What causes this to happen is unknown, but certain breeds are thought to be affected more often.
Symptoms can begin showing slowly, or very suddenly.
Commonly, animals are brought in to the vet for lameness which is being caused by arthritis or muscle inflammation, but they may also be brought in for anorexia, weakness, fever, seizures, or swollen lymph nodes. In SLE antibodies attack the body's own cells and incite inflammation in tissues such as the kidney, joint capsule lining, and blood vessels. Diagnosing SLE can be difficult because there is not one specific test for it. Treatment is focused on decreasing the amount of inflammation in the affected tissues and treating any concurrent infections. This is generally done through using drugs which suppress the immune system and the appropriate antibiotics for any infections present.