Auto-immune disorders are prevalent in dogs. They can develop type 1 diabetes. However, the article attached is about a dog with systemic and cutaneous manifestations of Lupus
Yes Rose, this is what I was curious about. There are a few hypothesis as to why there is an increasing incidence of auto-immune disorders in humans (Hygiene hypothesis, viral molecular mimicry, reduction of self tolerance d/t a "bored" immune system). There is also a very strong correlation between HLA types and auto-immuntiy in humans. Has this been found in other speices as well? And if so, are there similariteis regarding genetic and environmental factors? Thanks for the link!
Auto-immune disorders are common in dogs and include systemic lupus and hemolytic anemia. You might contact the American Association of Veterinary Immunologists at: www.theaavi.org