Observations of the immunopathology and therapy of canine pemphigus and pemphigoid.

Immunopathologic evaluation of 27 dogs with pemphigus and pemphigoid demonstrated that direct immunofluorescence testing was vastly superior to indirect immunofluorescence testing for diagnosis. Therapeutic studies in 31 dogs with pemphigus and pemphigoid demonstrated that glucocorticoids given for systemic effect were unsatisfactory as the sole form of treatment because of lack of efficacy of unacceptable side effects, or both, in over 50% of the cases.