Precious the Dwarf German Shepherd.

We know that Precious may look quite comical but she is a pituitary dwarf and desperately needs our help to find a new home as a matter of some urgency.

NOW REHOMED

Precious is 2 years old and in Scotland

Precious is a 2 year old dwarf GSD and has very little hair left on her body. She has been abused in the past and can be a little nervous but she is playful and very loving with her owner. She is good with other dogs, cats and is great with children. She just wants to be with you all the time.

OK now the medical stuff on pituitary dwarfism.

Pituitary dwarfism is a rare congenital birth defect resulting in the malfunction of the pituitary gland situated at the base of the brain, often combined with malfunction of the thyroid gland.

In dogs with pituitary problems the dog will develop into a near-ly perfectly proportioned but considerably downsized version. In cases where there is an associated problem with the thyroid gland due to lack of proper direction from the pituitary, muscular weakness and skin/hair problems will occur.

It is a genetic disorder but because it is a recessive gene it requires male and female both with the recessive gene to produce dwarf puppies. Unless a breeder is deliberately mating male and females with this gene to produce dwarf puppies, pituitary dwarfism is not common in the GSD. However, when it does occur it can be quite distressing for the owner because of the associated medical problems and the look of the dog because of hair loss. Dwarf German Shepherds usually have fertility problems.

As a puppy the dog will have a fine coat of secondary hair but no primary hair so hair loss begins usually at the age of 6 months when puppies normally use their puppy coat. In some cases the dog will retain tufts of hair around the ears and the feet which does look rather comical. The hair on the tail usually disappears leaving it looking like a rats tail.

As hair loss progresses the skin can sometimes become very itchy, very sore and become scaly and wrinkled with some areas becoming quite black. Some areas will stay smooth.

The life expectancy of a dwarf shepherd is much shorter than a GSD of normal size. Some say 2 years at best although there are others that dispute this and quote ages of up to 13.

If you can give Precious a home please contact the rescue

Donations are all ways welcome

Please help us by making a donation so that we can help re home more unwanted German Shepherd Dogs. Donations can be sent to Jayne Shenstone, German Shepherd Rescue, Little Vauld, Marden Hereford HR1 3HA. We also accept Paypal payments - just click on the Paypal button below. Thankyou.