A Heritable Connective Tissue Disease of Dogs and Mink Resembling Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome of Man I. Skin Tensile Strength Properties

Clinical changes observed in a heritable connective tissue disease of dogs and mink include fragility, hyperextensibility, and laxity of the skin. Skin fragility is the most severe and consistent change noted in the affected dogs and mink. Tensile strength of the skin was reduced to one-twenty-seventh that of normal in affected dogs and one- thirteenth that of normal in affected mink. The syndrome in dogs and mink is proposed as a homolog of the Ehlers-Danlos syndrome of man, a rare heritable connective tissue disease, which is clinically characterized by skin fragility, skin and joint hyperextensibility and skin laxity.