Pituiary dwarfism

Dwarfism is a condition of abnormally small stature with additionally altered proportions in some body parts. Pituitary dwarfism in German shepherds produces perfectly proportioned but miniaturized dogs. It is caused by a gen defect, which leads to dysfunction of the pituitary gland. As a result, lower amounts of growth hormones and Thyroxine reach the blood. Hence, affected dogs stop to grow between week three to eight of their live. These dogs posses fox-like appearance characterized by set apart ears, pointed muzzle and slight over-bite. Sometimes, they twinkle more in bright sunlight then dogs from the same litter. Untreated, dogs retain their puppy-fluff or completely loose their hair, with the exception of the feed and head region. In this case, they look much like Chinese crested dogs. Also, altered hormon-composition often leads to un- or malformed genitals. When treated with growth hormones and Thyroxine, dogs can live a normal live. Affected puppies of the breeds Karelian Bear Dog, Tibetan Terrier and Lapponian Herder appear normal at birth but do not grow at the same time as their littermates. They retain their puppy coat since it fails to transit into the typical adult coat. Others suffer of extreme hair loss at the age of 2-3 years, sometimes showing a thin skin and inflammatory symptoms.