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Pituitary dwarfism in German Shepherd Dogs
Author(s) -
ALLAN G. S.,
HUXTABLE C. R. R.,
HOWLET C. R.,
BAXTER R. C.,
DUFF B.,
FARROW B. R. H.
Publication year - 1978
Publication title -
journal of small animal practice
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.7
H-Index - 67
eISSN - 1748-5827
pISSN - 0022-4510
DOI - 10.1111/j.1748-5827.1978.tb05563.x
Subject(s) - medicine , german shepherd dog , puppy , dwarfism , hypoplasia , ossification , aplasia , growth hormone , labrador retriever , anatomy , endocrinology , pathology , hormone , biology , ecology , biochemistry , gene
Eleven German Shepherd dogs with pituitary dwarfism were examined. They were severely stunted in growth and possessed abnormal hair coats with persistence of the soft puppy (lanugo) coat and symmetrical areas of alopecia. Various other physical defects were often present in affected dogs. Detailed hormonal studies demonstrated a severe deficiency in growth hormone in all five cases so evaluated. A decrease in somatomedin activity was present in three of these cases. Changes in growth plates epiphyses and ossification centres were apparent on radiographic examination of four of the eleven dogs. Epiphyseal dysgenesis was confirmed histologically in two of these cases. Of the six brains which were examined post mortem, four showed large cystic lesions involving the adenohypo–physis and two had pituitary hypoplasia with virtual absence of adenohy–pophyseal tissue.