Scales

The skin is covered by a stratified squamous keratinising epithelium that is self-renewing.  Normally desquamation of cells from the stratum corneum occurs in such a way that the cells are not seen.  Scaling represents an accumulation of stratum corneum cells indication disturbed desquamation, often associated with increased epidemal turnover.

Scaling is a common clinical sign and may reflect primary defects of keratinisation such as idiopathic seborrhoea.  However, ectoparasitic diseases (especially cheyletiellosis in dogs and rabbits) and other causes of chronic skin inflammation (eg bacterial infection, dermatophytosis, allergy) may lead to scaling.