Q. I have a maltese, shitzu cross named Louie. He will be 2 in August. I bought him at 8 weeks and since that day he has only grown a few centimeters (if that) and only put on half a kg in weight. He only weighs a mere 1.9kg. Less then my cat!

He is really healthy apart from one teste not fully dropping & a sparse coat.  I was going to get him sterilized but my vet said to hold off for while because it might stunt his growth more if he has no testosterone.

I have taken him to a few different vets who have no idea what is wrong with him and suggest that maybe he is just a "runt". But I don't see this as possible, because even if he was just a runt he would of put grown double his size he was as a pup, surely?

I came across this site.. About dwarfism in dogs. But how do I go about diagnosing him? Or how do I get his vets to acknowledge his problem? Or do you think he actually might just be a runt?

A. I would certainly be concerned about the possibility of an endocrine problem in your dog. While true dwarfism generally does not occur in this breed, he could possibly have a growth hormone or thyroid hormone deficiency, in addition to other metabolic disorders.

I would first talk to the dog's breeder to see if there is any history of endocrine disease in the dogs lineage. Then find a veterinarian who will take your concerns seriously. Blood testing should be able to rule out many common and treatable endocrine problems. If your veterinarian is unwillling to run the tests, he or she should refer you to an endocrinologist at your nearest veterinary specialty center or veterinary college.