Two-Year-Old German Shepherd With Dwarfism Will Look Like a Puppy Forever

His cuteness came with a price.

Ranger the 2-year-old German shepherd is now a famous doggo because of his forever-puppy look.
But him being stuck in the puppy stage came with a price.
Ranger was diagnosed with pituitary dwarfism after suffering from a parasitic infection

At some point in a dog lover’s life, he or she will wish that their dog will remain a puppy forever. Who can blame them? Dogs – especially larger breeds – are way cuter than they already are when they’re puppies. Good thing for Shelby Mayo, she’ll be dealing with a pup as her full-grown German Shepherd will look like one all his life.

Ranger has recently taken the internet by storm, all because he’s a usually large breed that will look like a puppy forever. But with all that cuteness came several health issues that worried his owners.

Ranger is a 2-year-old German Shepherd diagnosed with dwarfism.

Before you say “aw…” just looking at the cute doggo, you should understand that fate wasn’t too kind to Ranger when he was still with his littermates. Spoiler Alert: This will have a happy ending so read on.

Shelby explained that she had gotten Ranger from a breeder. At that time, he looked smaller than his siblings. Ranger’s owners thought that it was caused by Coccidia, a parasite. Weeks after, Ranger was free of parasite infection and was able to go home to his owners.

Later on, it was found out that he had Giardia and a serious neck infection. Skipping to the good news, the infection was cleared and Ranger became Giardia-free.

Despite being infection-free, Ranger didn’t grow like he was supposed to.

After having recovered from the infection, Ranger remained tiny so his owners decided to take him to the vet. That’s when they found out about his rare condition: pituitary dwarfism.

Ranger then had health issues like flaky skin and heavy fur shedding. Vets diagnosed his thyroid problem and put him on levothyroxine. One of his IG followers also recommended a soap, which greatly improved his fur.

Pituitary dwarfism brings about health issues in German shepherds, according to researchers.

It also results in behavioral and developmental problems. Worse, it shortens a dog’s lifespan. But Shelby assures that as of now, Ranger is a happy and healthy dog who loves to play around with his sisters.