Pituitary dwarfism in German shepherd dogs: genetic investigations
Andresen, E.; Willeberg, P.; Rasmussen, P.G.
Nordisk Veterinaermedicin 26(12): 692-701
1974
ISSN/ISBN: 0029-1579 PMID: 4449724 Document Number: 73690
In one litter of six German Shepherd dogs, two dwarfs occurred. Both dwarfs were still alive at the time of writing, so no P.M. findings are availble. They were indistinguishable from litter mates during the first 1-2 months of life, then growth ceased in all parts of the body within a few weeks; so that, when adult, affected dogs have the appearance of very small, but well proportioned individuals, with partly retained puppy coat, and bilaterally symmetrical hair loss. The pedigree of the two dogs is reproduced, and two possible hereditary modes of transmission are considered: transmission of a simple, autosomal genetic defect (there is some indication of the Mendelian 3:1 ratio in pedigree of affected dogs); or the syndrome may have a threshold character based on polygenic inheritance. In other cases, which are reviewed, a cystic Rathke's cleft has been found on P.M. examination; the immediate cause of the syndrome was therefore hypopituitarism.