[Significance and possibilities of histopathologic diagnosis in breed-specific skin diseases]

An increasing number of punch biopsies is submitted for histopathology. Results are often disappointing for the veterinary pathologist as well as the referring veterinarian. Inappropriate timing of sampling, selection and preparation of the biopsy site, type of biopsy, biopsy technique and fixation as well as incomplete histories often contribute to insufficient diagnosis and interpretation of skin lesions. The introduction of this review gives an overview of the requirements for a satisfying evaluation of skin lesions and the limits of diagnostic histopathology on skin samples, especially punch biopsies. The second part summarizes more frequent dermatohistopathological diagnoses according to the pattern analysis of skin lesions, using examples of skin diseases with breed predisposition. Among the described skin lesions are the dermatoses associated with endocrine dysfunction, cutaneous mucinosis, Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada-like syndrome, alopecia of color mutants, dermatomyositis, granulomatous sebadentitis, Malassezia dermatitis, pyoderma and atopic dermatitis.