic area on the top of its head, located where a rubber band had been used for several years. A punch biopsy was taken from the centre of the lesion and histological examination revealed cell-poor, interface mural folliculitis with follicular atrophy and vasculitis. A diagnosis of traction alopecia was made. Oral pentoxyfilline, at 400 mg twice daily, was prescribed for two months, with a slight improvement. To the authors' knowledge, this is the first report of canine traction alopecia accompanied by vascular damage. This vascular damage may represent the pathomechanism of this type of alopecia in the dog.