Saturday, September 25, 2010

Have you ever heard of Dwarfism in dogs?

Dwarfism in dogs is usually caused by a deficiency of GH, or a growth hormone, but what is not familiar to most owners is that there are other possible causes. Each will be possible to cause various symptoms, and some of these reasons may have more serious consequences than dwarfism.
Hypopituitarism:
Perhaps the most common cause of dwarfism in dogs is a condition known as hypopituitarism. This condition will develop in young dogs and is a result of a lack of GH, which is the hormone normally secreted by the pituitary gland of your dog. If hypopituitarism is present, one or more of these pituitary hormones are not produced in normal quantities, thereby causing dwarfism.
This condition is almost always associated with the first two breeds, German Shepherds and carnelian bear dogs. It can also affect Sptiz, Toy Pinchers, and Weimaraner. If this condition is inherited, which was adopted by the medical community to a simple autosomal recessive. This can best be described as a situation where the puppies will have only one defective gene, but their parents.
If a puppy gets only one defective gene, they will automatically support one, but usually do not exhibit signs of dwarfism.
Dwarfism in dogs may also be caused by pituitary gland, that lead to deviations occur. If puppies are not normal pituitary development, or where a cyst occurs, the hormone production is reduced or sometimes completely absent. This can also occur if the pituitary is influenced by benign tumors. If any of these conditions occurs, a puppy appears to be normal at birth but they will begin to show signs of dwarfism in an age of two to three months.
Dogs infected with dwarfism due to pituitary problems have a normal relationship with their size, limbs and other body parts and their tribal structures. But, they're just much smaller than they should be.
Symptoms:
This form of dwarfism in dogs, there are several symptoms you can look for when it starts to develop. The first symptom is the most obvious, they are much shorter in stature than their siblings. There is often a misconception that the whole litter will be small, but in almost all cases only one or two dogs in the litter will be affected. Symptoms to watch out for is the preservation of their puppy coat, and as a result, their hair very soft and fluffy. Because of this, they will often over a period of developing alopecia, also known as alopecia.
The following set of symptoms will hyperpigmentation, or darkening of their skin. Teeth are also affected because there is usually a delayed eruption of permanent teeth, or missing altogether. If it is a husband, their very small testes, and in some cases they are infertile. As a woman, estrus, or heat may be completely absent, and they too can develop infertility. There is also a very common symptom of this cause of dwarfism, your dog will develop a very shrill bark.
OCD and achondroplasia:
The next potential cause of dwarfism in dogs is OCD, also known as Osteochondrodysplasia and achondroplasia. OCD is a situation where growth and development of bones and cartilage in your dog's abnormal. Because of this, there is a lack of normal bone growth and bone formation. The varieties most affected by this condition include the Alaskan Malamute, Samoyed, Scottish Deerhound and Labrador retrievers. But the Pyrenees, basset hounds, and the Norwegian elkhounds also affected.
Achondroplasia, a form of OCD, but it is a situation where the bones do not grow to their normal size for that race. When these situations occur, their limbs are abnormally short, making it actually more of a real case of pituitary dwarfism than one reason. It is probably caused by a mutation in the fibroblast growth factor gene reception. There are a number of varieties actually encouraged this property selective, especially Dachshunds. Skye Terrier and Welsh Corgi also fall under this group.
Both disorders are considered genetically acquired but OCD can vary. It is considered an autosomal dominant genetic disease, meaning that it can be passed by both parents, but only one parent is necessary for the gene.
Symptoms;
The symptoms or signs that you see with this type of dwarfism in dogs is slightly larger than normal head, like a bite with a shorter nose. Because of the lower jaw, teeth may be crooked in some dogs. They will also form an abnormal legs and enlarged joints. They can also, what would the bull leg in humans, where there is a sideways curvature of the front legs should be considered. This usually affects the legs more than the hind legs.
Lysomal enzyme deficiency:
Dwarfism in dogs may also be caused by a metabolic disorder resulting from impaired function of lysosomal enzymes to your dog. These enzymes help build your dog's bones, cartilage, skin and tendons. They also help to create the fluid responsible for lubricating their joints. The breeds that are affected by metabolic disorders resulting from this condition include plot dogs, Labrador retrievers, German shepherds as well. Also affected are small Pinscher and Schnauzer, and mixed breeds.
Symptoms:
Dwarfism with this condition is the main symptom. But unlike other possible causes, it is much more dangerous for your dog. It can also lead to serious bone disease, including disruption DJD of the hip, and facial deformity. It can also make your dog an enlarged liver and an enlarged tongue.
Summary:
Dwarfism in dogs in most cases is not a serious threat to the health of your dog, unless caused by a metabolic disorder. Just because a dog considered a dwarf, heart and love for you will be as great as when they were regarded as the normal size.

No comments:

Post a Comment