Nutritional secondary hyperparathyroidism occurring in a strain of German shepherd puppies.

Five German shepherd puppies, aged between 66 and 174 days (4 of which had the same parents) had ananastasia with deformation of limbs. Histopathologically, all the puppies showed moderate to marked fibrous osteodystrophy with parathyroid gland activation. These puppies were fed a diet consisting of 80% steamed rice and 20% raw meat. It was implied that though the diet contained the required level of calcium, it contained more than the required level of phosphorus. From the results, the present cases were diagnosed as nutritional secondary hyperparathyroidism caused by a diet containing too much phosphorus. Based on the clinical aspects concerning the development of this condition a familial factor was suggested.