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"&amp;ldquo;Black skin disease,&amp;rdquo; also called Alopecia X, growth-hormone-responsive alopecia and adrenal sex-hormone imbalance, is a hormonally-influenced, progressive loss of hair and darkening of skin in adolescent and young adult dogs. It&amp;rsquo;s a form of patterned baldness, meaning that affected animals lose hair evenly on both sides of their body. Outer guard hairs usually fall out first, revealing an increasingly dry, &amp;ldquo;cottony&amp;rdquo; undercoat. It then falls out symmetrically, and the balding skin darkens. In extreme cases, fur is left only on the dog&amp;rsquo;s head and paws. Little is known about what causes black skin disease. Obesity, hormonal imbalances, allergies and genetics have all been suggested as contributors. Black skin disease may be a combination of several different disorders, making diagnosis and treatment that much more difficult. Fortunately, it doesn&amp;rsquo;t seem to be itchy, painful or otherwise affect a dog&amp;rsquo;s health. Black skin disease is mostly a cosmetic issue for owners."^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.petwave.com/Dogs/Health/Black-Skin-Disease.aspx>