# Dwarfism in dogs



## Little Brown Jug (Dec 7, 2010)

So my friend ended up taking a 10 week old German Shepherd puppy who has dwarfism. Her two siblings are regular healthy pups and are 27lbs give or take while little Ella is only 7 lbs and resembles a hedgehog more then a German Shepherd. :biggrin1: Anyways, a lady was in the store who had gotten her sister, well the breeder decided to toss in Ella in as a two for one deal. This lady decided she didn't want to deal with Ella's possible health issues, the emotional strain and all but the breeder refused to take her back. She was told by the breeder she wasn't to bring the puppy to any rescue or humane society either. Guess he didn't want people knowing where the puppy came from and get discouraged from buying his dogs. So my friend decided to take her and give her a good time and should the time come when things start getting bad she said she'd put her down rather then prolong the suffering. So we've been reading up on the health issues with dwarfism. Has any here ever had an experience with dwarfism in dogs?

Thus far she's acting like a normal puppy however her eyes are always watery and there is a bad smell. Is this maybe something to do with her dwarfism? They are thinking of putting her on a supplement called Nzymes. Would this help any?


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## Lisa_j (Apr 7, 2011)

I have only seen one GSD with dwarfism on another site. I can not remember the reason why but that dog lost all of his hair as well. I will try and find the site for you.,


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## Lisa_j (Apr 7, 2011)

FOund it on facebook. They are listed under 'dwarf german shepherd (GSD)" Looks like several owners that shae experience with these special dogs.


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## lily (May 16, 2011)

we had a dwarf gsd when i was growing up,she was healthy but couldnt excersize her too much she would get tired very easily,but we found out she has a spine problem also,her litter mates were all normal size tho,karen


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## rannmiller (Jun 27, 2008)

We have one dwarf GSD puppy at my clinic and UC Davis is so interested in him they're doing all of these studies and health testing on him for free cuz they want to learn more about it. As far as I can recall so far, he's been a pretty healthy boy, but I'll ask the vet on his case if he's still doing well for you. Sorry I don't know that much about it except that they're stinkin' cute and you should really post some pics!


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## Javadoo (May 23, 2011)

We had a dwarf husky....Nikia.
He was healthy and lived to the age of 13. 
He did have some joint issues, but nothing terrible.


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## magicre (Apr 7, 2010)

i have never even heard of nor thought of dwarfism in animals....after thinking about it, though, why wouldn't it exist...of course it would...

what are the issues with dwarfism in dogs, aside from bone issues....

javadoo? your dogs? they look like they are going to eat you for breakfast.... they are beautiful..nice white teeth...a lot of nice white teeth..


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## Little Brown Jug (Dec 7, 2010)

Miss Ella

















Ella may loose all her hair as well when she starts loosing her puppy coat the adult coat may never come in or come back in patches. It happens with dogs who have pituitary dwarfism. She will probably have a maximum weight of 20lbs. Its common in German Shepherds as well as some other breeds. She's more likely to run into health problems like kidney failure, allergies, pannus and skeletal problems. She seems to get tired easily, sleeps a lot and has a bit of a time with stairs but she acts like any other puppy really, smart as a whip and very pleasent.


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## magicre (Apr 7, 2010)

but so cute.....i'm glad she's in good hands...who will love her and nurture her.


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## Lisa_j (Apr 7, 2011)

Oh my goodness, she is so adorable!!! I hope she is able to stay healthy. What a little lovey!!!!


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## Javadoo (May 23, 2011)

Little Brown Jug said:


> Miss Ella


OMG-could she be any friggin cuter???


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## Javadoo (May 23, 2011)

magicre said:


> javadoo? your dogs? they look like they are going to eat you for breakfast.... they are beautiful..nice white teeth...a lot of nice white teeth..


My sweet, sweet girls...Java and Moka. Smiling for the camera.
They're labs, so not a mean bone in their body.
Although I have been told recently by 2 different people that they look mean...go figure. 

Here's Java:










And Moka:









Terrifying, aren't they? lol


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## rannmiller (Jun 27, 2008)

Thanks for posting pics, that is SUCH at cute puppy! Like holy cow! And I love the little black and white tuxedo dog next to her, reminds me of my Penny :smile:



Javadoo said:


> They're labs, so not a mean bone in their body.


Totally off the subject but I have to say something. I'm sure your labs are very sweet, but I must say I have met my fair share of mean/aggressive/fearful/terrifying labs. I'm sure most of it is due to owner error (although there is one dog that has become so dangerous since he got hit by a car several years ago that the owners are scared of him and thinking of putting him to sleep since he's literally a danger to society. Sadly I'm not even exaggerating, this dog is terrifying). But I just hate when people assume that because a dog is a lab, it's going to be a sweet, safe dog. Just like with any breed, training and socialization are mandatory. 

Anyway, back on track. Sweet little Ella, I hope your friend has all the luck in the world with her and that she lives a long, healthy, normal, happy life :smile:


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## magicre (Apr 7, 2010)

Javadoo said:


> My sweet, sweet girls...Java and Moka. Smiling for the camera.
> They're labs, so not a mean bone in their body.
> Although I have been told recently by 2 different people that they look mean...go figure.
> 
> ...


they are gorgeous....love brown labs....they are my favourite.....


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## Little Brown Jug (Dec 7, 2010)

Oh my rannmiller, the black and white dog in the picture with Ella is my friend's other dog, an 8 - 9 month old Lab/Beagle mix called Penny. 

I went in to work today and told her of a couple stories that I'd found of people with dwarf dogs living fairly long lives. She was told that Ella would probably only live to be 4 or 5 years old so hearing that there were some that lived far longer then that and had no serious health issues really brightened her day as she'd been thinking about it all night and praying it wouldn't happen to Ella. We've all come to love her in the short time she's had her and I think we'd all feel a little lost if something happened to her. Penny and her curl up in the crate together, they've already grown so close.


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## wags (Jan 31, 2009)

Miss Ella Is eloquent! Adorable! :smile:She has that unique face that cuteness ~~~~you (cough cough I)just wanna hug her!:grouphug: And I didn't know about this dwarfism in dogs! She certainly looks the picture of health ! Shes tooooo cute!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!:biggrin:


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## lily (May 16, 2011)

beautiful dogs ,that little ball of fur just toooo cute ,karen


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## SerenityFL (Sep 28, 2010)

Little Brown Jug said:


> Miss Ella


Omg, that puppy would own me. Adorable. 

There's always a chance that she won't live but 4-5 years and there's always a chance that she will live longer. It's all a guess based on what is known from past experiences...little Ella could be different and surprise everyone. Puppies usually sleep about 17 hours a day anyway so I wouldn't worry about that right now. I would find out what to do for her if she does lose her fur and how to make her life the most comfortable and safest for her as possible. The good news is, she went to someone who will do just that. This puppy is going to have a very good life as far as love and care and sometimes, that's all we can do. But, it does go a long way in keeping them not only physically healthy (as much as possible) but mentally healthy. Mental health plays a big role.


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