Yoshi the Japanese Akitainu and the Process of Treating his Rare Skin Disease

Hello there! My name is Jodie Panzer. My husband Jeremy and I are the proud owners of a Japanese Akitainu named “Yoshi”. Most dog owners probably have never heard of the rare canine skin disease called “Sebaceous Adenitis”, but our Yoshi was unfortunately diagnosed with this chronic illness 5 years ago at the age of 4 years old.

What is Sebaceous Adenitis? 

Sebaceous Adenitis is an autoimmune disorder that affects the sebaceous glands of the skin. For some reason, the sebaceous glands stop producing the natural oils that keep the skin and coat healthy. Symptoms can be hair loss, dry flaky skin, and a musty odor. The disease can be mild or severe, and will usually worsen if not treated in one of two ways. One option is to take an immunosuppressant type of medication. The other option is to follow a specialized and consistent oil bathing routine, in order to replenish the skin with necessary oils for a healthy coat. After an unsuccessful trial run with medication, my husband and I decided to go the natural route and give our boy bi-weekly oil baths. The process is very laborious, expensive and time-consuming... but it has been very effective! While we have experienced a few more challenging flare-ups, we are able to keep Yoshi’s coat in healthy condition the majority of the time. 

For any 4Knines customers who have had the unfortunate luck of experiencing Sebaceous Adenitis, this is the oil bath routine we follow: 

1. Bring Yoshi in the shower and soak him in oil from head to paw (We use Alpha Keri oil).

2. Let the oils absorb for at least 30 min. 

3. Bring him to the groomer to complete the final steps: (wash out oil with Dawn dish soap, shampoo, and condition with extra-moisturizing products.)

You might be wondering “Now what does 4Knines have to do with this?

Well since we have to bring Yoshi to the groomer for the finishing touches (we don’t want to clog our pipes with all that dog hair!), this means that we have to bring our oily dog into the car! I had gone through 5 different kinds of car seat covers until I finally found 4Knines! 

4Knines was the first brand I bought where the oil did not soak through the cover onto my car seat. Not only did my new 4Knines car seat cover protect my car in all of the right places, but I could actually wash it bi-weekly in the washing machine and it would NOT fall apart! It is still as good as new every time! 

Bringing Yoshi in the car is finally worry-free. So worry-free that I even felt comfortable enough to put him in our newest car (a Nissan Ariya) and the cover fit perfectly in there too. I have told many of my dog-lover friends about this awesome car seat cover, I am so thankful for 4Knines!

Author: Jodie Panzer