Alaskan malamute chondrodysplasia IV. Concentrations of zinc, copper and iron in various tissues.

Trace mineral concentrations in various tissues of the chondrodysplastic (dwarf) Alaskan Malamute are remarkably different as compared to normal. The zinc level in heart tissue was depressed in dwarf animals (26 weeks). Copper concentration in the liver is elevated two to four fold in 26 week old dwarf animals and iron levels are significantly elevated in kidney, liver and pancreas of these animals. These observations suggest that the dwarf Alaskan Malamutes suffer from a genetic defect in trace mineral metabolism. If this is the case, then many of the skeletal lesions reported for these animals may be attributed to disorders in either zinc or copper metabolism.