Pituitary Dwarfism and Adrenocorticotropic Hormone Deficiency in a White Swiss Shepherd Dog With LHX3 Mutation.

ACTH; dwarf; endocrinology; hypocortisolism; pituitary gland; LIM-Homeodomain Proteins; Lhx3 protein; Transcription Factors; Adrenocorticotropic Hormone; Dogs; Mutation; Prednisolone/therapeutic use; Dog Diseases/genetics; Dwarfism, Pituitary/veterinary; Dwarfism, Pituitary/genetics; Dwarfism, Pituitary/drug therapy; Transcription Factors/genetics; Adrenal Insufficiency/veterinary; Adrenocorticotropic Hormone/deficiency; Veterinary (all)

Abstract :

[en] LHX3 mutation in dogs is associated with combined pituitary hormone deficiency. However, ACTH secretion is usually preserved. A 9-week-old female White Swiss Shepherd dog presented with growth retardation and was diagnosed with pituitary dwarfism due to LHX3 mutation. In the 2 years after diagnosis, the dog developed persistent lymphocytosis and eosinophilia. Endogenous ACTH measurement, ACTH stimulation test, and CRH stimulation test confirmed pituitary hypocortisolism. The dog was administered physiological doses of prednisolone, with improvement of activity levels. These findings are similar to scarce human reports and suggest that corticotrope function might decline over time in dogs with LHX3 mutations. Awareness and screening for ACTH deficiency in dwarf dogs is important in light of compatible clinical signs and laboratory abnormalities, as treatment with glucocorticoids improves the quality of life of these dogs.

Disciplines :

Veterinary medicine & animal health

Author, co-author :

Schils, Gaëlle ; Université de Liège - ULiège > Fundamental and Applied Research for Animals and Health (FARAH) ; Small Animal Department, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium

Stammeleer, Lisa; Small Animal Department, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium ; Pride Veterinary Referrals, Derbyshire, UK

Daminet, Sylvie ; Small Animal Department, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium ; Small Animal Department, Liege University, Liège, Belgium

Language :

English

Title :

Pituitary Dwarfism and Adrenocorticotropic Hormone Deficiency in a White Swiss Shepherd Dog With LHX3 Mutation.

Publication date :

20 August 2025

Journal title :

Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine

ISSN :

0891-6640

eISSN :

1939-1676

Publisher :

John Wiley and Sons Inc, United States

Volume :

Issue :

Pages :

e70193

Peer reviewed :

Peer Reviewed verified by ORBi

Additional URL :

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/jvim.70193

Funding text :

Funding: The authors received no specific funding for this work. Acknowledgments to the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine of Utrecht University for providing us the oCRH.

Available on ORBi :

since 28 August 2025

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