Pituitary dwarfism in a german sepherd-akita mix dog

Abstract

A 4 month old unneutered male German shepherd-Akita mix dog was presented at the Veterinary Teaching Hospital of Iasi for stunted growth in spite of a slightly increased appetite and adequate dietary intake. The dog underwent physical, routine and specific clinicopathological investigations. Physical examination revealed stunted growth, muscle atrophy, delayed dental eruption, woolly hair coat, fox-like facial features and underdeveloped testis. The owner did not report any other changes in the general state of the dog. Routine clinicopathological examination did not reveal any abnormalities. Considering the case history, age, breed and the physical appearance of the dog, the most probable suspected disease was hormonal deficiency. Special laboratory investigations revealed a low level of GH and FT4, confirming congenital pituitary dwarfism. The recommended treatment in this case was thyroid hormone replacement and medroxy-progesterone acetate at three weeks interval, than every six weeks. Four weeks post-diagnosis, the dog was brought back to the clinic with a three day history of profuse watery diarrhea, severe dehydration, anorexia and hypothermia and died shortly after admittance. The current paper describes a case of congenital pituitary dwarfism in a four month old German shepherd-Akita mix, a disease with a rare incidence in dogs.