If you’re like us, you can’t get enough of cute and fluffy animals. Pandas, cats, dogs, bunnies — you name, we just love them to pieces! And the smaller, the more adorable they are, right? Well, in this situation, a German shepherd, a breed that’s usually a pretty large-sized dog, will always resemble a cute little puppy for the rest of his natural life because of a rare condition. But not to worry, this story does have a happy ending! Ranger is a 2-year-old purebred German shepherd who’s stuck in permanent puppyhood despite his age. This was caused by a rare condition called pituitary Dwarfism.
Ranger was first diagnosed with Dwarfism after he was treated for an infection that was caused by a parasite called Giardia. Here’s how Ranger’s owner, Shelby Mayo, explained the situation: “When we originally got Ranger from the breeder, he was smaller than all his other littermates, but we figured that was because he had a parasite called Coccidia. In the weeks following, we took him home, and he was parasite free but later on, ended up getting a parasite called Giardia. At the same time, we also discovered that Ranger had a large infection on his neck. We were eventually able to get the infection under control, fast forward a few months later, we were finally able to get rid of Giardia.”
Image credits: ranger_thegshepherd
After Ranger recovered from his illness, his owners began to notice something rather strange. It seemed that Ranger wasn’t growing at the same rate that dogs his age would typically grow. After paying another visit to the vet, they learned of Ranger’s rare condition.
Image credits: ranger_thegshepherd
Even though his condition means that he’s going to look like a cute puppy forever, there are also a few unfortunate side effects that go along with his condition. For example, he has health problems such as shedding fur and flaky skin. You see, the disorder in his endocrine system called Hyperthyroidism. This means that Ranger’s thyroid gland does not produce enough thyroid hormone in his body.
Image credits: ranger_thegshepherd
But not to worry, because his loving parents, as well as thousands of loyal online supporters, made sure that Ranger was able to get the right treatment, and now the pup is making a full recovery.
Image credits: ranger_thegshepherd
Ranger has always been one to overcome every challenge put in front of him and remains a generally happy and healthy pup who loves to spend lots of time with his doggo friends and siblings.
Image credits: ranger_thegshepherd
Plus, he’s stolen the hearts of thousands of fans all over the world.
Image credits: ranger_thegshepherd
Source: Bored Panda