Lunar is a very pretty 10 month old (born 02/09/2008) working sheep dog bitch, she is a tri colour blue merle. However it is suspected that she is suffering from Pituitary Dwarfism. Regrettably due to this recent discovery and the fact we have a baby due in about 3 and 1/2 weeks (13/08/09) we are looking to find a home that can provide Lunar with the special care and attention she will need. It is a decision that has been very hard to reach, however we do not feel we will be able to provide Lunar with the time, care and attention she will require once our baby is born.

Pituitary Dwarfism is a very serious condition that affects every aspect of Lunar’s development, firstly her physical development, hence she is quite small for the breed, it could also affect her mental development, and therefore anyone taking her on must be prepared to be taking on a “perpetual puppy” and whilst this may sound appealing believe me it is not something to be taken on without great thought. It can also affect the function of the thyroid gland, liver, kidneys, development of muscle which can lead to problems with joints. It can cause coat loss which may not grow back or may only grow back in patches, skin problems, varying from flaky skin to severe problems with infections. It could cause Lunar to be infertile, but this must not be taken for granted, some bitches with the disorder have been known to be fertile, but a pregnancy could result in severe complications due to problems with the development of the ovaries/fallopian tubes/ and uterus, and any pregnancy could result in death. And anyone taking Lunar on must agree to never attempt to or allow Lunar to be mated.

This condition is also likely to reduce Lunar’s life expectancy greatly, most dogs with the disorder live only to approx 4-5 years (some as little as 2 years, however there are reports of some living to 12 years).

So far the problems we have noted with Lunar are:

Excessive appetite and problems with weight gain; currently Lunar is on a VERY strict diet, which consists of 140g per day of Vitalin Salmon & Potato dried food, which is split between 2-3 meals per day. She has almost no treats and if I need to use treats for any training I tend to use chopped raw carrot. Lunar will eat almost anything if allowed!!! We have to strictly watch her, she will beg/scavenge for anything if allowed to, we have always worked very hard to ensure Lunar is polite when people are eating and she must stay on her bed during meal times. With her own food she has been taught to sit & wait until her food is placed on the floor and she is released to eat it. When giving food from the hand she can be a little over zealous so must always be reminded to be gentle.

Coat and skin issues; as is typical with Pituitary Dwarfism Lunar has not lost her puppy coat, and it is possible/likely that should she shed this, it will not be replaced with anything leaving the poor girl bald. We have noticed that high friction areas such as elbows, hocks, and her neck have bald/thinning patches, therefore her collar is removed when at home to try and prevent further loss.
She also has flaky skin, particularly noticeable on her tummy, this does not seem to bother Lunar in anyway, and all we have done for this is apply a Body Shop Vitamin E body butter, which our vet has said is fine, and this seems to help.
I (and the vet’s) also think that the recent diet change to Vitalin Salmon & Potato, has improved the condition of both her skin & coat. Although the new diet is unlikely to prevent coat loss.

Clicky Joints; Lunar has clicky joints which is likely to be caused by the joints being lax due to lack of muscle development, whilst this does not seem to cause Lunar any discomfort it does mean that her exercise/play should not be too strenuous. The vets advised lead walking only however when we venture round the local fields I do allow Lunar off the lead as she rarely breaks into anything more than a gentle trot, and should she speed up to run with our other dog I am able to calm both down and get them to be steady. It does mean that if Lunar is homed with another dog their play should be monitored and anything too vigorous needs to be curtailed.

Mental Deveolpment; Now although it is very difficult to be certain as to whether the condition has affected Lunar’s mental development I have always found her extremely difficult when it comes to any obedience training. It seems we get so far with a particular exercise and then we get stuck. Although to be fair to her, her basic obedience is reasonably good, however it is vital that this is constantly reinforced, she is capable of sit, down, recall, stay (although these need to be constantly worked on) I have been unable to get Lunar to retrieve anything, whether in play or a proper obedience retrieve. She seems to enjoy working in obedience (anything for food!!!) and I have found using a clicker to be most successful with her, although she does sometimes seem to get bored. We did start some agility training but after noticing the clicky joints this has been stopped and should not be started again because of the stress it puts on the joints.

Other wise Lunar is lovely although a little bit quirky, she does have quite a trying nature and needs a firm but fair, experienced home. Lunar is good with other dogs, although is quite vocal and will sometimes bark at an approaching strange dog, although if allowed to will normally say hello nicely. She will gently tell another dog if they are being too pushy for her liking. With our older male collie Fenn, Lunar is somewhat the boss, although Fenn is probably one of the most laid back dogs you could ever meet, and he is quite happy to let Lunar walk all over him quite literally. She mixes quite well in large groups of dogs, and seems to find her own place within a pack situation, and other than the odd vocal challenge, she has never tried to push her luck too much with older dogs that have told her off if she has gone too far.

She is good with children, although she has only had very regular contact with a 11 and 13 year old, she has also on a few occasions been around a young baby (under 6 months) and has shown an interest but all friendly, no aggression, or other unfriendly behaviour has ever been displayed by her. I would be very careful about homing her where there are very young children, or children who are not experienced/comfortable around dogs. Any children living with/having regular contact with Lunar need to be able to provide consistent commands/boundaries.

Lunar has spent time with cats and is quite good with them, although she does need to be reminded not to chase them when they run.

Although she can be a bit trying she really is a lovely little girl who loves fuss and attention, and it truly is with great regret that we have come to the decision to rehome her, however we really do feel we will lack the time to provide Lunar with the tome, care and attention she will require once our baby is born.

Please only enquire further if you are serious and prepared for taking on a dog who may not live a long healthy life, I would suggest some research is made into pituitary dwarfism. I will happily provide any further information and photos on request.

sorry meant to add this to original post this is a picture of Lunar taken about March time although she hasn't really changed/grown since.

Oh and we are in Gloucestershire although if necessary would be willing to take Lunar to meet prospective families, would even consider 3-4hr journeys if the right home come up!

aww she looks lovely and i hope u find the right home for her soon x

I hope you find Lunar a loving home with someone that understands her needs. Where abouts in Gloucestershire are you? :)

Thank you guys she is a very pretty and very sweet little girl and we desperately hope to find her a great home and soon!!

We are in Cirencester. :)

Can't see the pic nailbiting which is probably a good thing i always want the ones with problems/issues.

Good luck in finding her a suitable home - let us know how you get on.

[QUOTE=Ruth,Jul 22 2009, 06:56 AM]Can't see the pic nailbiting which is probably a good thing i always want the ones with problems/issues.


If you can't see her image maybe you can see her as my avatar as I have just uploaded the same pic for that! I know what you mean about wanting to help those with issues etc. If it wasn't for circumstances, e.g. other dogs, children, working, money etc etc I would probably be looking to help those "Problem Dogs"! And I wouldn't be needing to find my little girl a new home either!!! *sad*

I can see her now - she is beautiful :wub:

I hope so much you find her a suitable home and i wish i had room.

Where is she from....she has similar colouring to my Spirit.

We got her from a working farm in Powys, Wales. We have been in touch with them to let them know and also to find out if they had any contact with any of the litter mates which unfortunately they don't, it would have been nice to see how she compared now with any of her littermates. But on the otherhand no one else has contacted them to say there is any problem. Also a member of their family has a bitch from a previous litter and she is perfectly healthy.

Just seems we were unlucky this time round! Either that or someone decided they would make up for the fact that our older collie Fenn is a giant, so in giving us a dwarf between the two we have the perfect sized dog! Just such a shame it isn't just as simple as her just being little!

Have sent you an email *speak* :)

Update:
Luna is now coming to me as a foster for West Yorkshire Dog Rescue (long-term)
www.westyorkshiredogrescue.co.uk