Editing German Shepherd (section)

===Pituitary dwarfism===
[[File:Karelian Bear Dogs with canine pituitary dwarfism B.webp|thumb|Two Karelian Bear Dogs at 10 months of age, left is an unaffected littermate and on the right is a bitch affected by pituitary dwarfism]]
[[File:Karelian Bear Dogs with canine pituitary dwarfism C.webp|thumb|An adult Karelian Bear Dog bitch with pituitary dwarfism displaying severe alopecia]]
[[Congenital hyposomatotropism]], also known as pituitary dwarfism has been known to be an [[autosomal recessive]] disorder in the German Shepherd dog for a long time. The condition causes growth retardation. The puppy coat is retained into adulthood and guard hairs fail to fully develop outside of the distal extremities. Eventually, full [[alopecia]] occurs. The degree of growth retardation and other clinical symptoms varies between affected dogs.<ref name="hyposomatotropism"/>

Investigations into the genealogy in 1978 found the mutation evolved in 1940 or earlier. Multiple [[Championship (dog)|champions]] have been shown to be carriers of the mutation, explaining the spread and prevalence of the disorder. This condition has been observed in breeds that were crossed with German Shepherd dogs such as the [[Karelian Bear dog]], [[Saarloos Wolfhound]], and the [[Czechoslovakian Wolfdog]]. Pituitary dwarfism in other dog breeds (excluding those with German Shepherd ancestry) is extremely rare.<ref name="hyposomatotropism">{{cite book | last1=Feldman | first1=Edward C. | last2=Nelson | first2=Richard W. | last3=Reusch | first3=Claudia | last4=Scott-Moncrieff | first4=J. Catharine | title=Canine and Feline Endocrinology | publisher=Saunders | publication-place=St. Louis, Missouri | date=2014-12-08 | isbn=978-1-4557-4456-5 | pages=44–49}}</ref>

Unlike humans where the [[POU1F1]] and [[PROP1]] genes are responsible for the defect a mutation in the [[LHX3]] gene is responsible for the condition.<ref name="hyposomatotropism"/><ref>{{cite journal | last1=Voorbij | first1=Annemarie M. W. Y. | last2=van Steenbeek | first2=Frank G. | last3=Vos-Loohuis | first3=Manon | last4=Martens | first4=Ellen E. C. P. | last5=Hanson-Nilsson | first5=Jeanette M. | last6=van Oost | first6=Bernard A. | last7=Kooistra | first7=Hans S. | last8=Leegwater | first8=Peter A. | title=A Contracted DNA Repeat in LHX3 Intron 5 Is Associated with Aberrant Splicing and Pituitary Dwarfism in German Shepherd Dogs | journal=PLOS ONE | volume=6 | issue=11 | date=2011-11-23 | issn=1932-6203 | pmid=22132174 | pmc=3223203 | doi=10.1371/journal.pone.0027940 | doi-access=free | page=e27940| bibcode=2011PLoSO...627940V }}</ref> The [[University of Utrecht]] offers a genetic test for this defect.<ref name="hyposomatotropism"/>

Untreated dogs usually live between 3-5 years. Dogs that undergo treatment can live healthily for several years but are still unlikely to have a normal life expectancy.<ref name="hyposomatotropism"/>