To quell concerns, Flaherty gave an interview to The Globe and Mail, explaining that he has a rare skin disease (called
bullous pemphigoid) that requires strong steroid treatment.
Affected dogs present with a bilateral, nonrhegmatogenous, serous,
bullous retinal detachment which may involve all or most of the fundus.
There is also a condition called
canine bullous pemphigold which is seen in Doberman Pinschers and a few other breeds.
A rare skin condition,
bullous pemphigoid, causes blisters which are large and filled with fluid on areas of the skin which flex often like the upper thighs, lower abdomen or armpits.